Extreme Frugality: Holiday shopping edition.
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(This is the first in an occasional series of articles focusing on saving serious dough. A little background can be read here.)
Black Friday? How about Black November?
Not long ago, Black Friday – the day after Thanksgiving – was considered the kick-off for the holiday shopping season. The timetable has been moved up, though.
This year, some retailers offered “Black Friday in April” or “Black Friday in July” deals, and recently the National Retail Federation reported a phenomenon called “Black November” – big deals offered on Nov. 1, with more to come before Nov. 29.
Some of the busiest shopping days of the year, however, are the days between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday. In 2018, an estimated 165 consumers spent an average of just over $313 during that five-day period.
“People plan their attack, and where they’re going to go. It’s a sport,” says shopping expert Trae Bodge, a senior editor at Retail Me Not.
The NRF predicts an uptick in buying this year: as much as $730.7 billion spent during November and December 2019, even though the 2019 holiday shopping season is six days shorter this year than last.
I’m not doing my part this year. In fact, I plan to spend relatively little in November and December. If you’re reading this site, chances are you’re right there with me, for one or more of the following reasons:
- You shop all year long, as good deals pop up. (I do.)
- You make a lot of your gifts, whether that’s handcrafts, homemade goodies or gifts of service.
- You enjoy finding other ways to give gifts without spending much (or anything at all).
- You’ve decided to buy out (as it were) of commercialized holiday expectations.
Personally, I love giving presents. It makes me happy to provide things that people want or need. It’s fun to see the looks on my nephews’ faces when they unwrap, say, an item from their Amazon wish list or a gift card to one of their favorite stores.
Yes, I love giving presents. But I refuse to go into debt for them.
According to a new study from Bankrate.com, almost two-thirds (63 percent) of adults in the United States have felt pressured to spend more than they can afford.
Fie on that. I say again: Fie! Do not break the bank for one day a year. Here are some of the tactics I use to give a whole lot of gifts without spending a whole lot of money.
Not every tactic will work for every person; for example, maybe you don’t own any rewards credit cards or have access to a great book sale. But at least some of these ideas should work for everyone.
Rewards programs
The ones I use most often are Swagbucks, Coke Rewards, MyPoints and Inbox Dollars. You earn points through activities like doing online searches, answering surveys and shopping, then trade them in for gift cards and other items. (Pro tip: Swagbucks lets you cash in for PayPal credit.)
The exception is Coke Rewards, which has changed from the original My Coke Rewards program. Formerly you could accrue points and trade them in for movie tickets, T-shirts and other goodies. Now the program is mostly about entering sweepstakes – but throughout the year they also put up gift-card offers. Earlier this week it was “enter four codes for a $2 Target e-gift card.”
Pro tip: You can have up to five accounts per household – in other words, your household could have received up to $10 worth of Target scrip. Not that a true frugalist would be averse even to just $2 off.
Rewards credit cards
These are my go-to gift sources. At times I cash in points for gift cards and use them to shop, but mostly I give the gift cards themselves as gifts. Not everyone is nuts about gift cards as gifts, but the folks to whom I give them seem genuinely happy with these things.
And if that’s not you? Again: Use them to buy gifts for your relatives and friends. Or apply the points you earn as a statement credit against the next month’s bill, and pay for your gifts that way.
Taking online surveys
I do fewer of these than I once did, but they’re still useful. Yesterday I did a short one (maybe 10 minutes?) for Radial Insight and was instantly given my choice of $3 gift cards (Target, Amazon and many others). Some other good sites are Survey Junkie, Pinecone Research, Toluna and ClearVoice.
Avoid any survey sites that:
- Pay in points that take forever to add up to rewards
- Pay in sweepstakes entries (really?)
- Require you to subscribe to magazines or book clubs and then take a “survey” rating the experience (these are actually affiliate marketers)
About that last: You should never have to pay to take or complete a survey. Companies are supposed to pay you. “Membership fee” is synonymous with “scam.” Start a new e-mail address just for the surveys, and don’t give out bank info; you should be paid in gift cards or by check or PayPal.
Pro tip: As noted above, rewards sites like Swagbucks, Inbox Dollars and My Points have surveys.
Buy Nothing Facebook groups
Earlier today I picked up two really fun, dog-related gifts this way. They’re in perfect condition. In fact, they may never have been used at all because some people have been using the group for rage purging.
For a little background on this phenomenon (including how to find groups in your area), check out “Need something? Buy Nothing.”
Freecycle
Haven’t used this service much lately, but it was very helpful to me in Seattle (for giving as well as receiving). If you have a Freecycle group in your area, take a look at what’s being offered. You might luck out.
Craigslist
This free service has a (sometimes deserved) reputation for sketchiness. Check its “free” section first, then search for the snowboard or guitar or whatever gift you’re looking to acquire. Again, you might luck out.
When I was back in college at midlife, I won an iPod Shuffle in a campus drawing; got home, put it on Craigslist and almost instantly had half a dozen offers. The guy who bought it said it was for – you guessed it – a Christmas present.
Facebook Marketplace/Facebook Garage Sale
Someone in your area might have the perfect balance bike for your toddler, or Marvel collectible figurines to light up your geeky girlfriend’s eyes.
Offer Up/Let Go
Not unlike the Facebook pages mentioned above, these sites give people a chance to get rid of things they no longer want – which means you get great deals. What’s available, of course, depends on where you live and who’s selling.
Library book sales
Not necessarily “library-book sales,” either. Our local library has twice-annual sales of donated books along with library books that are being let go.
You’ll find a lot of best-sellers for sale – people don’t necessary once to keep these things once they’ve read them (or pretended to have read them for book club). The prices are great, especially if on the last day they offer a single price for everything you can fit into a bag.
And speaking of libraries, don’t neglect…
Little free libraries
These small repositories, scattered through neighborhoods all over the country, might be a source for a children’s gift – or an adult’s, since some of them have grownup novels and nonfiction. If the book is too beat-up to give, then don’t do it. But you might find something in great condition.
Pro tip: Bring a book you no longer want and leave it for someone else. You de-clutter your house a little each time you do that, and somebody somewhere gets to read something new.
Used bookstores
See above.
Thrift shops
These vary widely in terms of condition and selection. But sometimes la segunda will have just what you need. My favorite, oft-cited example: an elaborate (and unopened!) jigsaw puzzle of a section of the Sistine Chapel ceiling, for 35 cents.
Think of it as a treasure hunt on behalf of a relative or friend who’s crazy about Fiestaware, craft supplies or old-school board games. The thrift store is yet another place to find good books to give.
Dollar stores
Again with the books: When I visit my daughter in Phoenix, I make it a point to hit The Dollar Tree’s book section. A lot of the hardbacks are so-so but I’ve found some excellent fiction there for a buck.
You could also prowl the rest of the store to make up themed gifts, such as “Stuff For First Apartment” (potholders, dish towels, measuring cups and spoons, vinegar, baking soda) or “Movie Night” (several kinds of snacks and candy paired with a dollar DVD).
Free-after-rebate stuff
Anyone else remember when the big three drugstores outdid one another in offering these deals? They were especially fun if you had coupons, i.e., you were paid to use the items.
That’s died back quite a bit, but during the holidays retailers tend to offer items that are free (or cheap) after rebates. Find and follow a deal blogger, or search for “free after rebate Black Friday” or something. These things make great stocking stuffers* or even gifts (if I recall correctly, it was Kohl’s that does free-after-rebate small appliances each year).
If you’re buying for a young adult who’s shocked by how much everything costs when you’ve got student loans and a starter salary, may I suggest the “grownup Christmas stocking” idea? It came from someone I interviewed for MSN Money, and I thought it was a swell notion: All year long, this woman accumulated useful items either free or very cheaply with coupons and rebates, and divided them among copy-paper boxes to give to her grown children. All of them loved getting stuff like shampoo, body wash, lotion, razors, deodorant, laundry soap, cleaning supplies and other essentials. It cost her very little, but it was a huge boost to their budgets.
Pro tip: Each week sites like CouponMom.com will match rebates and coupons with sales at drugstores, supermarkets and dollar stores.
Regifting
You just knew I was going to bring that up, didn’t you? It can work, though, as long as the gift is appropriate, in excellent condition and – most important – not originally given to you by its intended recipient. My favorite anecdote is the woman who gave a cookbook with a $100 bill tucked inside as a wedding gift. A couple of years later the couple gave it back to her as a Christmas gift. And yep, the $100 bill was still in it.
Too late in the game?
You might not be able to do all of this year’s holiday shopping this way. Certainly the garage sale season is over and done here in Anchorage, and maybe where you are, too. But you might have some luck with with thrift shops, the Buy Nothing group and others.
It’s also a bit late to build up a ton of rewards points, unless you do a lot of online shopping or answer a lot of surveys. But you might earn enough to get a few things.
Your turn, readers: What are some of your favorite frugal hacks for holiday shopping?
*I’ll soon be giving away a batch of stocking stuffers. Stay tuned.
(Surviving and Thriving has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Surviving and Thriving and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.)
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