Sunday, September 16, 2012

Holiday Shopping..Searching for Deals

My parents always did Christmas big. And I will admit, for Liv's first Christmas, I went WAY overboard. But in my defense, I did get some great deals. This is my first Christmas where I don't have a job, so money is going to be much tighter. I have some tips to share with you for holiday shopping deals and I will update any deals I find along the way.

My biggest tip is to start early...like now! You will find it to be far less stressful, and you will have time to look for deals if you start early.

Have a plan and a budget. Know ahead of time what you want to buy so you know what deals to look for.

Check your Sunday paper, and compare prices. Toys R Us, Target, and Wal-Mart all print ads with prices. Look for the items you want to go on sale. These stores all do coupons and weekly sales where you can buy one, get one free, get super discounts, and get gift cards for buying certain items. Go online to do price comparisons. Target.com also has printable coupons. I saved a ton of money doing this last year.

If you are military, price match at the Exchange! Not only do you get your items tax free, but if you find a lower price somewhere else, they will match it. For example, this week I saw Playskool Let's Rock Elmo at the BX for nearly $70. Target's weekly ad has it on sale for $29.99. Take the ad to the BX and they will match the price and you save on sales tax!

Target Red Card, debit card saves you 5%. I have the debit card (there are no fees and it is linked to your bank account). Additionally, if you make purchases through Target.com you get free shipping.

Lay Away is a good option if you want to make smaller payments each week. Stores like Toys R Us and Wal-Mart do this seasonally and K-Mart does it year round. 

Deals I found this week:

  • Playskool Let's Rock Elmo - Target $29.99
  • Furby - Wal-Mart, Target, and Toys R Us all have these on sale this week $54
  • Little People Disney Princess Songs Palace - Target $39 (Wal-Mart has it on sale for $44.97, and Toys R Us has all Little People on sale buy 2 get 1 free)
  • Little Tikes Cozy Tikes Coupes or Roadsters - Toys R Us has these on sale for $20 off

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