9 Insider Secrets on How to Find the Best Holiday Deals

Did you know that the average American spends $942 on holiday gifts? With this much spending per person, it’s no wonder that the holiday shopping industry is worth over $1 trillion. 

But, what if you don’t have an extra grand to spend on holiday gifts? What should you do? Well, we’ve got good news for you. There are plenty of ways you can save money on holiday gifts. 

Check out this guide to learn how to find the best holiday deals. 

1. Check Out Ads and Apps 

When searching for holiday shopping deals, a lot of people head straight to the shops in hopes of finding a good deal in person. However, you shouldn’t wait for the specials until you get to the store. 

Instead, you should start searching for holiday deals from the comfort of your home with online ads and apps. Both iOS and Android offer many apps that can make your holiday shopping easier. In addition to finding you discounts on gifts, they can also find you the best place to park and even the quickest routes to your favorite holiday shopping stores. 

They can also alert you when the stores you want to visit have special deals and coupons available. 

2. Compare Prices 

If you take away one thing from this article, let it be this: before you start your holiday shopping, you need to do some price comparison research. 

The good news is, you don’t need to go from website to website or store to store to find the best prices. Instead, you can use a website like Price Grabber to help you find the best deals. All you need to do is type in the item that you’re shopping for, and the website will give you a list of places where you can find the product for cheap. 

While you won’t be able to use this website for every item, you can use it for a lot of tech gifts and other common holiday gifts. 

3. Don’t Forget About Small Business Saturday 

When most of us think of holiday gift shopping, we think of Black Friday. While it’s true that you can find some great deals on Black Friday, it’s not the only day you should be shopping to score big holiday deals. 

Another day you want to focus on is Small Business Saturday. This day is pretty much what it sounds like- on the Saturday following Black Friday, many small businesses offer discounted deals. 

Typically, it’s brick and mortar retailers who participate the most in Small Business Saturday. However, you can find many online shops and boutiques that offer deals as well. 

In addition to Small Business Saturday, you also don’t want to forget about Cyber Monday. Cyber Monday is always the first Monday after Black Friday, and on this day, you can find many great deals from online retailers. And the best part is, you don’t have to leave the comfort of your home and deal with crowded stores to get your holiday shopping done. 

Lastly, you should also mark Super Saturday on your calendar. Super Saturday is always the last Saturday before Christmas. On this day, many retailers offer one-day sales, promotional items, and other great deals for last-minute shoppers. Before you head to the shops, do your research to see which ones offer Super Saturday deals. 

4. Start Early 

When shopping for holiday deals, the earlier you start, the better. Ideally, you’ll start your holiday shopping right after Christmas for the following year, as this is when you can take advantage of post-holiday clearance deals. 

After the holidays are over, many people are extra stringent about what they spend their money on. For this reason, many retailers are desperate to get certain items off the shelf, and they start offering unbelievably low prices. 

Even if you don’t do your holiday shopping right after Christmas, you should still start as soon as you can. This way, you have plenty of time to price compare and research good deals. 

5. Be Smart About Electronics Shopping

If you have a lot of electronics on your shopping list this year, consider buying previous models or buying refurbished products. 

Typically, retailers offer big discounts on previous models around the holiday time to clear space for newer models. Depending on the product you’re buying, oftentimes, you can find a refurbished model that works just as well as a brand new model. 

Electronics cause many people to break their holiday budgets, so also make sure you do your research and look for affordable models. For example, if you’re looking to buy a new laptop for someone in your family, consider buying a Chromebook instead of a Macbook. 

While Macbooks may be sleek, they’re going to set you back at least a grand. Chromebooks, on the other hand, can be purchased for as little as $300 to $400. 

6. Abandon Your Online Shopping Cart 

With shipping taking longer during the holidays, it may sound like crazy talk to abandon your online shopping cart. But, abandoning your shopping cart can actually help you save big. 

With a lot of websites, if you abandon your shopping cart and then wait a few hours, you may get an email saying something along the lines of “We noticed you still have a few items in your cart. Here’s a 10% off coupon to help you at checkout”. 

While this won’t work with every business, if there’s an online retailer that you frequently purchase from, this trick just may work. 

7. Follow Your Favorite Brands On Social Media 

Oftentimes, social media is the best place to score great holiday deals from your favorite brands. Make sure you’re following your favorite brands on all of their platforms- Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. 

Additionally, make sure you’re following influencers who work closely with these brands. Oftentimes, brands will run promotions through their stories or posts. All you need to do is keep your eye out when you’re scrolling, and you may be able to score 10% off or more on your next big holiday purchase. 

Many brands also run free giveaways around the holiday season. To enter the giveaway, you typically just need to follow the brand on social media and tag a friend or two in a post. While there’s no guarantee that you’ll win, it’s always worth a shot. 

8. Download Browser Extensions for Coupon Codes 

If you’re big into online shopping for the holidays, then you need to make sure you have a browser extension downloaded that can help you find coupon codes. 

One of the best browser extensions out there is Honey. All you need to do is download the browser extension, and then when you’re at checkout, Honey will search for coupon codes for you across the internet. If they find a coupon code, it’ll automatically be applied at checkout. 

Another great browser extension to download is Wikibuy. Wikibuy works similar to Honey, but in addition to finding coupon codes, it also alerts you when another store has a better price. It also lets you know when a price drops on a product that you’ve recently viewed. 

If you do a lot of your holiday shopping through Amazon, you should also download Amazon Assistant. This browser extension shows shoppers related products on the site that are available for a cheaper price. 

9. Stick With Homemade Gifts 

If you’re really strapped for cash this year, why not forgo the holiday shopping and opt for homemade gifts instead? While you’ll still need to spend some money gathering supplies, homemade gifts can help you save big. 

Plus, nothing beats the personal touch of a homemade gift, and who knows, you may even just find yourself a new hobby. Here are some great homemade gift ideas to consider:

• Use a Cricut machine to cut out a winter wonderland scene on white vinyl and stick it around the base of a candle holder for a festive gift
• Use essential oil sticks to make customized reed diffusers
• Make holiday embroidery ornaments that your loved ones can hang on their Christmas trees
• Make your own Epsom bath salts with dried flowers, Epsom salt, and essential oils
• Fill glass ornaments with colorful feathers, pine branches, and jingle bells for a one-of-a-kind Christmas decoration
• Buy some gold, decorative spoons and dip them into chocolate and sprinkle the chocolate with espresso beans, candy canes, or pistachios for a tasty and cute coffee mixer
• Sew chunky knit blankets for your family and friends
• Make everyone exfoliating face and body scrubs using honey, sugar, coconut oil, and a zest of citrus

As you can see, there are plenty of creative homemade gifts that you can put together. 

Are You Ready to Score the Best Holiday Deals? 

Now that you know how to score the best holiday deals, it’s time to start shopping. With these tips, you should be able to save big money on your holiday shopping in the coming year. 

Be sure to check back in with our blog for more holiday shopping tips and tricks.