25 Great Ways to Save on Holiday Shopping

9. Shop around

The sooner you start, the more time you’ll have to shop around for the best offers. Starting early also puts you in a position to snag popular items before they sell out. Just make sure that you’re comparing products apples to apples. 

For in-store Black Friday shopping, devise a game plan for specific products so that you don’t purchase the wrong products amid the mad dash.

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10. Devise a game plan for in-store shopping

Many retailers still offer exclusive Black Friday deals to in-store shoppers. Of course, you can’t be everywhere at once, so take a targeted approach. Mackenzie Shand, executive editor of Ziff Davis Shopping, recommends researching deals on the specific products that you want to purchase ahead of time and writing down the model numbers for big-ticket items like TVs, appliances and computers so that you don’t purchase the wrong products amid the mad dash. 

11. Take advantage of cash-back portals

Coupon sites have evolved over the years, and today there are shopping portals that give consumers free access to cash-back deals, coupons and other discounts. (The sites get paid a commission to send business to retailer websites.) You can shop on your computer or mobile device at popular shopping portals such as CouponCabin, Ibotta, Rakuten, RetailMeNot or TopCashback. 

12. Boost your savings during cash-back events

Offered by coupon websites, credit card companies and certain retailers, cash-back promotions are growing in popularity. On National Cash Back Day, which falls on the first Thursday in November, participating retailers offer customers extra cash back on purchases; last year a number of big-name retailers participated, including Neiman Marcus, Ray-Ban and Samsung. 

13. Use a cash-back rewards credit card

Cash-back credit cards are a popular way to earn money back from purchases. Some cards give extra cash back in certain categories, like travel or groceries, while others rotate rewards quarterly or offer a flat rate across all purchases. The best way to save is to maximize these reward points based on how you shop. “Looking for a cash-back credit card that matches your spending style can get you more money to use toward Black Friday, especially if you find one with a big sign-up bonus,” says Andrea Woroch, shopping expert and money saving consultant. She pointed to one credit card that offers a $200 bonus when you spend $500 in the first three months of opening an account. “That can cover a good chunk of your holiday purchases.”

14. Track price changes

Some price comparison tools will track items for you and tell you when it’s the best time to purchase them. Camel Camel Camel monitors product prices on Amazon; Karma is a browser extension that tracks prices of products from an array of retailers, such as Bloomingdale’s, Finish Line and Levi’s, and Price.com lets you set price-drop alerts for specific products from over 100,000 stores, the site says.15.

Message customer service reps via live chat to ask if there are promotions that aren’t widely advertised.

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15. Speak up — online

When shopping online, Jeanette Pavini, author of The Joy of Saving, ​recommends messaging a customer service rep via live chat to see if there are any promotions that aren’t widely advertised. “Many times, they will know of a special offer or discount that is not stated on the site or [has been] easily overlooked,” she says. 

16. Stack your savings tools

Rossman suggests using several saving strategies at once whenever possible. “You can use a rewards credit card that you pay in full so you don’t owe interest,” he says, while also taking advantage of store promotions and shopping through an online cash-back portal (see step nine). 

17. Be patient

Many retailers track your behavior online, and they know when you’ve put something in your shopping cart but didn’t purchase the item. Intrusive, yes, but also potentially beneficial. “When you are shopping on a site where you already have an account, abandoning the cart might trigger an additional discount. Retailers will send an email within a day or two reminding you that your cart still has items in it. Then, they may offer you an additional discount if you make that purchase,” says Pavini says. “There is no guarantee, and it’s not worth risking if you really need something. But if you can wait, you might get that email.”

18. Don’t be fooled by doorbuster deals

That 4K TV for $200 or designer handbag for $300 may seem like a steal, but not every deal advertised during Black Friday and Cyber Monday is a real bargain. Why? Because retailers sometimes bring in products to sell over Thanksgiving weekend and Cyber Monday that are either off-brand or of lower quality than similar products. Doorbuster items might also carry a shorter warranty than products that cost a bit more. If the price is low enough, these factors may not matter to you, but you’ll want to make an informed decision.

19. Avoid purchasing certain items

There are certain product categories where you can find better deals at other times of the year. Take appliances and mattresses for example; both tend to be cheaper during Labor Day and Memorial Day sales. Moreover, bedding and linen are cheapest in January, during “white sales” events.  

Pick up items in store or use curbside pickup for goods you ordered online to save.

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20. Avoid shipping costs by ordering online and picking up in-store

Last-minute shoppers are often forced to pay fees for expedited shipping to get their online orders on time for the holidays. One solution is to order items online and pick them up in the store. Some retailers, including Target and Walmart, offer curbside pickup — no small thing if you’re in a rush to pick up gifts from multiple stores. 

21. Buy wrapping paper and other essentials at discount stores

Wrapping paper, tape and other single-use holiday decorations can cost quite a lot during the holiday season, especially around Black Friday and Cyber Monday. One way to save is to shop for these products at dollar and discount stores where you can get a roll of wrapping paper for around $1 apiece. 

22. Buy used electronics

Many reputable retailers, including Amazon, Target and Walmart, sell certified refurbished electronics at discounted prices year-round. “These are promised to work and look like new, and [many] reputable retailers will offer a warranty, so you get peace of mind,” says Woroch. 

23. Hunt for gift card deals

Gift cards are a coveted holiday gift year after year, research by the National Retail Federation shows. And it often pays to wait until December to purchase them, when many retailers, restaurants and other businesses offer discounted gift cards to drum up business. Be on the lookout for BOGO gift cards and other deals. Chipotle, Costco and Target are just a sampling of the retailers that have run gift card deals during the holidays in the past. 

24. Bulk up

Around the holidays, warehouse clubs often sell gifts in bulk at a discount. You can easily pick up a three-pack of gingerbread-scented candles or holiday chocolates and save money by separating them into individual gifts. “Last holiday season, I found a set of three glass-jar candles from Target for $10, which provides three gifts for just over $3 apiece,” Woroch says. “In comparison, a 4-ounce individual glass jar candle was $5 [alone].” 

25. Focus on in-stock items

National retailers like Best Buy, Target and Walmart display their in-stock inventory on their websites and mobile apps. Zeroing in on these items can help you avoid wasting time looking at out-of-stock items and risk missing out on limited-time sales.