‘Tis the Season for Great Christmas Shopping – in July!
posted in Shopping |Do you go Christmas shopping in July? You read correctly – ‘tis the season for great Christmas shopping! Granted, it might be a little hard to get in the mood for shopping when the temperature is hot, the sun is shining, and your kids are wearing bathing suits. Yet did you realize that this approach could possibly save you hundreds of dollars that you will have to spend later on, simply because the stores suddenly got out their Noel decorations, installed their mall Santa, and are busy piping Christmas music over the PA? It is true!
Christmas shopping in July lends itself to bargain hunting. Here are six tips and tricks to make your next Christmas a merry one!
If you order items online, you will not have to pay for express shipping. Let’s face it, even if you are shopping at the beginning of December, you will feel some pressure to upgrade your shipping option just to make sure that your items will make it to your door in plenty of time for wrapping. Similarly, hard to find items may have to be bought at Internet sites that may charge more for the item than other sites where it item is temporarily out of stock. If you do your shopping in July, you will not have a problem with the waiting game, but will be perfectly happy to have the store send the item via snail mail, and even backorder an item for you. These two things alone will save you money.
July is usually a great time to purchase sweaters, pant suits, and other cool weather items. The number one reason is easy to ascertain – they are out of season, and therefore heavily discounted. What a great opportunity to purchase that name-brand clothing ensemble for that special someone at a fraction of the price it will cost in fall or winter!
For the booklover on your gift list, scour the online offerings of the big bookstores. Did you know that online you can actually spend less money on a book than at the regular brick and mortar store? It is true! There is no overhead that needs to be paid, and so the online bookstores are very often a lot less expensive. In their bargain basement section you will be able to find a large selection of hard cover and soft cover books that will still be a hit in December. So go ahead and shop for your bookworm now!
Make good use of store sales. Sometimes a store will hold a big closeout sale in July – usually on linens and cookware. This is a great time to visit the store for these items, but before you do so, be sure to go online to look for store coupons to maximize your savings. This way, you will be able to find that glass bowl at a fraction of the price, and get ten or 20% off on it as well!
This is a great time to buy blankets, especially electric blankets! It is the off-season, and the prices will be low and the selection great. Wait until December, and the selection will be a bit scarcer and the stock picked over, not to mention that they will probably be sold at full price.
Make good use of tax-free shopping days! You will be able to find some great deals, especially bigger ticket items, and the tax you save will make a big difference in the long run. Consider this: on a $500 shopping spree at 8.25% you will be able to save $41.25 in taxes!
