Six Ways To Shop Wisely During The Festive Period

In a previous article, we already shared with you  7 holiday shopping habits that can make you go broke.  Now that we are clear on that and are almost sure you won’t be falling into any of those poor shopping habits, we collected a list of tips on spending wisely and finding the best deals – both online and offline – during the festive season.

Find below, six smart shopping tips that we absolutely agree with as shared by Mark Ellwood on businessinsider.com:

1. Abandon your online shopping cart

Ellwood suggests buying items in a “two-stage process.” First, go onto a site, find what you like, and put it in your cart. Then, close the browser window and wait a day or two.

Leaving items in your virtual cart shows stores you’re contemplating a purchase and this encourages stores to entice you with a deal.

“Expect a coupon or promo of some kind to appear in your inbox to tip the purchase,”

Ellwood says.

READ ALSO: Ways To Give Your Child A Treat This Holidays Without Breaking The Bank

2. Get social

Often, online sales happen unannounced. So, Ellwood advises creating a separate Twitter handle specifically for following “savvy bloggers and deal hounds.” The author says their tweets could turn you on to a sale you otherwise wouldn’t have known about.

“Watch and see when they tweet about certain brands. Of course, you could also just use your regular Twitter account, as long as you don’t mind a feed full of shopping deals,”

he says.

3. Be aware of your location

According to Ellwood, you could be at a disadvantage if you live in an upscale area and do your shopping from home.

“Businesses online use whatever information they can glean from you to charge an appropriate price – including your location.

If you’re in an affluent area, beware. You might be charged extra because the vendor knows you can afford it,”

he says.

He advises using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) to spoof your IP (Internet Protocol) address and avoid this issue. An alternative way could simply be checking prices when you’re away from home to see if there’s any advantage, whether that’s after hours at work, during some downtime on vacation, or while taking a breather during a family visit.

4. Consider buying refurbished items

Whether you’re shopping for a new kitchen appliance, power tool, or personal gadget such as a laptop, consider refurbished options to save money without sacrificing quality.

There are retailers that sell refurbished items like laptops, smartphones, and tablets, and the prices are notably lower than if you purchase the devices new.

Just make sure that any refurbished products you’re looking at come with a strong warranty in the event that you have an issue.

5. Talk to a store associate

If your bargain hunt is turning up nothing, turn to a store associate or online customer service representative who may be able to help you find additional savings.

Experts say it never hurts to ask a sales associate if there is an available discount as they (sales associate) may be privy to a discount or promotion that you can take advantage of.

6. Remember the reason for the season

Lastly, whether you celebrate Christmas or other festivities or not, keeping the holiday’s spiritual message at the centre of everything is very important.

“Instead of spending weekends leading up to Christmas in the mall, it would be a lot better gift to spend your time with your family,”

American finance expert and author, Clark Howard, writes on bankrate.com.

Similarly, Lagos-based finance expert, Kola Oni, says remembering the reason for the season is the most important thing to have a successful celebration.

“People should not borrow money to have fun or impress anyone during this period.

At the end of it all, it is not about the many gifts, foods, or drinks that make the festive period blissful.

Spending time with one’s spouse and kids or other family members alone can be the most important thing to do,”

he tells Saturday PUNCH.