Holiday Shopping - Online or In Person?

Holiday shopping...yes I said it...the dreaded swear words of the season!  Argh!  Why does it have to involve strategic timing in and out of the mall with secret service style planning to find a parking space?

I recently decided to try to do as much shopping online to save my sanity and time and was pleasantly surprised at the deals to be had and the ease of finding what I needed.
The only worry I now face, is will things show up on time?

Anything ordered from the U.S. for us Canadians can be sketchy as to receiving the parcel in a timely fashion.  By this I mean it is s...l...o...w!

This is also coming from a girl who refuses to pay for "expedited parcel delivery"...my thoughts are why should I when it eventually gets here?  This did backfire for me a couple of years ago when I ordered something from the U.S. for a Christmas gift on Nov. 28 and did not see it on my doorstep until Jan. 5 of the following year!  Whoops!  Sorry kids, that was not expected at all.

Getting back to the online shopping, I found one great tidbit that I would like to share and that is the "coupon" box at the checkout.  ALWAYS check for the coupon savings.  I was pleasantly surprised that all you need to do is to open a new window, type into Google search "coupon code for ___" (insert the name of the website you are shopping on) and then it should come up with various coupon codes for you to insert for additional savings.  As an example, I saved the shipping costs on an item I bought (saving me $14.00) over and above the savings I already received from shopping direct online!  The lesson in this is NEVER PASS BY THE COUPON BOX WHEN SHOPPING ONLINE...it is there for a reason.

Another thing is check online pricing with 3 or 4 different sites to verify you are paying the lowest price for your item.  This can be done by again doing a Google search for the item wanted and mark down the various prices from the different sites.  Make sure you give specifics in your search so that you are comparing apples to apples.

As I said, I am thinking the online shopping is an excellent option...you just need to plan ahead a little in order to make sure your items arrive on time.

Happy holidays!

Liz

Honestly, do you need that?

So here we are again...the end of another year and we are faced with a holliday season fast approaching.  YIKES!  I can see the credit and debt cards smoking as we speak.

Unfortunately the holidays have become so commercially driven that when the commercials start airing in October (I know, I too have a hard time with this super early airing), we are lead to believe that we "better get our shopping started".

So the real question  is...how to keep up with life and all the expenses that come along with living in today's world? 

There are several answers and here are some of what I have personally witnessed people do:

Option #1 - Cut back on expenses by being frugal.  If your income only allows you to spend "X" then don't go overboard.  Really, the question in the end is "Who are you trying to impress anyway?"

Option #2 - Get another source of income.  Now I don't suggest doing anything illegal or immoral, but there are options to make extra $$.  Most people prefer to work a regular 9 to 5 job, however if this is not cutting it in the income department, then look for a part-time job you can do...say from home perhaps?

Option #3 - Get rid of the expensive items around your home that are killing you in maintenance.

Old furnace - replace it with a high-efficiency one (check with your local utility company for any incentives they may have for energy efficient options).

Vehicles - if your car is old and costly in repairs or a gas guzzler, think about replacing it with a less expensive fuel-efficient option.

Toys - Not the kid type, but the adult vehicles (parked in the driveway for 10 + months/year) that only cost a fortune to insure and run for the short little blasts of use they get.  Sell them and free up space and $$.  Consider that it may be cheaper overall to just rent when you would like a "fun" weekend on the lake or ocean.

The main thing is to look around your home and be honest with yourself.  Why do you need/want this stuff taking over your life?

As a friend of mine once said to me "there are no luggage racks on a hearse"!  Ain't that the truth.

Until the next blog...happy holidays!

Liz