Plan Ahead – Make A List

Before heading out for your Christmas shopping spree, make a detailed list that includes the name of each person you’ll be shopping for and what you’d like to get them. Where possible, do a bit of research online about what the going rate is for each present. Educate yourself about how much you should pay for each thing, and keep detailed notes to bring along. As you’re shopping, you’ll be better able to recognise a good deal when you see one – and it will be that much easier to stay within the budget you set. Remember to keep you eye out for sales and specials along the way, too!

Include A Special Treat During Your Spree

Nonstop shopping is bound to burn anyone out. That’s why it’s wise to plan a few breaks here and there. Such breaks might include a stop at the theatre, or a long and pleasant meal at a nice restaurant. Many cheap hotels include low priced restaurants, so they are always good places to look for deals. No matter what, you need to ensure that you don’t get too worn out from doing all of your shopping. Even if it just means a brief sojourn in a local park, some sort of break should absolutely be included.

Book A Cheap Hotel To Make The Experience Less Stressful

Traveling into and out of the city for a shopping spree can be very tiring. On top of that, all of that commuting eats away at the time you actually get to spend shopping. There are plenty of cheap hotels available that you can book to turn your shopping spree into a genuine shopping holiday. Choose a cheap hotel that is near a major shopping district to make it that much more convenient. You’ll be able to hunt for deals late into the evening, without the prospect of driving all the way back home in the back of your head the whole time.

Snap Up Those Deals!

When you’re less rushed, you’re much more likely to find truly great deals on Christmas gifts for everybody on your list. Booking cheap hotels allows you to take your time and not feel pressured to make a snap decision, which can mean spending more money than you’d care to. Knowing that you can sink into a comfortable hotel bed at the end of a long day of shopping can make the entire experience far more enjoyable. Better still, it can help you be a savvier shopper and prevent you from exceeding your carefully planned budget – a true win-win situation if ever there was one!

Don’t Fight Those Crowds

In this case, the DJ was a big proponent of online shopping and online coupons, hence this is the reason I was on his show, but he brings up some good points. People are starting to use online shopping as a strong alternative to fighting the crowds at local stores and malls. This is evident by the fact that online shopping in 2006 has really gone through the roof and is up 23% over 2005 numbers as consumers are starting to catch on to the convenience and great deals that can be found online.

Information At Your Fingertips

As I pointed out in the interview, the main benefits of doing your Christmas shopping online are two-fold. First, the amount of information and research at your disposal on the Internet is quite impressive. This includes buying guides, user reviews of products, and price comparisons at different online stores. All of these are not going to be readily available to you when you walk into a brick and mortar store to do some shopping. Secondly, many online retailers offer coupon codes that can get you things like free shipping, or 10%, 15% , or sometimes 20% off your purchase. These coupon codes are typically only for online usage. Free shipping coupons in particular are very popular around the Holidays, as many consumers are afraid to shop online thinking the shipping charges will outweigh any benefits.

Keep Your Sanity

So this Holiday shopping season I would urge you to try shopping online and to keep a running total of the savings you received when using online coupons. For me personally, the time wasted in busy parking lots and long lines in stores also has a value, but it is hard to put a dollar figure on time wasted. Nonetheless, I found the holiday season to be much more enjoyable and peaceful when I avoided busy malls and shopped exclusively online. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to you and your family!

© 2007, Kyle James