So it’s that time again, December for most people means buying presents for Christmas. And even those that don’t celebrate the religious portion still but trade presents.
As MacInsiders’ Official Deals Blogger, I’m going to try my best to write a guide to holiday shopping.
Sadly, buying gifts can be expensive burden, but between homemade gifts and buying correctly, it doesn’t have to be.
Being Efficient
As university students, we’ve got a lot going on during the months of December. Finals, last minute projects and essay, parties – you name it, we have it on our schedule. That’s why it is crucial that we are efficient while we plan our presents and take trips to the mall.
To stay efficient, it is important to shop with a mission. All too often people go to the mall to browse or to pick up a little something and end up wandering for hours. Make a list of stores you need to visit and gifts you need to get before leaving the house; that way, you’ll stay on schedule and prevent wandering.
It’s also a good idea to plan ahead before going to the mall. Check out your favorite stores online or brainstorm where you can get that perfect gift for your friend. If you have an idea of what you need to pick up beforehand, you’re less likely to meander and waste time.
Lastly, if your budget allows you to, shop for your Christmas presents all at once. Taking one day to go to the mall and do some power-gift-buying will get you in the right mindset. There’s a thrill that comes with buying presents for your friends –And if you are focused on getting everyone else presents, you won’t be tempted to buy stuff for yourself that isn’t in your budget (well hopefully).
Sources For Free Gifts/Good Sales Prices Etc.
First I will start off with ideas for free gifts. I post freebies time to time. While most are cheap samples, you can get some good packages. For instances, once I got a full jar of hair gel (something like that-wasn’t for my hair type so I just gave it away). I remember it was worth at least $20.
A good freebie is gift cards. Through different programs that I will outline, many well allow you to earn points that can be redeemed for gift cards.
First is
MacInsiders Reward system. It can be found here:
http://www.macinsiders.com/index.php?page=reward s
If it is linked to your Facebook account, and more recently your Twitter account, you can earn 100 points every day for signing in. You could earn bonus points by liking MacInsiders and posting comments on their/your wall. (I’m not sure if this is still valid maybe Chad can clarify).
Second is
SwagBucks, you can earn “SwagBucks” through searching the web from their search engine, answering the daily polls, clicking their no obligatory offers, watching videos , trades in and special offers.
If you actually use their search engines and the other daily tasks, you can accumulate 300-400 SwagBucks per week. 450 SwagBucks = $5 Amazon credit. SwagBucks can also buy actual items, but Amazon GC is your best bet in Canada.
I create my account before school started and got 870 SwagBucks quickly, forgetting about it until now. Quick hint: SwagBucks TV now lets you earn 150 per day.
I do need to be clear. Most likely, unless you dedicate time to these in the next three weeks, you might not have enough time to redeem much. I am just putting these out there and I will do an article in January about how to actually earn points more points per day and more frequently.
Other sources you may not think of
1. Grocery Offers
Remember getting those cereal prizes when you were a kid? Next time you are grocery shopping, check out if any of your favourite cereals and even other grocery items has offers on the product packaging, and you may just turn up some great ones. While I haven’t scored these, people have gotten gift cards, DVDs, toys and even savings bonds this way. I have seen even gift cards for gas, towels and lots of shirts and DVDs.
2. Department Stores
The competition between department stores is fierce around the holidays – great news for you. Some stores offer coupons right in their flyer. As I mentioned before, do your homework esp. if you are buying more expensive / technology items, see how much stores are actually selling the items.
3. Survey Sites
If you are one of those people who enjoy sharing your opinion, then, you've got to give surveys a try. You can earn magazine subscriptions, best-selling books and movies, gift cards, electronics, PayPal money and lots of other great stuff that your friends and family will love. This is one time when it pays to be opinionated.
4. Rebates
Rebates are great any day of the year, but they're great when you're looking to boost a minor Christmas budget. Be on the lookout for gift-worthy items that you can get free after the rebate (bath products are common), but also look for rebates on items that you buy regularly anyways .That way just keep rebate check in your Christmas fund.
5. Credit Card Rewards
If you pay your credit card off each month, paying your bills with plastic can be a great way to rack up rewards points in a hurry. Let them accumulate throughout the year. Then, cash them in when you're ready to do your Christmas shopping.
6. Sweepstakes and Instant Wins
Enjoy entering sweepstakes and instant win game? Then, seek out games with prizes that you'd like to give as gifts. Obviously, there's no guarantee you'll win; but you can at least try and have fun doing it. Have you ever seen Sweepers… they win so much cause they aren’t afraid to enter.
Group Buy Websites
You will notice I post most deals on various group buying website quite often, and I’m not the only one, so has mandee08 and terrafirma in the past 2 weeks.
I love these because you can get food for less than half prices. I have even gotten one of American Apparel, paying $25 for $50 worth of clothes that was valid one reduced and sale items. The other day , one of these websites were giving out free 10 gift card for American Appare too.
WagJag , one of my favourites on top of their normal deals has expanded to include a grocery, travel and instant deals section. But for the holidays they have a holiday Gift Shoppee section. It includes many deals that may be perfect for those on your list. There is also a chance to win what you buy until Dec. 25! WagJag will also donate $1 from each deal sold to charity!
Another one of my favourite is
Groupon , a company worth 6 billion dollars that was going to be bought over from Google.
They also have the normal deal section with a travel and instant section, and a holiday section called Grouponicus.
How About Gifts That Save Money For The Recipients?
1. Gas Card
Even if you do not take a car often, you must know how expensive gas prices are. Therefore, who wouldn't love to receive a gas card for Christmas? If you do drive and belong to a “membership” o customer loyalty program like with PetroPoint or Esso Points, at least you are earning money yourself.
2. Rechargeable Batteries and a Recharger
Many Christmas gifts and devices, in general require batteries these days. Who doesn’t remember getting a gift or even buying something for yourself to realize you have to search for batteries.
3. A Coupon Book
Coupon Books local to your area are great for saving money. Entertainment Books, one of the larger companies, sells books for the Hamilton and Toronto area. Right now, All 2012 Entertainment Books $10 off, plus free shipping so that both the Hamilton and Toronto versions are $25. It a good gifts for you. I do suggest searching through to see what coupons are included and buying from a charity if you see one selling it as they will get a cutback of the profit- that’s how I bought my first Entertainment Book.
http://hamilton.entertainmen t.com/...t/browse.shtml
http://toronto.entertainment .com/d...t/browse.shtml
4. Water Bottle/Water Filter
I do not know about you, but I know someone with a costly bottled water habit. If you do too, buy them a high-quality water bottle like the stainless steel bottle or a water filtration pitcher or faucet filtration system and help them break that habit for good and help the environment. Why not buy some Mac stuff if they are a McMaster student.
http://www.bookstore.mcmaste r.ca/cgi...?wsgm=supplies
5. Smart Strip
TVs, computers and many other electronics in our homes use electricity even when they are turned off. This leads to noticeable energy consumption. Give the gift of technology like a Smart Strip power strip, which eliminates this type of energy use. It will be a gift that keeps giving- your friends and family will enjoy a smaller electric bill every month to come.
6. Quick-Dry Towels/Dryer Balls
Due to their purpose; towels can take FOREVER to dry. If you treat someone to a set of these special towels it will help them cut down on the time their towels spend in the dryer...this will help them reduce their utility bills
as for dryer Balls, For example, Woolzies are felted wool dryer balls that soften clothes and reduce dryer times without chemicals or PVC.
Practical Things & Things People May Enjoy
1. An Emergency Snack Stash
Getting a snack craving when you're at school is the worst because it leads many people to turn to vending machines or one of the Cafes/Union Market stores for unhealthy food. This is not good for their waistline or their wallet. Why not put together a collection of healthy snacks for someone on your list, and call it their emergency snack stash. Best thing is if you buy boxes of different things, and create more than one of these stashes, saving you money.
2. A Favorite Candy/ An Edible Bouquet
Figure out the recipient's sweet weakness. Then, buy it in bulk. If you're looking for the $5 gift that looks like it cost much more, and edible bouquet is it.
3. For The Person Who Has Everything
What do you give the person who has everything? Really great storage containers….dorms rooms aren’t that big and most people have a lot of stuff, especially after the holidays
