Navigating The Best Holiday Deals & Sales

The biggest shopping season of the year is nearly here, which means it's time to start thinking about how you can make the most of your time to save your hard earned money. Thankfully, there are lots of wonderful ways to save a bundle on all the items you buy every year. From Christmas gifts to groceries for your big holiday dinner, a little bit of planning and a lot of organization can yield an impressive savings. Savings that you can use to buy more gifts for your family, or save for a family vacation to de-stress after all the holiday hoopla is over with. Here are a few great tips to save you some money and navigate all the different deals and sales this holiday shopping season.

Clip The Coupons

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Clipping coupons is still a great way to save money. If you spend the time clipping and organizing those coupons, you will be rewarded with a lot of savings. However, what do you do if you are in a store and you have a coupon for a competitor's store? You may be surprised to find out that many retail stores accepts competitors coupons. Stores like Bed, Bath & Beyond, Dick's Sporting Goods, Home Depot, JoAnne Fabric and Crafts, Lowe's, Menards, Michaels, Office Depot, Sports Authority and even Walmart have all been known to accept the competition's coupons. If you aren't sure, just ask. The worst that could happen is they say no. But you could end up saving a bundle.

Get On Those Email Lists

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Email lists? Really? Yes, you may be tired of getting all those spam emails, but this time of year, you'll be truly thankful to see them. Many retail stores will send exclusive coupons out to their email lists, making those weekly annoyances actually very valuable. Stores like Old Navy, Children's Place, New York & Company, Kohls and Target all send lots of savings out to emails weekly. Plus, as you get closer to the big shopping season, those savings are sure to increase. You can always unsubscribe after the holidays, and you'll be so glad you took the time to look through those emails before you went shopping.

Track The Sales

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Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year, and there are several websites devoted to tracking all the amazing deals and savings. Don't head out on the big day uninformed. Spend the time to organize ahead of time and decide which stores will be offering deals on the products you want to buy the most. Check out blackfriday.com, bfads.net, theblackfriday.com and tgiblackfriday.com to track the sales and prepare for the big day.

Shop Online

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These days you can get everything you need without ever leaving the comfort of your own home. Worried about shipping costs? Many stores offer free shipping over the holidays, either to your home or to the nearest retail location. You can stop in, grab your stuff and be on your way without ever waiting in those long lines. Plus, you can shop in your pajamas. While drinking wine. What could possibly be better than that?