This post has not been sponsored, however, it does contain affiliate links, as well as a product I was given for a giveaway.
Saving Money
Remember when I said I was getting Back to Basics here on the blog? Well, saving money is pretty basic to me. I even did a series about it called Money-Saving Mondays (before I started my Micro Preemie Series.) Saving money is a daily part of my life. I try to find the best deals and stretch our dollars as far as I can, since we only have one income.
With the holidays approaching at warp speed, and Black Friday just around the corner, I wanted to give you some ways that you can start saving money too…but still give everyone really great gifts. Today, I am focusing all my efforts on Online shopping. If you don’t want to brave the crowds or if you just feel like shopping in your PJs, then this post is for you.
Where to Start
Before you go to any other websites for Online shopping, you need to start off at Ebates. Ebates is awesome! I have earned almost $400 cash back on purchases I would have made anyways.
So, what is Ebates? Ebates is a free website that has tons of Online coupon codes and Free shipping deals. I hate paying for shipping, so anywhere I can find a code for free shipping is a huge bonus. Plus, every time you click to your favorite store through their link, you earn a percentage of your purchase back in cash. They pay it out once a quarter, and you can choose a check or a gift card. Plus, when you first sign up (Did I mention it was free?!) you get a $10 gift card after you make your first purchase. Once you sign up, you can also earn cash for referring friends. I would love if you would click-through my referral link, but if you prefer you can just go straight to their site.
What’s Next
Now, that you’re all set up to get money back on your purchases, you need to figure out where you want to shop. I always make a list of who I need to buy gifts for and how much I can spend before I start. HINT These three take up the majority of my budget no matter how naughty they’ve been.
If you know who you’re buying for, but aren’t sure what you want to buy, Amazon is a great place to start. They have everything from baby gifts to gifts for your babysitter. The best part about Amazon is that they usually have a lot of different deals going on (daily deals, lightening deals, countdown to black Friday deals,) and you can also compare prices easily. They have a “wish list” feature where you can make your own list for Christmas (or your birthday or just because you’re you,) so you get what you really want.
My family has Amazon Prime, and we love it. Not only do we get free shipping on almost everything we purchase, but we get free streaming movies and TV shows.
Right now, you can try Amazon Prime FREE for 30 days! It’s the perfect time to try it out and get all your Christmas presents shipped for free. You can also give an Amazon Prime membership as a gift. I’m not sure I know anyone that wouldn’t want that.
Get Personal
If you’re looking to give a more personal gift, you can give an experience or activity gift. Places like Groupon and Living Social have tons of options like tickets to an upcoming show, a massage at a spa, or a cupcake tour in your city… all at a discounted price. Did I mention you can first go through Ebates and earn extra cash back on this purchase too?!
And speaking of personal, did I mention I also have a personal connection to an Artist? OK. It’s my husband. Sure I can make cool party decorations, but he is the really talented one. You can check out his page on Facebook, then all you need is a photo. He will transform it into a beautiful painting. If you message him and mention you saw him on the blog, he’ll give you a 10% discount! Here’s just a sampling:
Saving Money in other ways
Now that you’re off to a good start for your holiday shopping Online, a few of my friends have some other ways you can save money.
Danielle, from Serene Mom, is going to tell you how to save money on kids’ gifts this holiday season. I know I’ll be heading over there because I have three little guys to buy presents for.
Irion, from Diapers to Potty, is going to show you how to save money on groceries. We all know how important that is in our everyday lives, but right now it’s especially important when preparing for the holiday meals.
Iyanna, from Yannivlovely, is showing us how to save money and plan gifts for extended family. We have lots of little ones in our extended family, so this is really important to me too. She has a great FREE Printable to help with planning. Just click HERE.
Giveaway
To help you start saving money Online, I have teamed up with my friends, Danielle, Irion, and Iyanna for an awesome giveaway. I have a beautiful Gift Basket from Our Pampered Home, an Online site that offers great gifts for everyone in your family. You can see all their products by visiting http://www.ourpamperedhome.com. You can also visit them on Facebook. We’re giving away a Thymes Gift Basket with Thymes Goldleaf Bar Soap, 2 Packets of Foaming Bath, Bubble Bath, Body Creme, and Body Wash. This would make a great gift for anyone in need of a relaxing spa day at home. Or, keep it for yourself. You deserve it after saving money!
Are you ready for the holidays yet? Do you have any of your holiday shopping done yet? Any tips for me?
I really like the idea of giving a gift or an activity. At my age, I have enough “stuff”. But I love the idea of giving and receiving something more meaningful – like a experience and a memory.
I use and LOVE many of these. Love, love, love Ebates!
This is such a great post – lots of great ideas that I hadn’t thought of. I especially love Ebates – I just wrote a post on that myself. Great program and saves so much money! 🙂 You did a wonderful job writing this, Shann.
http://www.diyjahn.com
Ebates is my first stop when shopping online. I then check out my retailmenot app for discount codes (although ebates just started to do them too but I’m kind of annoyed with how they do it). I have also found a lot of great deals on Zulily, but I do compare prices on Amazon since I am also a PRIME member. It is awesome!!
I’ve been thinking about different types of gifts to give our daughter, since she’s 1 so that it’s not always all about the toys. Love the helpful hints on how to start shopping smartly, but also the ideas for types of gifts to give!
Great tips! I love ebates (they have good cash back from the Disney Store website!) I just have to get better at remembering to use it.
Ah yes! I love shopping at the Disney Store too. They had some great Star Wars stuff on sale before the party 😉
I love using ebates!!! Who doesn’t love getting money back on purchases they make? I use groupon a lot as well. They really have great deals! Thank You for the give away.
You’re welcome! Thank you for reading! 🙂
Great tips!
You had me at save money! I just signed up for ebates – I’m so sad I didn’t know about this before. I also love scouring Groupon and Living social for great gifts.
Awesome! You’re going to love it!
THANK all the money Gods for ebates! Its so wonderful getting that check in the mail a few times a year! 🙂
xx, Karen
GlamKaren.com
I totally agree…Love that Big Fat Check!!
I am SUCH a fan of Kohls.com. I have a Kohl’s charge, I usually wait until I can find a 30% off coupon, and only shop when you can earn Kohl’s Cash. So I just spent $117 on Christmas presents that, if I hadn’t had sale prices and my 30% off, would have cost me $419 and some change. Well then I earned $20 in Kohl’s cash for next week. Then I decided to get a rug for my dining room, and earned another $20 in Kohl’s cash. Now I have $40 of free money to use next week, AND I have another coupon code. I bought all of my kids’ school clothes there this fall, and I did one kid at a time. So I did Olivia first, earned $40 in Kohl’s cash. Came back the next week, got all of Jackson’s clothes on sale, with a coupon, and used my Kohl’s cash, paid around $20 for $150 worth of clothes. Then I earned more Kohl’s cash after buying a few kitchen items, and I got the kids’ school shoes for free. I know around Black Friday, you can earn $15 in Kohl’s cash for every $50 you spend. It’s so nice. Not even considering I got $80 fleece heated blankets for $12 on sale. Pretty much everyone is getting one this year. LOL
Nice! I used to be a huge Kohl’s fan….until they told me my Kohl’s charge had been compromised and wouldn’t issue me a new one. They said I had to keep the same one, but every time I used it, I would have to call customer service to tell them it was really me. Um no. Not going to happen. So, no more Kohl’s for me. 🙁
I love shopping online because I hate crowds! Black Friday is one of the only times of the year that I shop because of the great deals. I’ll have to check out Ebates. I love Groupons and sites like that too to treat myself (and others!) for things that I normally don’t like paying full price for – like massages.
Awesome! Thank you!
I love giving (and receiving) experiences! Groupon is such a great idea!
Awesome post Shann! I adore Amazon Prime! It comes in handy all the time. I might as well live on Amazon lol.
Hi Shann,
So many awesome ideas for saving money for the holidays! Thanks for sharing 🙂 Ebates is something that I utilize as well……love getting cash back!
So many great tips! I always shop online. I’ve never used Ebates but I’ve heard great things about it! I’m going to look into it now 🙂
You should…it’s awesome!
I just signed up for a trial of Amazon Prime, but in Canada we can’t get the movies or TV 🙁 Not sure it is really worth it then.
Signed up for the giveaway though 🙂
Your boys are adorable!
Thank you! And thank you for entering! Good luck!
I have to still plan about gifts. The most complicated part for me is gifting my hubby. He is a bookworm and since past few years, have gifted him endless books and reading accessories. This Year am planning to buy something unusual as per his taste…lol. Though Amazon and ebay are my favorites and I do take discount coupons from Groupons but I will check Ebates for sure. Thanks Shann for posting these amazing ideas to save money while shopping…have a great day !
You’re welcome! Let me know what you end up getting him…men are so hard to shop for!
Amazon prime is the best! It’s saved me on numerous birthdays?
You are the second blog I’ve read today that mentions ebates. I’m going to have to start using it! Thanks for the list!
Great Post!
I’ve heard SUCH good things about Groupon!!! My mom uses it and I can’t believe i’ve never checked it out before!
You should! Every time I need to get my hair colored, I check there first.
These are all such wonderful tips on trying to save money! And also, thanks for hosting the giveaway!
You’re welcome! Thank you for stopping by!
Hi, Shann
So many great tips to help us to purchase gifts for holidays and save money at the same time.
I am not a person who likes to purchase online,but because of this post, I may try to do this for this year!
I will let you know my experience.
Have a nice evering!
– Stella Chiu
Great! Thank you Stella, and I hope you have a good experience. I can’t wait to hear about it 🙂
Amazon prime is THE BEST! And, dangerous too!!!! I am all about saving money, but I also like the convenience!
Yes! Especially when they have the daily deals 🙂
I think groupon is my favorite tip! Love that site!!
I can’t wait to try Ebates. Thank you for sharing!
Awesome! Thank you!
I need to start doing this more!
Thanks for the tip with ebates, I already heard about it not a long time ago, but I am not sure if I could make huge benefit out of it given I live in Europe.
I love amazon prime. I’m using it and in February I will purchase it 1/2 off because I am a student!! Whoot! The perks of being a college student.
I love shopping online. I think Santa’s workshop will be at Amazon this year!
Ebates is definitely my favorite thing to use when online shopping, and I also love giving creative or experience gifts!
Great to know! I have heard of ebates, but I’ve never used it before. Now I think I must!
Yes! It really is great.
I’ve not heard of ebates, I’m definitely checking it out 🙂 I love saving money x
Yes. It’s always such a nice surprise to get that rebate in the mail.
This is the first time I’ve heard about ebates. I will look more into this.
Thanks for all the tips and ideas! I have the Ebates app on my phone but haven’t even tried it out yet, and I just signed up for the Amazon Prime. But haven’t tried it yet either. I will have to check them both out. Thanks!
I have to say, I signed up for ebates, but never used it. I have got to go back and start it again. Great post
If you do Online shopping, it’s a must.
I have never heard of ebates but I will have to check it out!
Yes, it’s really great!
We are saving money by telling people we just aren’t doing gifts this year….
I think I signed up for Ebates but I have not used it yet. I will have to pay more attention when I am shopping and use it. Thank you for all of the great tips!
I love Ebates and tell everyone about it! I love when I get my Big Fat Check! 🙂
Wonderful tips. Thank you for sharing.
It’s always nice to shop online, aside from the convenience a lot of shops offer discounts and conduct sales. They also have a full collection instead of going to a retail store. Anyway, these are helpful tips, definitely!
Such a wonderful idea, This can helps save a lot of budget.
I always use a cash back site to make a purchase and never forget to use coupon codes
i did the amazon prime trial last year and i would highly recommend it
wow! i love this money back concepts especially by ebates 🙂
Thanks for the great tips and the awesome giveaway!
i would love to have amazon prime and of course gift cards too, so we can begin shopping for the holiday.
I am not always the best at saving money, but I like to think I am getting better. I have heard a lot about Ebates, but I haven’t tried it out. I do, however, have a lot of rewards cards that I utilize throughout the year.
Haven’t heard of Ebates Online, yay! I love how you posted and I will definitely check this out! Shopping!!
Awesome! Thank you!
So many great ideas for saving money during the holidays. Online shopping has become a favorite of mine as you can get so many deals.
I prefer shopping online for the most part except for clothing because I have to try it on. I’ll have to look into ebates because that’s a heck of a cashback bonus. Hate I missed the giveaway 🙁
That’s it! I really need to get on the Ebates bandwagon. I didn’t realize you could use it with Amazon, which is pretty much where I do all my shopping :). I love your huband’s work!
Thank you so much!
Haven’t heard most of the things listed here. Gotta check these out. This is an interesting post, to save money especially this holiday season 🙂
I love shopping online, especially around the holidays. I get a lot of free shipping on really small orders.
I’d call myself a late bloomer when it comes to online shopping – it’s something that I only started to appreciate recently. There are a lot of items which I find cheaper online compared to getting them at the stores-stores. So your tips are kind of timely – thank you! I’ll check out ebates and hopefully I’d find tons of nice deals there.
love all your great ideas I agree shopping online is so much easier and when there are so many awesome places to shop I believe it is getting better than traveling store to store in search of the perfect presen
Huge fan of ebates and retailmenot! Probably two of my favorite sites to use