With the holidays coming up, people are starting to pick out gifts for their loved ones. While this time of year is one of my favourites, it can also get really expensive. However, if you do most of your shopping online, there are a few tricks that can save you some cash along the way.
Sharing with Friends
If you’re ordering from a store that you know one of your friends loves, let them know beforehand! Whether for themselves or as a gift, there’s a good chance that they may want to order something as well, and the combined total will probably be enough to get you free shipping.
Take Advantage of Sales
Black Friday is coming up on November 29, and most retailers will offer significant discounts to celebrate. If you don’t need your purchase immediately, it may be worth it to wait and see if it will go on sale. Of course, it’s probably also important to note that certain retailers like Lush and Sephora don’t necessarily discount their products for Black Friday (although Sephora does usually put out ‘value sets’). If you need specific products from stores like these, you’re probably better off buying it from now.
Check Your Receipts
If you’re planning on buying gifts from stores that you’ve recently made a purchase from, double-check your receipt. Many stores, like David’s Tea, have coupons either on the bottom or after completing a quick survey. Since you’re going to be spending the money anyway, you may as well take advantage of whatever coupons you can get.
Note: this doesn’t just apply to stores – David’s Tea has a coupon for $5 off $25, but McDonald’s also has a coupon to make any sandwich a combo, and many other fast food places have similar coupons that are worth checking for
Points, Points, Points!
If the store you’re going to be making purchases for has a membership club, especially if it’s free, sign up for it! Signing up often comes with a discount on your first purchase, and you’ll probably also get credit for future purchases as well. Also, if your friend is at a higher rewards tier than you, check if they get a better discount (especially at places like Sephora). If they do, consider ordering the item through them – it can save a lot over time.
Shoptagr is Your Friend
Since we’re still in November, it’s well before most people exchange gifts. If you know what you’ll be buying from now though, consider adding the products to Shoptagr. Shoptagr will monitor the item’s price, and you can set it up to send you an email or text whenever the price drops. That way, if it’s a good price for Black Friday, you’ll know, and if not, you won’t have to worry about always checking the price.
Get Cashback
When you finally make your purchase, you should consider using Rakuten. They provide cashback at most online stores, so you can earn some extra money while buying things you would’ve gotten regardless. They even have a sign-up bonus, so if you spend at least $25, they’ll give you an extra $10 (they change their promos fairly frequently though and I’m not affiliated with them so if they change the bonus please don’t sue me). You can sign up with my affiliate link (which earns me a small commission) here, or if you don’t like affiliate links, you can just Google ‘Rakuten’ and the website will come up. Also, bonus points if you combine using Rakuten with a credit card that earns some sort of rewards!
