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3 Little-Known Ways to Save Big on Holiday Shopping

Welp, here we go again: Another Christmas season is upon us, another round of holiday drinks and glittery Christmas cards, another month of budgeting and conjuring some Christmas magic to protect your finances. On that note, the expected price tag for Christmas is about $1,652 per U.S. consumer, according to a survey from Deloitte. At that cost, our planned spending surpasses pre-pandemic levels for the first time since 2019.

Most people can’t afford to spend a grand and a half on gifts, Christmas decor, and turkeys, which is also why credit card debt tends to creep up during the holidays. Working within a tight Christmas budget is hard, but it can be made easier with a few tricks. Here are four that could help you save this year.

1. Buy gift cards at Costco

For the shopper who has to buy something for everyone, Costco’s gift card packages could lead to big savings. While it doesn’t have a huge selection, you could save upward of 30% by buying gift cards through the warehouse retailer. For example, you could buy two $50 Spafinder gift cards for $70, or four $25 Roblox gift cards for $90.

Speaking of gift cards, if you have a Discover credit card — like the Discover it® Cash Back — you can get discounted gift cards with your cash back. This is low-hanging fruit that could result in getting 5% to 20% of added value, just for redeeming your cash back as a gift card. While you could get these gift cards for other people, you could also use them for your own Christmas shopping.

>> Click here to sign up for a Costco membership. <<

2. Use camelcamelcamel to set price alerts

Camelcamelcamel is a neat shopping tool that lets you track prices on millions of Amazon products, as well as look deep into a product’s price history to see if you’re getting the best deal. You can also set price alerts that notify you when an item has hit a desirable sale price.

For example, I recently set a price alert for a set of Beats Studio Pro headphones. Back in October, I bought a set for $179.99, which was the lowest price at that time (regular price was $349.99). My wife got jealous and asked for a set for Christmas. The price had gone back up, so I set the price alert through camelcamelcamel. This week, I was notified that the headphones had gone down to $169.95. Hope she’s not reading this — they’ve already been delivered.

3. Use coupon codes

Coupon codes are those nifty little phrases — like “BigSave10” — that apply discounts when you checkout online. These codes are great ways to save money, so never complete your checkout without first double-checking for a code. Sometimes, retailers will apply these coupon codes automatically, but don’t put your faith in them: You might have to sniff out the codes yourself.

One tool that could greatly increase your discovery of coupons code is the Capital One Shopping app. This free website browser extension will search for coupons when you’re checking out and apply the best code it finds. It also searches over 30,000 other retailers to make sure you’re getting the best deal.

>> Sign up now for Capital One Shopping. <<

Shopping portals are a powerful way to earn extra cash back. Through shopping portals, you’ll find thousands of retailers with extra cash back offers, ranging from 1% to 10% and more. All you have to do is go to the retailer’s website through the portal and the extra cash back will be applied at checkout.

If you’re not using shopping portals, I’d recommend checking out Rakuten first. This app and browser extension partners with over 3,500 retailers and will give you at least 1% back, if not upward of 10% or more, when you activate offers and complete a purchase. It’s easy to use, and you can link a rewards credit card to double-dip rewards.

All in all, saving money during December can feel like a Herculean task. But the deals do exist, and the savings can be immense if you know how to shop smartly. With a little planning — and the right tools — you can keep Christmas magical with a practical budget.

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