I’m a Consumer Expert: 7 Ways Frugal People Can Plan Now To Save on Holiday Shopping

Managing holiday spending can be hard, leaving you with a ton of bills and regret if you’re not careful. However, if you tackle your gift and supply list early, you can avoid the last-minute rush and stay within your budget.

Here are seven expert tips to help you get ahead and save on your holiday shopping.

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Set Gifting Expectations Early

Andrea Woroch, consumer and money-saving expert, said that you should set gifting expectations with your friends and family members now to avoid feeling the pressure to overspend during the holidays.

“This could look like suggesting you do a Secret Santa or White Elephant gift exchange with your family rather than buying each person a gift or focusing on just the kids,” she explained. “When it comes to friends or co-workers, suggest an outing rather than a gift exchange. This can save you a lot of money in the long run.”

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Set a Gifting Budget Per Recipient and Track It

Woroch suggested setting a gifting budget and tracking it using an app like Santa’s Bag, which allows you to enter a specific budget for each gift recipient.

“You can then track how much you’ve actually spent and check in on the total at any time,” she said. “Just seeing your actual spend is often enough to help you deter wasteful spending. Plus, you may have forgotten you bought someone a gift earlier in the season and this app helps you keep track of it all.”

Consider Opening a Credit Card With a Sign-Up Bonus

Woroch said you could open a new credit card to snag a sign-up bonus of $200 or more to spend on your holiday purchases.

“Compare cash-back card offers at sites like CardRates to see which one offers the best sign-up bonus money upfront,” she suggested. “Usually you have to spend a certain amount in the first few months of account opening — like $500 in three months to get a free $200 back. However, as long as you only use it to buy items you were planning to anyway, that free money can help cover a big portion of your gift budget to help you avoid going into debt.”

Hack Your Monthly Bills

According to Woroch, you can save hundreds of dollars to put toward your holiday savings by eliminating services you don’t need or use from now up to the holidays.

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“For instance, data collected by Self Financial found that around 30% of subscriptions go unused,” she said. “Begin by combing through your monthly bills and cancel subscriptions, memberships and other services you don’t use. Call other service providers to negotiate your current rates or consider bundling services to reduce your total spend. Increasing your insurance deductibles can also help reduce your insurance premiums by up to 20%. Meanwhile, unplugging unused gadgets can reduce your energy bill by 10%.”

Elongate Your Holiday Shopping Season

“This year there are only three shopping weekends between Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Christmas (last year there were five) — so to avoid a holiday scramble, consider making your list and starting your deal hunting now,” said global commerce expert Brett Narlinger from Blackhawk Network.”

Keep Your Eye Out for Deals

Narlinger also advised keeping an eye out for deals across different shopping channels — and stacking them.

“Retailers know the economy is going to play a factor in winter holiday shopping and that people will be on the prowl for the best deals (even on everyday products and services),” he explained. “So many will be offering promotions regularly.”

Narlinger said that one thing shoppers may not know is that retailers may be offering different deals in-app, in-store and online.

“Take the time to check all three before you make a purchase and pay particular attention to those that reward you for a future purchase via gift cards or points,” he said. “And don’t be afraid to stack multiple deals for even more savings.”

Use Points and Gift Cards To Pay

Narlinger recommended taking stock of any rewards, loyalty points or gift cards you have sitting idle. “You earned them — so use them to save money,” he said.

He also said to make sure you get rewards for what you buy leading up to the winter holiday season, including gas.

“While deals and promotions on groceries and other everyday household items are great, you might not know that many grocery chains offer gas discounts or points when you make certain purchases,” Narlinger explained.

“[For] example, some stores dole out double, triple and even quadruple points during gift card promotions (which you can save and give out during the gifting season),” he said. ‘The National Retail Federation reports that gift cards have been the number one most requested gift in America for nearly 20 years, so not only will you be saving money, you’ll be knocking out some of your winter holiday shopping early.”

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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: I’m a Consumer Expert: 7 Ways Frugal People Can Plan Now To Save on Holiday Shopping