MEGA Monday!

All the predictions are that today, being the last Monday before December, will see the biggest online spend ahead of Christmas (in the UK at least).  Buying online is certainly easy and most people feel secure about it these days and it definitely beats trudging through stores crammed with people.

Because it is so easy to browse web pages and make your selections means it’s even more important that you consider very carefully how you buy if money is tight.  Here are a few tips to stop your online Christmas present shopping becoming too expensive.

Plan Your Shop

Before you even look at a computer screen sit down with a pen and paper and work out how much you have to spend and what you have to buy.  When thinking about presents think about how much you can afford for each person (also look at Worried About Christmas?).  Now your budget is set think about what you would like to get each person and make a note of that – the last thing you want to do is spend hours aimlessly browsing shopping sites.

Compare Prices

Using your favorite search engine and shopping sites work through your list one by one and find the right present for each person.  Make sure you know whether the price includes appropriate taxes or not.  Think about postage and packaging charges too, they can be high especially if you need a quick delivery.  Bookmark or make a note of what you think you want to buy. 

Most if not all shopping sites have a Shopping Cart of some description.  Use it to save those items you are pretty sure you might buy.

*** Now log off all your sites and turn off your computer ***

Have a Break

It’s so important to have a break from all this shopping and let your brain have a rest.  Have lunch, a coffee, a walk – whatever it is that helps you relax and stop thinking about shopping for Christmas presents.

Check Again Before Buying

Now go back and look at what you’ve written down against each person.  How is your overall budget holding up, will everything arrive in time and how much in total are you paying out for postage?  These are just a few questions to consider.  And, perhaps one final question – could you get any of your chosen items locally and cheaper?

Buy Your Presents

Once you’ve got this far the process of buying each present is straightforward and you can do it with the confidence that the selections you have made make sense financially.  Let’s hope too that the selections you have made meet with the approval of your family and friends – they’re bound to of course.

Spend a little time to save a lot of money!