Seven Holiday Shopping Mistakes

The December issue of Consumer Reports lists the following holiday shopping mistakes to avoid:

• Going over budget
• Fighting the crowds
• Taking on too much debt
• Paying for a warranty
• Forgetting to haggle
• Relying on gift cards
• Overlooking return limits

Here's what I do on these:

• We have a budget for Christmas gifts, but it's rather flexible. So if we spend a couple hundred extra dollars, it won't be a problem.


• I HATE crowds, so I do a few things to fight them. First, I do more and more of my shopping online each year. Amazon is my site of choice since I can bundle products from many different categories. Second, in past years, I've taken a day off work and done almost all my shopping on one single day (when fewer people are in stores). And finally, I shop on weekday nights if I have to -- and avoid weekend shopping like the plague.


• We save in advance for all of our purchases, so taking on too much debt is never an issue. We pay for our purchases with either credit cards or gift cards purchased with credit cards, then pay off all the credit cards when they are due.


• The last time I paid for a warranty was a ba-zillion years ago. The last time I needed a warranty was before that. One warranty tip: Costco adds an extra year onto the manufacturer's warranty on electronics purchases (we got our last TV and computer there.)


• I forget to haggle during the holidays. It's because most of the stuff I buy is on sale/discount anyway, so I guess I don't think of it. Plus, time is money and who really has the time to wait for a clerk to check with his manager back-and-forth? Not me.


• I know many people hate gift cards (and I've had my own battle with them -- and still have some cards I received last year.) That's why I give gift cards that I KNOW the person will use (for example, a Menard's gift card is my go-to choice for my hard-to-buy-for dad) or ones that have the broadest appeal (like Meijer or Walmart) where the recipient can use them to buy almost anything. IMO, it's when you get a gift card for a specialty store you rarely visit that's the major issue.


• I save all receipts and keep them for a month or so after Christmas -- longer on big-ticket items. I've never had a problem using this system.

How about you? Do you have any tips for making the most of holiday shopping?

Comments

[Crystal]

We come up with ideas for each person on our list and then I find the best deals I can online. I do not shop in crowds. We have a general budget of $500 we try to stick too, but we don't beat ourselves up if we splurge. As for warranties, if it's electronic, our Discover card doubles the warranty up to a year anyway and even offers 3 months protection for theft. :-)