Time to start all over again

Now that the holidays are behind us, it is time to start again with the gift stockpiles. Many people rush out and shop the after Christmas clearance, but I do not. There are so many people out and the stores are so crowded, while you can find deals, I prefer to stay away. My favorite time to shop in actually in January. Many stores have huge end of the year sales in January to make room for the new years merchandise. Add to that there is not mobs of people in the stores and you have a more leisurely shopping experience.

So if you signed up for those programs I told you about, you are well on your way to a cheaper gift giving year in 2011. Now when you see something that is an excellent price, buy it. This year I was saved by shopping in advance. One of my favorite gifts I got my icky teen (his too) was an erector set remote control car that lights up and plays music from your ipod. These things are usually over $100 but toward the end of summer/beginning of fall Amazon had it on sale for $25. Keep your eyes peeled for deals relevant to your family.

Here are some pointers:

1. Amazon Mom - This allows you to get free Amazon prime for 3 months. Amazon prime gives you free two day shipping on ANY order. This is a must sign up for as Amazon has a whole bunch of great deals.

2. When shopping online, remember to shop through your mypoints account or ebates. This gives you back a little something for the purchases you make. I usually compare what each one is offering for that particular store and go with who is giving me the best deal. Remember, it will seem like you are only getting back little amounts here and there but they will add up!

3. Set goals! Do you really want to get your family a wii/ps3/xbox 360 next holiday? Well then start saving for it now. If you earn just 1 $5 Amazon gift card a month you will have $60 in 12 months (I usually get 2 $5 g.c per month). That is about 1/3 of the wii and only counts 1 resource, swagbucks. If you add in your Opinion Outpost money then you will have your gift, without coming out of pocket. Plus your kids/hubby/wife will think you are the best mom/wife/dad ever.

Do you have any great savings tips?