Don’t Get Snowed Under This Christmas: Tips to Spend Wisely
Special to The Truth
Even after setting a
holiday budget, the most wonderful time of year is often the
most expensive. Experts say that this Christmas, there are
new ways to make your dollar go further.
“The days of clipping
coupons may be out of style, but finding ways to save money
never is,” says Michael McAuliffe, president of Family
Credit Management. “From in-store apps to price trackers,
new tech tools can help.”
The experts at Family
Credit Management are encouraging consumers to research
their money-saving options, as technology is always
evolving. To get you started, they have narrowed down a few
tech-savvy ways to streamline and save this season.
• Browser Extensions:
Forty-six percent of all holiday shopping occurs online,
according to WeAreTop10, so, do your share of it wisely.
Whether you use Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari or
Firefox as your internet browser, there are sites you can
visit to add an extension to your searching power. It’s like
adding an additional search box which will know to look for
the best deals out there whenever you are shopping online
and compare prices side-by-side, cutting out some of the
legwork for you. Some well-known examples are PriceBlink,
The Camelizer and InvisibleHand.
• Coupon Apps: Mobile apps
such as Coupon Sherpa, SnipSnap and Yowza, enable you to
scan items while you’re in-store and find the best value
coupons on the spot.
• Price Drop Alert
Trackers: Eighty-four percent of Americans plan to check
Amazon before looking or buying elsewhere, according to the
Accenture Holiday Shopping Survey. Don’t make the mistake of
assuming Amazon is the be-all-and-end-all for saving. Prices
drop all the time, especially around Christmas. But, how can
you keep track of who is dropping them and when? With a
tracker app, you can tell the app what to look for and it
will notify you when your wanted items drop in price. IFTTT
(If This Then That), camelcamelcamel and Price Tracker for
Amazon will keep an eye on prices for you to make sure
you’re the first to see the best deals.
• Credit Card
Points/Discounts: Credit cards can encourage overspending,
but when used carefully and within budget, offer certain
advantages. For example, store-specific credit cards often
offer special discounts, kickbacks and coupons for
cardholders. Just think how you could double up on the
savings by using some of the above tools, as well as by
purchasing with a card with added bonuses. Remember though,
that any savings you earn will quickly be eaten up if you
pay interest charges. To avoid this trap, never use a credit
card unless you can pay the entire balance in full each
month. Also, think very carefully about opening a new
account, as this can negatively affect your credit.
More holiday shopping,
spending and saving tips can be found at familycredit.org.
When it comes to spending,
don’t let the spirit of the season carry you away. You can
stay within budget by practicing spending discipline and
leveraging the latest tech tools.
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