Christmas Deals

FREE SHIPPING – ONLINE COUPONS – CHEAP GIFTS – HOLIDAY SAVINGS

Everyone knows that the day after Thanksgiving, otherwise known as Black Friday, is the biggest shopping day of the year. Most major retailers consider this day to be the ultimate shopping event, and it can be a great time to take advantage of hot sales and holiday deals on Christmas gifts for the whole family. However, without proper planning, Black Friday can quickly turn in to the shopping day from hell. Follow these tips and you’ll not only survive, but you’ll be in great shape to shop ’til you drop.

1) Wear comfortable shoes.
This one’s a no-brainer. You’ll be walking and standing in line most of the day, so this in not the time to break in those new high heeled Michael Kors boots.

2) Pack a snack
Tuck some water and a bag of trail mix or a granola bar in your purse. This will save you the frustration of waiting in line at the food court for greasy, unhealthy junk food.

3) Take your time
Don’t try to be the first shopper inside when a store opens. This is how people end up getting trampled every year. Sure, that flat screen TV would make a great Christmas gift, but it’s not worth a trip to the ER.

4) Plan your parking
By the time the sun goes down, you’ll be pretty much shopped out, and a 5 mile hike back to the car will surely kill whatever is left of your Christmas spirit. Make a mental map of all the stores you want to hit, and then park as close as you can to the dead center. That way, you’ll never have to hoof it farther than half way.

5) Tag team!
Shopping with a friend or family member can be a great way shop savvy. Have someone get in line right away and hold your place while you stock up on affordable Christmas gifts. You’ll also need an extra set of hands to carry packages, and an extra set of eyes to spot the best holiday deals.

1) Set A Budget, And Stick To It
The first step is to make a list of every single person that you need to buy a gift for. Then calculate the total amount of money that you are prepared to spend on gift giving this Christmas, and work backwards from there to assign a target gift spend to each person on the list. You’ll want to make sure to do this individually, since you’re likely planning to spend more on your spouse or kids than you would on a co-worker. Keep the list visible when shopping – having it in your hand makes it less likely that you’ll splurge on big ticket items. If you find a great gift that’s over budget, don’t buy it. If you find a great Christmas gift thats under budget, congratulate yourself, but don’t spend the money you’ve saved by going over budget on another gift. Remember that the goal is to actually save money!

2) Do Your Homework
Even if you’re clueless about what to shop for, start online. Sites like Gifts.com specialize in helping you with great gift ideas for everyone on your list. Once you know what you’re shopping for, use your favorite search engine to help you find the best online deal. When deciding whether to buy online or in the store, make sure to factor in shipping and handling costs. Try searching for retailer-specific coupons, promo codes, or upcoming sales in order to get the biggest bang for your buck. Then call your local store to find out how their price compares before you make the trip.

3) Shop Early
The stress of holiday shopping is one of the biggest threats to your budget. If you find yourself at the malls on Christmas eve, desperately seeking last minute Christmas gifts for the whole family, you are guaranteed to overspend. Speaking of early, if you’re headed to a major discount retailer, consider going early in the morning on a weekday. Most stores will replenish their stock before after closing, and avoiding the crowds and long lines will mean that you’re calm and collected enough to make financially sensible purchases.

4) Consider Re-Gifting
If you have to come up with generic Christmas gifts for neighbors, co-workers, or acquaintances, start by shopping your own closets. You likely already own something that would make a fabulous and free gift. Items to look for include candles, scarves or gloves, home fragrances and decor, or bath products. As long as its new un-opened, it’s a candidate for re-gifting. Trust me, they’ll never know.

5) Can You Make It For Less?
No, of course you can’t build a homemade XBOX 360 for the kids. But there are plenty of great gifts that you can make yourself, and save a bundle doing so. Swing by your local crafts store and see what catches your eye. Photo gifts are also a thoughtful way to stretch your budget. For only a few bucks worth of glossy paper, you can make a photo collage that Grandma will cherish forever. Your Secret Santa at the office would also probably enjoy some homemade Christmas cookies more than another generic paperweight or calendar.

Leading up to the Black Friday and Cyber Monday rush, here are some coupon codes for for discounts on gifts for the holiday season.

Personalized Gifts
Personal Creations offers 15% off with code “GIFTS15″

Luxury Gift Items
Forzieri offers free rush delivery on orders over $165 with code 1F56C7

For a laundry list of coupon codes, check out RetailMeNot.com. They have great lists of coupons by store with many updated in real time. Also check out their Black Friday and Cyber Monday coupon deals. On last check, they had almost 50 Cyber Monday coupons for great gift-oriented stores like ArtofTea.com (25% off all products) and ProGolf.com (20% off any single item).

Cheesecake Gift-of-the-Month Club - Free Shipping

One of the biggest shocks I get every year is the shipping bill. Even when I buy gifts offline and then go to the post office to ship them to friends and family around the country, the shipping charges can often be more than the cost of the gift. I now take any opportunity to buy with free shipping. Here are some great gift companies offering free shipping for the holidays.

Shoes, Shoes, Shoes!
Shoebuy.com and Zappos.com both offer free shipping both ways. So if they don’t love it, they can return it for the shoes of their choice.

Personalized Poster Gifts
These can be cute and fun on Christmas morning, especially when they feature a new baby or the kids. Get free shipping on any popart portrait gift.

Free Shipping on Gift of the Month Clubs
AmazingClubs.com has every gift-of-the-month club available from premium wines to delicious cookies and cakes. All come with free shipping.

Gifts for Pets
Petco is offering free shipping on orders of $50 or more with the promotion code “welcome50″. This expires on 11/27. Click here for more.

Sports Gifts with Free Shipping
Are you a Yankees fan? Congratulations on winning the World Series! Prosports Memorabilia offers free shipping on orders over $50. This is a great store for all sports fans. Gets autographed baseballs, footballs and fan gear for all teams.

See more gift-oriented free shipping deals at Gifts.com.

Are you ready for the mad rush? The National Retail Federation survey over Black Friday weekend 2008 reported that more than 172 million shoppers visited stores and websites over the four-day period. This was an increase of 17% over 2007. Friday was the biggest day of the weekend with 73.6 million people shopping either in-store or online.

Get Ready For Black Friday

Black Friday 2009 is gearing up to be the largest on record and it’s no surprise. Fueled by the recession, tight credit and high unemployment, consumers have never been more cash-conscious. Shoppers are out for deals and they’re not letting anything stand in their way. Expect long lines at all the popular big box retailers as well as people camping out in parking lots overnight to get first crack at the deals the minute the stores open. Many retailers will be opening at 5 and 6am and the latest trend is stores opening at midnight on Thursday. Before long we will see 24-hour shopping at the brick and mortars throughout the weekend.

Speaking of 24-hour shopping, the online versions of all the big box retailers will also be running great deals. Avoid the crowds and simply do your research and buying right from home. Check here for deals and sale alerts as well as coupon sites like RetailMeNot.com and the retailers themselves. We’ll have a lot more in the coming weeks as retailers announce opening times and specials for the big weekend. In the meantime, make your holiday shopping lists, map out the stores you want to hit and pull together family members for a possible early-morning blitz.