Shopping with Groupon + Some Holiday Shopping Tips

I have always been frugal. Now that I am a mother, my frugality has doubled, probably tripled. Being a very busy working mother, the holiday season can be a little taxing. With Christmas just around the corner, everybody is now busy with holiday shopping. And because I love you, my dear readers, I’m giving you some valuable tips to (hopefully) help you this season.

1. Start early.
I know this can get really difficult especially when you’re slaving yourself in the corporate world. But you’ll definitely save time, money and your sanity when you start your Christmas shopping earlier. Would you believe me when I tell you that my mother starts shopping for gifts as early as August? Ah, yes she does!

2. Make a list.
It works. It always does. From doing household chores to grocery shopping, making a list is probably the most systematic and organized route you can take. List down the names of the people you plan to give gifts to. Put their hobbies or interests next to their names. Then place your gift ideas next. You can actually keep this list and revisit it next Christmas. In this way, you won’t be giving socks to Aunt Sally every single year, unless of course Aunt Sally loves socks so much. Hihi!

3. Schedule your holiday shopping.
Go to the mall on a weekday. But if you’re only free on weekends, then I highly suggest you go right after the mall opens. Less traffic, less crowd, and the salespersons are not yet tired!

4. Save on gift-wrapping.
Ask for nice paper bags from stores. Take advantage of the free gift-wrapping services of malls! It saves you a great deal of time. But if you want it to be more personalized, use recycled materials in wrapping gifts. =)

5. Consider online shopping.
Aha! This has saved me countless of times before. Being a busy working mother of a toddler, going to malls and braving the horrible traffic in the Metro can be so frustrating. So why not take advantage of technology? You can save yourself from a lot of trouble through online shopping. But when you decide to do this, I advise that you do this a couple of weeks before Christmas since courier services get a lot of traffic, too!

6. Watch out for online deals!
Be on the lookout for sites that offer deals like Groupon Goods. You will not only save time, but also your hard-earned money. Imagine how many socks you can give Aunt Sally with all your savings! Haha!