Your wonderful friends and family made sure you had enough Gift Cards (GC) to Shop Your Heart Out. But if you shop smart you can get more out of that GC than it’s face value!

A few tips:

1. Go Directly to Clearance – Clearance items are not bottom of the barrel items that you wouldn’t dress your scarecrow in. And they’re not the clothes no one wants either. At least not at the popular stores like American Eagle, JC Penney & Sears.

2. Be sure to always shop while the store is having a sale. After Christmas the sales are huge and in early January everyone is trying to move inventory.

3. Sign up for the newsletters of all online stores you have a GC for. More often than not, upon signing up the store will send you a New Customer appreciation coupon that can be combined with regular price or sometimes even items on sale or clearance.

4. Check Deal sites such as Dealtaker for a one stop site to see all of the coupons, deals, sales, gifts-with-purchase and more specials available for your store.

The bottom line? Just like any purchase – spend 5 minutes or so checking out what is happening at the store, what deals are available and what promotions are upcoming and you’ll surely get more value out of your GiftCard!

Oh and if “It’s the thought that counts”:

Have a GC from a store you don’t like? You could give the card to a friend, or buy something and donate it to charity (a homeless shelter for example) or sell it on the web! There are lots of online sites that will buy them from you. Two of note are GiftCardGranny and PlasticJungle

Tis’ the season of gift giving.  Now, before I go any further, let me just say one thing.  I appreciate any and all gifts that are given to me during the holiday season.  The fact that someone thought of me and took the time to extend such kindness does not go unnoticed.  Like most of us, though, we’ve all been given a gift or two that has required every ounce of our being to mutter out a thank you.  We’ve, at times, had to put forth our best poker face.  Sweat beads have formed above our lips as our cheeks glow from embarrassment because, not only has a gift or two been slightly obnoxious, but you’ve opened it in front of an entire room full of people.  In fact, these occasional gifts are too horrendous to make it to the regift closet.  When you say, “You shouldn’t have,” you mean it.

Let’s face it, some folks are just terminally tacky with gift giving and year after year you keep your fingers crossed that you are omitted from their holiday gift giving list.  Trust me, I’ve been the recipient of a few gifts that have left me hoping I would be spared the same embarrassment in the holidays to follow.  The most comical, and humiliating, was a wicker laundry basket given to me about 5 years ago.  Keep in mind this was given to me in front of a room full of people.  All eyes were on me.  This basket was filled with items that had been partially used…as in the packages to these items had been opened and half the product was missing.  Paper plates, toilet tissue, a box of hot chocolate with half the packets missing, vanilla wafers, 2 candles that had clearly been used, hotel shampoos and lotions, a personalized ornament that had someone else’s name on it and (drum roll) a pair of slippers that had visibly been worn many times.

What could I say?  It was actually painful to smile as I lifted each item out of the basket.  That is an example of extreme tackiness.  Pulling half used items from various rooms in your house and stuffing them in a laundry basket is not a feasible gift for anyone.  There are other items that will forever be on the ‘worst holiday gifts ever’ list and some that are just common sense no no’s.

*Some of you may cringe when I say this, but I do enjoy a good piece of fruitcake if it’s made right.  However, fruitcake will always be in the top 3 worst holiday gifts.  In fact, they have events where people can bring in the fruitcake they’ve received as gifts and take part in fun ways to get rid of it…target practice, fruitcake toss, etc.  If you’re baking up a bunch of fruitcakes this year, make certain the recipient is a fruit cake fan.

*Useless gadgets is another one to stay away from.  Recently I came across an email that was advertising potato chip grabbers as a last minute holiday gift.  You use it to eat chips so your fingers won’t get greasy.  Call me old fashioned, but a paper towel to wipe your fingers after digging into a bag of chips does the same thing.  One year I received a banana slicer.  Really?!?  Getting out a knife and slicing a banana has never been an issue for me.  I never used it and eventually threw it away.

*Scented anything.  Unless you know specifically what the recipient likes for scents, stay away from the scented candles, bath soaps, gels, lotions, etc.  If the recipient enjoys these items, but you’re unsure of their favorite scents, get a gift card to Bath & Body Works or the Body Shop where they can purchase these on their own.

*If someone has underwear on their holiday wish list, fine.  It not, let it go.  Get that thought out of your head right now.  Underwear is not an appropriate gift for the holidays.

*Let’s face it, most of us have issues and skeletons in our closet.  The holiday season is not the time to remind us of them.  Self help books will more than likely cause a sour taste in someone’s mouth.

*IOU coupons.  Sticking a coupon that says, “This coupon is good for 2 gifts in the weeks to come” is tacky.  If finances are tight, be honest about it.  People will understand.  If you’re doling out these coupons because you’re cheap or didn’t feel like shopping, people will know. If you truly hate shopping, grab some gift cards.  Here’s a list of the top 10 gift cards for the holiday season!

*Anything that has already been used.  Don’t assume it’s not obvious because it is.  Keep this in mind when you’re practicing the fine art of regifting.  Grabbing a basket or gift bag and filling it with items from your cupboard is not a gift.  It’s a bag or basket full of items that have been used.  Sticking a bow on it or tying a festive ribbon around it doesn’t change that. If you don’t like the tin of gourmet hot chocolate, that you’ve used several times, throw it away.  And please, adding rolls of toilet tissue to a bag or basket to act as a filler, is not only tacky, but it’s rude.

*Holiday themed seasonal apparel.  Some might be okay, but those $10 sweaters with a 3D Santa on them or a sequined sleigh with actual bells hanging from the sweater…ah no.  These sweaters don’t look good on anyone.  No exceptions.

*Novelty items or gag gifts.  They may seem funny at the time, as in on the store shelf, but I can’t think of anyone that would enjoy plush ‘Pee & Poo’ or a ‘Face & Butt Towel & Soap’ gift set.  It’s not only impractical, but the recipient may not see the humor in it.

*Anything related to weight loss.  This is kind of like underwear…unless it’s on their wish list, forget about it.  This is a time of year that we all indulge a little and diets typically resume after the first of the year.  Giving someone a year’s gym membership, books on dieting or a half year’s supply of Atkins Bars is a sure fine way to make anyone’s cheeks turn scarlet or, at the very least, get you a week in the dog house.

*You’re beautiful.  You shine.  The new haircut and color looks marvelous on you.  However (and there is a great emphasis on the word however), no one wants a framed picture of you as a gift.  They won’t tell you this, but trust me, they’re thinking it.

*Outdated fragrances.  I don’t think I need to say anything else except Jean Nate or English Leather.

*Cleaning supplies.  I haven’t met a person yet who has asked or wished for a basket of cleaning supplies.  If I was presented with this as a gift, I would think it was a hint.  It would bother me.  What would I even say?  Is my house not clean enough?  Are you volunteering maid service?

*Manicure kits.  Does anyone even use these?

For example – In Ex #1 do you know how much you will pay for the Crock Pot at the time you purchase it?

Ex #1 – Best Crock Pot Ever – Reg $34.99 Today $24.99 Shipped after $5 MIR

Will you pay

$19.99?
$24.99?
$29.99?
$ 5.00?
$34.99?

OK & What about this -

Ex #2 – iPod – Reg $159 Today $135 Shipped

Will you have to pay more than $135?

Let’s step through some of the commonly used online shopping terms.  You’ll be online shopper savy before you can bring up a new Dealtaker Window

Shipped – This means the price you see is all inclusive.  In Ex #2 the ‘Today $135 Shipped’ means you will pay $135 at the time of purchase. The Shipping charge is included in the price shown.

Ex #3 – Logitech Mouse – Reg $38.75 Now $18.75 A/R, Free Shipping!

A/R – After Rebate – The price you are given before the A/R (Ex #3 – $18.75) is NOT what you will be paying out-of-pocket at purchase. This is the net price that you will have paid after you have received your rebate check.  So in Ex #3 you pay $38.75 now and then fill out a rebate request for $20 – Be careful – There can be a lot of catches when rebates are involved so be sure to read the requirements before you make this kind of purchase.

MIR – Mail in rebate – This is the most common type of Rebate (See A/R above)

Flat rate shipping – The shipping charge is normally based on the $ amount of your order or the area it is being delivered to.  A Flat Rate Shipping Charge, as shown in Ex #4, means you will pay one rate, in this case $6.99, regardless of any other order information. *See ONE EXCEPTION below.

For example you will pay $6.99 in total for shipping whether you purchase the hutch for $69.99, the Cabinet for $99.99 or BOTH for $150.

There is ONE EXCEPTION to this -

Extra handling fee for heavy items, bulky or fragile items -  This is an additional fee on top of the stores normal shipping charge.  This is usually applied to Furniture items but can pop up anywhere.

Ex #4 – Corner Hutch – Reg $99.99 Now $69.99, Corner Cabinet – Reg $129.99 Now $99.99 – Save when you buy both – Now $150, Flat Rate Shipping of 6.99

So still using Ex #4 lets say that the Hutch has a $20 extra handling fee and the Cabinet has a $30 extra handling fee:

You will pay $96.98 in total for the Hutch ($69.99 sale price + $20 extra handling fee + $6.99 shipping = $96.98 Shipped)
You will pay $136.98 in total for the Cabinet ($99.99 sale price + $30 extra handling fee + $6.99 shipping = $136.98 Shipped)

Coupon or Promo Code - This is a code that can be applied to an order to discount the order or an item in some way (ie free ship, % off, $ off, gift with purchase).

Little tidbit of info – The term Promo comes from ‘promotion code’.  Before online shopping, Mail order catalogs would use this code to provide sale pricing to a specific group of customers.  A catalog could be sent with a dress priced at $60 instead of its normal price of $80.  If someone else were to pick up a non-sale catalog they would see the $80 price.  In a nut shell a promotion code allowed a store to target different groups of customers based on specific criteria.

Stack coupons – This is when a store will allow you to apply multiple coupon or promo codes on the same order.  For example there may be two coupons/promos you are eligible for – one coupon for free shipping and one for a % or $ off the item.

Using Ex #5 – Lets say that the item is on sale for $37.99.  To pay only $32.99 in total, or shipped, you will need to apply the ‘$5 off $30 promo code’ and the ‘Free Shipping on $20′ promo code.

It is very uncommon to see Stores allowing coupon/promo code stacking.  It is not uncommon, however, for a store to have a free shipping offer that does not require a code AND a promo/coupon code that will allow you to take an extra discount.

Ex #5 – Bed-in-a-bag – Reg $79.99 Now $32.99 Shipped + $5 off $30 promo/Free shipping on $20 coupon Stacked.

A couple other abbreviations that are good to know are:

DOD – Deal of the Day
DOW – Deal of the Week

These deals are only for a very limited time and as I always say “Don’t Wait!  You may be too late”

Alright then – back to my first question – how much you will pay for the Crock Pot at the time you purchase it?

Ex #1 – Best Crock Pot Ever – Reg $34.99 Today $24.99 Shipped after $5 MIR

$19.99?
$24.99?
$29.99?
$ 5.00?
$34.99?

Yep $29.99.  Once you fill out your rebate info and receive a check for $5 you will have only paid the $24.99 Shipped.

**I have not discussed taxes on purpose – too many variables.

So take your online shopping savvy self over to Dealtaker and check out just how much Dealtaker.com can save you!

Just recently I was caught out wearing a leather Def Leppard jacket (retail $395) and my friend asked how much I got it for. Being very proud of myself and shopping/saving money skills I simply said, “Only $35 shipped to my front door from Wilsons Leather.”

You should have seen her chin hit the floor…. PRICELESS! As you can imagine this led into some of the other bargains I have purchased and my savings throughout the year. She was amazed, almost speechless. I shared a few simple steps for saving money with online shopping, and would like to share with you too. Happy Shopping & Saving!!

1. Know what it is you want/need to shop online for.

2. Going to our coupon section locate the store you will shopping at. There you find current coupon codes to enter at checkout. This will drop your price even further!! Some stores will even let you stack coupon codes! (For example, you might find a code to get $30 off a $100 purchase and then a second code for free shipping!) But wait, it still gets better!

3. Use a credit card to pay for the purchase that gives you points, cash-back, air-line miles, hotel savings, etc just for using it. It’s very common these days to have a card in your wallet that awards you just for using it. (Pay off monthly balance)

Tips:
Internet shopping is all about convenience, bookmark site before you start shopping for quick and easy access.
Plan ahead – make a list of the things you need. Ex: Birthdays, Anniversary’s, etc….
Don’t make purchases just because you’re getting a great deal. Make sure you’re shopping for things you need and/or will use in the near future.