12 THINGS AT CHRISTMAS THAT CAN ADD DEBT TO ME – 8. Paying Full Price

It would be rare in this day and age to have to pay full price for a gift you’d like to give. Always, always, always research prices on an internet search engine before you purchase the gift. Just type in the item name and BAM you should be flooded with tons of information about the item with reviews. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve overlooked researching the price, only to find the identical item at a substantially lower price. Don’t let this happen to you!

Watch your mail for store specific coupons or loyalty rewards or discounts. I clip the coupons and add them to a wallet to take with me when I am shopping. Sometimes I shop a specific store because of the coupon.

If I am on a store’s email list, I search my email with the name of the store name to see what the current offerings are. Many times, in addition to the mailed coupons, they will accept additional savings that you received in an email. Double up those saving!

In addition, you can also use an internet search engine for discounts available on the internet for a particular store. There are many, many websites that have coupon codes for discounts even if they don’t have your email address. Use them!

If you don’t have any discount coupons by the time you get up to the cash register, ask the cashier if they have any discounts available. Many times, they will whip out a coupon they have under their desk to help a customer out.

Remember that many times you CAN sometimes use more than one coupon and stack discounts. Check the fine print. Save whenever you can so you can make your money go further.