Wondering how to save money on your Christmas shopping? Here are my top tips for making sure you grab a bargain.
When You Know What You’re Looking For
Compare
Once you’ve decided on the perfect present you need to have a quick scout around the internet to find out what price you should expect to pay. Keep a note of the sites where you find your item is cheapest. Remember to take postage into account as most retailers charge for standard delivery.
Cashback
The next thing to do is check the two top cashback sites Quidco and Topcashback to see if you can earn cashback on your purchases. Search for the names of your cheapest sites and work out the cashback amount you would receive if you used that link to buy. You can also add these retailers to your favourites so you will receive updates when the cashback amounts are increased. If you’re prepared to put your purchase off for a week or so this can be a rewarding move.
Codes
Often you can use voucher codes alongside cashback sites. (This isn’t always the case so check the Ts &Cs on the cashback site.) There are a huge number of voucher code sites on the internet so it’s best to search the name of the shop you’re looking for and the term “voucher code” or “discount code”. If you’re lucky you’ll find a few different codes you’ll need to take into account. Work out the discounts you can get on each site and factor in the cost and cashback amount to find your best price!
When you’re not quite sure
If you’re not quite sure what you’re looking for there are a number of sites that will send you fantastic deals straight to your inbox. My favourite is HotUKDeals. This site features the best deals available in the UK and each day they send out a newsletter with their top selections. From TVs to DVDs and candles to toys the site has a huge collection of deals found by it’s users. Deals at rated in ° so you can see how impressed the community is by the level of discount!
Another fantastic newsletter is the weekly MSE newsletter “Martin’s Money Tips”. Here’s last weeks which highlighted amazing deals on books, a 50% off code for the Body Shop, 15% off at ASOS, £100 worth of wine for £40 and lots more.