Fashionista’s Guide to Holiday Shopping

Thanksgiving Weekend brings another sort of holiday with it here in the United States: the advent of holiday shopping. Yes, while we are all sitting down with loved ones and giving thanks to the good happening in our lives, us fashionista’s are also giving thanks that Cyber Week is upon us and plotting our strategies. Now there are many ways to tackle holiday shopping but here is what you need to know for the optimal holiday shopping strategy!

Know Your Dates – To get the most out of holiday shopping you need to know the hot ticket dates for the hot ticket deals. There is, of course, Black Friday but there are all sorts of deals on all week long (Cyber Week). This week leading up to Thanksgiving is Pre-Black Friday (see those deals here), Small Business Saturday (Nov.28) , Cyber Monday (Nov.30) , Giving Tuesday (Dec.1), and Green Monday (Dec.14). Then throughout December, be on the lookout for other sales as we get closer to Christmas.

Make a List, Check it Twice – In the spirit of planning ahead, make a list of all the possible people you need gifts for. Think family and friends but also various hostesses of any holiday party you’ll be attending, co-workers, secret santas, and the like. This way you can more easily brainstorm gift ideas and what you’ll be purchasing rather than trying to think of something once you’re at the store. It’s mayhem and madness in any store this time of year so you’re bound to forget something or someone, not to mention spend more than you planned on.

Get “In The Know” – Lots of retailers will release their deals, steals, and promo codes to their email audience before anyone else. So if there is a specific store that you are planning on shopping at, you’ll want to sign up for their emails in advance. You can always unsubscribe from their emails after the holiday season or, if you are a frequent shopper of theirs, have a specific email account just for these sorts promo emails.

Online vs. In Line – Depending upon your personality and love of crowds and crazy parking lots, you are either an in-store shopper or an online shopper. Both have benefits and downsides but play to your strengths so that you can get your best shopping done. While most retailers have the same deals in-store and online, there can be some slight differences to keep in mind. For example, often time coupons only work in-store or super crazy deals are limited to X amount per store so if you aren’t first you may miss out.

Use Various Platforms – If shopping online, enhance your saving by using various money saving platforms on top of the retailer’s discounts. I’ve raved about Ebates as you can get additional cash back on any online purchases through them. All you have to do is sign up, find a store you want to shop online at, then hit the big SHOP NOW button and Ebates will take you to your desired retailer’s site. After you finish shopping you’ll receive an email from Ebates letting you know how much you’re saved. It’s a simple way to save a little bit more while online shopping and you can use the savings to get yourself a gift. During the holidays, Ebates often doubles the percent back on their most popular stores, so you can get upwards of 8-10% back on your purchases.

Have a Disaster Kit – During the holidays, just like the rest of the year, things don’t always go swimmingly. So rather than stress it, put together a disaster preparedness kit. Just in case things are backordered or there is bad weather that delays the mailman or you simply have a last minute party to attend, get some simple neutral gifts that will hold you over in a sticky situation. Have a box with extra bottles of wine, a coffee and tumbler set, nice candles, etc and some gift wrapping to get you out of a tight situation.

What is your Holiday Shopping strategy?

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