Cutting Costs on Your Christms Gifts

We all love to both give and receive gifts, especially toys for your kids, but unfortunately that can add up to a lot of debt around the holidays. If you need to get the most out of every penny then here are ten tips that’ll help you do just that.

1) Search the Web for Deals

There's no doubt about it - shopping online really is the best way to get deals and save money at Christmas time. Here are a few ideas on where to find them:

Search for Coupons: Before shopping with any online store, do a quick search for "Store Name + coupon code". Often there'll be nothing available, but when you do find a coupon it's well worth having spent the extra two minutes searching for it!

Sign Up to A Cashback Website: There are a number of cashback websites that cost you nothing to join, and will give you a percentage of your purchase back after a certain period of time. You'll usually only get 1-5% back, but it's still a saving! Note that you won't get your cashback payout immediately, but it'll be a nice boost in the months after Christmas.

Check Groupon: Groupon has become hugely popular with shoppers looking for a deal, so make sure to sign up to email updates months in advance of Christmas. Not only can it help you save on certain goods, but you'll also find experiences like spa days, photo shoots and days out that all make excellent gifts!

Black Friday/ Cyber Monday Sales: Many online stores now have mega sales after Thanksgiving, so get online and see what you can find. Amazon, for example, has a number of very limited discount items. But you really do have to login early on the day to be in with a chance of getting them!

Deals on Site: Many sites will have their own specific deals, like "buy one get one free" or free shipping when you spend $X. Remember, only take advantage of these deals if you actually need extras!

2) Save Money on Christmas Cards

Don't forget that the cost of buying and sending Christmas cards can also add to your holiday spend. There are a few ways you can save in this area:

• You could send eCards instead of physical cards (you can still send paper cards to the really important people).
• You could avoid sending cards altogether and phone everyone who is important to you instead.
• You can deliver some of the cards by hand to save on postage costs.
• You could make your own cards.
• Or, if you do want to send cards, send them as early as possible to get the cheapest postage costs.

3) Shop Online & Use Comparison Websites

We have already established that shopping online really is the best way to save money - but there's another great thing about shopping online: comparison sites! A number of websites will now do the comparing for you so you don't have to spend hours surfing around various retailers and making a note of their prices.

It's worth always having the comparison mindset. If you see something in a store, you can always go online later that day to see if you can find it cheaper from somewhere else. But don't forget to include the price of shipping in your comparison, as this is a cost you will save if buying from a bricks-and-mortar retailer.

5 Useful Tips for Shopping Online for Toys this Christmas

1) Find Delivery/ Returns Deals

If possible, try to shop from places that offer free delivery when you order a certain amount. Delivery prices can really add up if you're not careful, so this will save you money right away.

Some bigger retailers will even offer free returns - meaning that you won't need to pay the postage costs yourself. This is especially handy when it comes to gifts for kids, since you never know when they won't be happy with what you've bought them!

2) Shop for Toys on the Best Bargain Days

Although it's always a good idea to shop for toys early - especially to make sure they're still in stock - there is one reason you might want to wait and that's to time your Christmas shopping for the best deals. Here's a guide to the best sales in the run up to Christmas Day.

Halloween - Early November: This is an excellent time to shop if you're organized. The retailers are already thinking about Christmas, even if most of us aren't, and they will often have sales running for those who are ready to take advantage. It may not be anything obvious, but it's well worth keeping your eyes and ears open to see if anything comes up.

Black Friday/ Cyber Monday: The biggest shopping days before Christmas come right after Thanksgiving. Traditionally this was something that only really applied to brick-and-mortar stores on the day after Thanksgiving - nicknamed "Black Friday" - but now a number of online retailers have gotten in on the act with their own "Cyber Monday". Amazon, for example, has a number of lightning deals with a limited number of items available at steep discounts for very short windows of time. You'll need to be on the ball and online throughout the day, but it's well worth it if you can snap up some deals.

The Last Days Before Christmas: In recent years retailers have been starting their post-Christmas sales early, and many last-minute shoppers have been able to grab some real bargains in the last 2-3 days before Christmas. Just remember, if it's a very popular toy your child is after then it's likely that it will have completely sold out by this time, so proceed with caution!

3) Check the Package Before Christmas Day

Nobody wants a faulty gift, but this is even more of a big deal when you're a child. To avoid disappointment when they open their gifts on Christmas day, open them up beforehand yourself to check that everything is working as it should.

If it's a toy that needs to be assembled, this means checking that all the parts are included in the box. You might even want to assemble the toy yourself before Christmas day to make sure it's all ready to be played with. If it's an electronic toy, get it out of the box, add in some batteries and make sure it all works properly.

Although it might seem like overkill, it's always worth a few minutes checking beforehand to avoid a lot of tears afterwards! Do it early and it also means you've got time to send an item back and get a refund if you need to.

4) Check the Returns Policy

Unfortunately sometimes we just don't get it right with our kids' gifts, so it's important that you buy from a store that has a good returns policy.

If there's a fault with the toy then all stores have to take it back, but they might not do so if you're simply returning it because your child doesn't like it. Thankfully most of the well-known retailers have solid returns policies in place around Christmas time, often extending the returns period until after Christmas.

This is why buying from third party sellers is a lot more risky, as they often won't accept any returns at all.

5) Don't Forget the Batteries!

Last, but certainly not least, don't forget to make sure you have some batteries on hand for Christmas day! There's nothing more frustrating for a child than to open their favorite gift but to realize they need batteries to use it. If you don't have any in the house, the chances are that the store won't even be open on Christmas day!

So avoid their sad little faces and check whether batteries come included with any electronic toys you buy. If the toy has a charger instead, charge it up ready for Christmas day so that your child can get playing right away.