Christmas shopping

Time To Start Christmas Shopping – Shop Here

October 18, 2019 By Tamila McDonald Leave a Comment

The Christmas season is approaching fast. While many people look forward to the holidays, it can also be an incredibly stressful time. Handling all of your Christmas shopping can leave you feeling drained and frustrated, particularly if you are struggling to find good deals or hate navigating the crowds. But, if you get your shopping started now, you can eliminate some of the headaches. You can skip the crowds, spread out the cost, create a plan, and take advantage of helpful programs that make Christmas easier to afford. If you want to get your Christmas shopping underway, here are a few places to shop first.

Walmart

Walmart launched its in-store layaway program on August 30, 2019, and it runs through December 9, 2019. You don’t have to pay a fee to use Walmart layaway. Instead, you can get started by selecting eligible items and putting either $20 or 20 percent down, whichever is greater.

The Walmart layaway program does have some requirements, but most of them work well for Christmas shopping. First, any item in your layaway account has to be at least $10. Second, your total has to reach $50 minimum. Third, you have to pay off your layaway by December 9. You can make small payments along the way at any register, giving you a way to spread out the cost over time.

Additionally, only certain product categories are eligible for layaway. Here is a list of the kinds of items that qualify for the program:

Toys (including Infant Toys)
Jewelry
Electronics (not including cell phones)
Auto Electronics
Small Appliances
Large Furniture Pieces (including Infant Furniture)
Select Sporting Goods

Another benefit of Walmart’s layaway is you can include Rollbacks, Special Buys, and many clearance items in your purchase. By shopping early, you can snag some great deals now and pay them off over time, making your Christmas shopping more affordable.

Plus, even if you don’t want to use layaway, Walmart is still a great place to start your Christmas shopping. They offer competitive prices on a range of items and maintain a diverse inventory, making it easy to find something for everyone on your list at any time.

GameStop

If you want to give someone a video game system or accessories this Christmas, GameStop is a great choice for starting your Christmas shopping early. The company offers an in-store layaway option at most of its stores (aside from Washington DC and Maryland locations) that runs through December 11, 2019. You have until December 18, 2019, to pay off your account, giving you plenty of time to spread out the cost of some higher ticket items.

There is no service fee to start a GameStop layaway. All you need to do is put $25 down after choosing your items and pay them off by December 18. Plus, if you change your mind along the way, you can cancel your layaway and get your deposit back.

Not every product is eligible for the program. Instead, it focuses on consoles, console bundles, and controllers mainly. You can’t add non-eligible items to your layaway, so keep that in mind before heading to the store to sign up.

However, GameStop is still a solid choice if you need video games for gifts. They maintain large used game selections, helping you keep the cost of Christmas down, as well as other giftable items that relate to video games, like plushies, t-shirts, coffee mugs, and more.

Kmart

If you need an online layaway option, Kmart has you covered. Start by heading to the company’s website and add items to your cart. Just make sure they are labeled “layaway eligible” as you make your selections.

Once you finish shopping, begin the checkout process and choose “pay with layaway.” Provide them with a payment that covers your service fee ($5) and down payment ($10). Then, make a payment every two weeks over an eight-week period to pay off the account and receive your items.

Kmart also offers a 12-week program, but it is only available in-store on qualifying purchases over $300 and comes with a higher service fee ($10). It’s also important to note that the service fee doesn’t go toward your balance. Additionally, if you miss a payment or choose to cancel, you have to pay a cancellation fee of $10 or $20, depending on your contract.

Burlington

For over 45 years, Burlington has had a year-round in-store layaway program. You can start one at any time, not just during the holidays. When you do, you get 60 days to pay off your account.

After choosing your items, you take them to a register to set up your layaway. You’ll pay a 20 percent deposit to get started along with a $5 service fee. Then, within 14 days after launching your layaway, you’ll need to pay another 20 percent. By repeating that two-week, 20 percent payment patterns, you’ll get your layaway paid off by the end of the contract, allowing you to spread out the cost.

Burlington does charge a $10 cancelation fee if you change your mind. Additionally, if you get a refund on your deposit, it won’t be in cash. Instead, you’ll receive a Burlington gift card for the amount.

Amazon

While Amazon doesn’t have a layaway program, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a great place to start your Christmas shopping. This is especially true if you are a Prime member and limit yourself to options with Prime shipping, as you can make regular small orders without incurring high shipping costs.

Amazon typically has incredibly competitive prices. Additionally, discounts are regularly available through a variety of programs. By heading to the “today’s deals” section, you can explore discounts by department, deal type, Prime eligibility, customer review scores, discount percentage, and more.

Plus, at Amazon, it’s easy to create a private wish list for your Christmas purchases. You can find what you want to buy for each person and add it to your wish list. As you are ready to make each purchase, just head back over to your wish list and add it to your cart. This is incredibly handy for preplanning and spreading out the cost, as you can make multiple purchases between now and Christmas, ensuring you don’t forget a single person along the way.

Ultimately, all of the places above are great options for starting your Christmas shopping. Just make sure that, if you use a layaway program, you review the terms and conditions carefully. That way, you won’t have to worry about missing required payments, ensuring you can pay off and pick up your items by the stated due dates.

Have you already started Christmas shopping? Where do you usually shop for Christmas? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Great Ways to Start Saving for Christmas in July

July 25, 2018 By Tamila McDonald Leave a Comment

Christmas in July

As temperatures continue to rise across the nation, Christmas may be the furthest thing from your mind. However, if you tend to struggle financially during the holidays, thinking about this winter occasion may be the smartest thing you can do this summer.

According to a 2017 survey, 90 percent of Americans celebrate Christmas. But, they also racked up an average of $1,054 in debt just during the winter holiday season.

Additionally, 74 percent said they didn’t budget properly for the holidays, which may have led to their debt increases or, at least, some financial strain.

If you start saving for Christmas now, you can gather quite a nice nest egg. Then, you won’t have to dedicate as much of your November and December paychecks to buying gifts, planning parties, or even buying a beautiful tree. Plus, it may allow you to avoid adding to your debts.

Without very much effort, you can begin planning for Christmas in July. Not only will this holiday season easier to manage, but it can also be fun, especially when you start picturing exactly where that money will go. If you want to get a head start on the winter holiday season, here are some tips to get you started.

Transfer Money Monthly to a Separate Account

Many people have a checking and a savings account. When you spend money, you use checking. When you need to set some cash aside, you move it to savings.

While this is a generally good plan, if you are saving toward multiple goals, the purpose of your stashed away funds gets a little muddy.

Instead of only using one savings account, consider opening a new one just for holiday expenses. Then, you can see exactly how much you have available without having to account for other savings goals.

Ideally, you want to open an account at a bank or credit union that isn’t your primary financial institution. This makes the money harder to access, decreasing the likelihood that you’ll dip into it for other reasons. Since the money will be sitting awhile, look for high-interest savings accounts. That way, you can earn a little interest between now and Christmas. What better time than to start saving than starting to save for Christmas in July.

Once your account is open, you’ll want to set up a monthly transfer. If you know how much you want to spend this Christmas, divide it by the number of months remaining in the year and save that amount every month. You can also split the total of what you want to spend by the number of paydays you’ll have before Christmas then schedule that amount as a deposit for every check.

Start Your Retail Christmas Shopping Now

Though it may seem counterintuitive, shopping now can actually help you save for Christmas. How? By purchasing a gift or two a month until Christmas arrives.

If you have ideas of what your friends and family members may enjoy, then consider which items are storable. Then, examine the price of each item and divvy the total cost out over the next few months by buying a few gifts at a time.

In some cases, you may even be able to save money by monitoring store sales over time or by purchasing the proper items in each season. For example, if you want to buy a small appliance as a gift, like a high-end coffee maker, consider waiting until September. Many appliances go on sale near Labor Day, so you might get a deal. Looking to give a laptop as a gift? Try shopping the back-to-school discounts in August.

Cash Out Your Rewards

If you have a rewards credit card and haven’t checked your points balance in a while, consider taking a look today. At times, you may find out that you can get cash back or use the points to buy gift cards, giving you the chance to use these funds for Christmas.

For rewards cards that have a store where you can “buy” items with points, check out the catalog and look for gift options.

Why would you want to do this now? Because it can sometimes take a long time to get your rewards.

Items like e-gift cards and cashback applied to your balance may take days or weeks to show up. Cashback by check will likely take weeks or months before it’s in your mailbox. Physical products typically take months to arrive.

In some cases, the length of time you have to wait varies depending on the number of people buying items with points. This means that, as the holidays draw near, wait times can be even longer.

If you’re looking at physical items, consider ordering them now if you can store it until Christmas. That way, you have around five months for it to make the journey. E-gift cards and cash back can also be useful now, especially if you can use the gift card to buy presents or deposit cashback funds into a savings account that earns interest.

Look for Gift Card Deals

Some stores and restaurants offer deals on specific gift cards. For example, you might be able to get a certain amount free after making a minimum purchase or receive a discount at the register that makes the gift card worth more than you paid.

When you look for gift card deals, don’t just focus on those that can be used as gifts. Instead, consider where you may shop for presents as well as where you handle some of your household’s shopping.

If you find a discount for a store where you’ll buy presents, make sure you can spend the entire gift card amount on the purchase, so you come out ahead and don’t have an amount lingering on the card. If you find gift cards on sale for stores where you usually shop, use those for your household expenses and redirect the savings to your Christmas fund.

All of these approaches can help you spread out the costs of Christmas as well as result in a net gain.

Hit Some Yard Sales

Many people would believe that shopping at garage sales to save for Christmas seems odd, but it can actually work quite well. First, you may be able to find some holiday décor at amazing prices, as people don’t generally consider the season when eliminating unwanted household goods from their lives.

Additionally, if you have a friend or family member that loves vintage items or collects a specific kind of knickknack, sometimes you can get lucky at yard sales.

DIY gift givers may get their hands on excellent finds at garage sales, particularly if they are competent upcyclers. You might find the precise building blocks you need for a present, and you’ll have plenty of time to get the work done.

What are your thoughts about saving for Christmas in July? Tell us about it in the comments below.

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Amazon Kicks off Black Friday November 1 Making It a Month Long Event

November 1, 2014 By Julie Morse 1 Comment

Amazon begins Black Friday deal November 1, 2014

Retailers have decided that Black Friday is now a marketing catch phrase rather than a one-day event in hopes of driving shoppers to spend money. The perfect example is Amazon’s decision to start their “Black Friday” promotions the day after Halloween. Amazon has decided the mega shopping day, which usually falls the day after Thanksgiving, will instead kick off Saturday, November 1, 2014.

While Amazon seems to be making the most noise about their event, they’re not the only ones. It’s a growing trend for retailers to add “Black Friday” to their sales long before the day actually arrives. Both Amazon and Walmart are starting off the month with early holiday sales. Best Buy, Target, and Toys R Us are also offering new discounted prices.

Beginning November 1, Amazon customers will find more than 15,000 Lightning Deals on their website. Steve Shure, Amazon’s Vice President of Worldwide Marketing says, “Starting in November, millions of holiday shoppers come to Amazon hunting for the best deals and that one perfect gift. This year, we will have more than 15,000 hand-selected, limited time promotions on hot products, including new early access deals for Prime members on many Lightning Deals from Amazon.com and daily sales events on MyHabit.”

From today through December 22nd, Amazon customers will be offered daily special “Deals of the Day,” including 40% or more off Star Wars and Disney Toys, 50-70% off Analon and Cuisinart cookware sets, 50% off tools, 40% off select Jeep and truck accessories, and major savings on baby products. Amazon is also offering a special “App of the Day” package deal where customers can download more than $115 in free apps and games from Amazon’s app store.

Amazon is anticipating customers to be doing their holiday shopping in a philanthropic way. For example, AmazonSmile will donate a portion of the purchase price to a charity or non-profit organization of your choosing. Amazon is also making holiday purchases easier and faster. Find a gift in a Tweet? Simply reply with the hashtag #AmazonCart or #AmazonWishList and the gift is added to their cart or wishlist. Amazon will also be providing same-day delivery in major metro areas such as Washington D.C., New York City, Philadelphia, the Bay Area, Atlanta, Boston, and more. Prime subscribers will be given the special limited-time and promotions.

Amazon might have been motivated to start their Black Friday shebang early this year when its shares plunged 11% after 2013 holiday sales. Don’t forget there are a lot of ways to save money shopping at Amazon that you should consider when you purchase from them.

Save for Christmas Now

September 17, 2010 By Jennifer Derrick 6 Comments

Now that the kids are in school and the back to school shopping is done, it’s time to think about the next big spending event: Christmas. Christmas is a little less than four months away. It’s time to take action now so that you have the money you need for Christmas shopping. It’s also time to start thinking about what you want to give people so you can start looking for early sales. Here are some ideas to get you started amassing some Christmas money and saving on what you need to buy.

Have a yard sale: Take advantage of the good fall weather to have a yard sale. The money you make can go into your Christmas fund. Another plus: You’ll clear out old toys and junk to make room for anything new that Christmas brings. Alternatively, you can take your stuff to a consignment store and get cash that way.

Contribute to savings: Put $25 per week into a special savings account just for Christmas. Twenty-five dollars isn’t much; it’s a meal out or some impulse items you throw in the cart at Target. But it can add up to a nice chunk of Christmas money. If you do this every week from now until the week before Christmas, you’d have close to $400. It may not be enough for all of your Christmas spending, but it’s a better amount than $0.

Get a seasonal job: Now is the time when retailers start hiring for the Christmas season. It’s your chance to get some part time work that can fatten your Christmas spending account. If you get a job where you regularly shop and they offer employee discounts, you can save even more on your Christmas shopping.

Participate in rewards sites: Get Paid To (GPT) and survey sites can be good sources of a little extra money. If you already participate, try to increase the number of things you do to increase your earnings heading into the holidays. If you already have a lot of points saved up, go ahead and start cashing them in for any gift cards you want to avoid delays or shortages.

Redeem your credit card rewards: If you have any cash or gift cards coming to you from your credit cards, cash them in now. Since it can take some time to get your check, go ahead and ask for it.

Start gathering ideas: Start putting together lists of things you intend to buy. This gives you time to find good sales and deals, use coupons, or negotiate on big ticket items. If you wait until the last minute, you may have to pay full price and face empty shelves.

Start on any crafts: If you intend to save money by making gifts, now is the time to start. It’s far less stressful to work on things gradually through the fall than to try to do it all in one week in December. You can also spread out your spending on materials and take advantage of the weekly coupons offered by hobby retailers if you start now.

You know Christmas is coming. It comes at the same time every year. There’s no need to be running around in December in a panic because you don’t have any money or any idea what to get people. Don’t be surprised by Christmas. Get ready now while you still have time to make some money and approach things rationally.

What Do You Really Remember About Christmas?

December 17, 2009 By Jennifer Derrick 9 Comments

I had to go out the other day to run some errands and I got caught in the Christmas shopping rush. At Target, people were pushing carts heaped with toys through the aisles and there was a beat down going on in the toy department over a shipment of Zhu Zhu pets. I overheard someone say that getting a Zhu Zhu pet was the only way to ensure that their kid remembered this Christmas forever. On a message board I frequent, posters are talking about buying thousands of dollars in gifts to make this a “Christmas to remember” for their kids. People are buying elaborate, expensive decorations to stage a Christmas extravaganza that their “kids will always remember.”

The goal seems to be to buy the biggest gifts, the most expensive gifts, or the most gifts period in order to ensure that the kids have a magical Christmas that they will remember for ages. Christmas must be such a spectacular extravaganza that it can never be forgotten, no matter the cost or aggravation. It’s an expensive arms race to create the biggest, best Christmas ever and much of it is lost on the kids that are supposed to be so impressed. In the middle of Target, I started thinking about my own childhood Christmases. What do I really remember from those holidays?

Christmas was a pretty big deal in my world. There were always gifts from Santa and from mom and dad. Grandma always threw a big Christmas bash for all the aunts, uncles, and cousins (and there were a lot of us) and gifts were exchanged there, as well. There were Christmas parties with gift exchanges at my school. By the time the holiday ended, I’d usually raked in quite the haul for a little kid. You’d think I’d remember a lot about it, right? Wrong. As I sat and tried to recall the presents I’d received in my eighteen years of living at home, only three really stood out: A Barbie Dream House, a ten-speed bike, and the game of Twister. (Twister only probably because I would fracture my wrist later that year playing that game when someone much larger fell on me, but I digress.)

Out of all that hoopla and gift giving extravaganzas, only three gifts really stick out in my mind. Sure, when I got out the photo albums I could see many more that I remembered and appreciated at the time, but I had to be prompted with photos to recall them. Only three gifts in eighteen years made a huge impression on me. Hopefully no one in my family was buying gifts with the hope that I’d “remember them for a lifetime” because it didn’t happen.

What I do remember when I think of all those Christmases are the less tangible things. I remember sitting at the kid’s table at Grandma’s house and how all the aunts and uncles would talk for hours while we kids itched to get at the loot. I remember the smells of my mother cooking and the big production that was cookie baking day. I remember the luminaries sold by the Girl Scouts and how the whole town would be lit up on Christmas Eve. (I always thought the point was to make a runway for Santa.) I remember the tradition of decorating the tree and the thrill of seeing the ornaments again after a whole year had passed. I remember my dad playing the guitar outside under the lights while the kids sledded up and down the hill. I remember the Christmas pageant at school and I can still tell you every part I played (and even sing some of the songs). I remember rushing to the TV on the nights that Rudolph, Frosty, and the Peanuts specials were on and chowing down on popcorn. I remember dad taking us out to look at lights and driving around until I fell asleep in the backseat of the car. There are so many things I remember about Christmas, none of which have anything to do with the gifts I received.

Most of all, I remember the joy of waking up at dawn to see what Santa had left. Even though I don’t remember the gifts, I remember the anticipation, the listening for hoof beats on the roof at night, the inability to fall asleep, and the wonder at seeing that Santa had eaten my cookies. The gifts weren’t the point. The things that made Christmas magical were the simple joys of the season. Sure, I was thrilled when presents were under the tree, but looking back I think that one gift or ten, large or small, wouldn’t have made much difference in my joy. And it sure doesn’t matter now. What matters now that I’m older and that so many people from those early Christmases are no longer with me are the memories of the time spent together and the traditions we engaged in. Most of my memories were not (and could never be) planned or orchestrated to be “great Christmas memories.” They are simply the memories gained from being around the people I loved and who loved me, having fun together, and going about our Christmas season together.

So if you’re out at the mall spending thousands chasing “Christmas memories” for your kids, take a minute and really think about what you remember from your youth. I’ll bet it’s not the presents, or at least not many of them. Chances are no matter how big, numerous, or expensive your gifts and decorations are, they won’t be the things that your kids remember about Christmas when they look back as adults. What they’ll remember will be the time you spent together and the silly, random moments in time that can’t be bought or staged.

So here’s my advice: Get your kids a few gifts that you think they really want and that you can safely afford and forget everything else. Spend the rest of the season decorating the tree together, baking cookies, reading stories, watching TV specials, and just hanging out together. That’s where the memories will come from, not the mall.

Too Old for Gifts, But Not for Christmas

December 9, 2009 By David G. Mitchell 10 Comments

Christmas is less than three weeks away. In past years, I would have completed my shopping by now. Indeed, in past years my shopping has always been done by about the middle of October. This year presents new challenges and I don’t know what to do about them. My kids are too old for gifts, but not too old for Christmas.

I prefer not to receive presents at Christmas. For years, my wife told me that I was selfish not to want gifts at Christmas or my birthday because I was generous with everyone in the family and they wanted to return the generosity. I never really saw the wisdom in that. If I am happy giving and everyone else is happy receiving, it seems like a win-win scenario to me.

This year I am beginning to see my wife’s point. I love buying gifts for my kids, but neither has expressed any real desire for anything and I cannot find anything that I think they will actually enjoy.

Unfortunately, both readily admit that they will be upset if they do not have presents under the tree on Christmas morning. (The quandary is even greater for my elder son who has a birthday a week later, and who also wants to open gifts on his birthday).

Please understand that neither son is mercenary. They are not looking for stuff, as much as they are looking for the experience that they have enjoyed for so many years. For them, there is still a magic in the receiving part of Christmas, but they both acknowledge that they really do not want or need anything in particular. Moreover, neither wants to receive cash because it is too impersonal.

What is a Dad to do? I am pleased that my kids are beginning to look at things from the perspective of what they want and need as opposed to their more youthful yearning for things that were far from practical or even desirable. Yesterday, one son was chatting with a friend about Christmas lists and I overheard him tell his friend that the friend was being foolish in asking for football shoulder pads because (i) the friend did not play tackle football, (ii) if he did play tackle football, the pads would come with his uniform, (iii) his Mom would never let him play tackle football, and (iv) since none of the other neighborhood boys had pads, he could not even use them in pick up games.

Everything that my son told his friend was true and I should be happy that he could be so candid and practical in giving his friend advice. At the same time, I know that I now have a greater challenge this year because my son (both sons, really) want to have the experience of a child at Christmas even though they are thinking like adults.

That is a feeling that I wanted when I was a teen, but have never really had since I was about eleven or twelve years old. In order to wow me with a gift, a person needs to know me so well that they can find something remarkable that I cannot find for myself. It is not the cost that matters, but the thought that goes into the gift. That is a very high bar and few people have ever reached it. So few, in fact, that I have asked that no one give me any gifts. I do not ask that out of spite or disregard for my family, but because I am truly happier enjoying watching others open gifts than opening them myself.

This year, however, my kids have set the bar high and I am not sure how I will reach it. They still want the experience of opening gifts. More importantly, I want them to have gifts to open, but I do not want to buy gifts that they will not want or need merely to give them presents under the tree. I encourage them to think about one special thing that would make them happy on Christmas Day but, as one son told me, “I’m happy with everything I have. I could tell you I wanted more stuff, but I would not be telling the truth.” At the same time, he does want the feeling of being a kid one more year at Christmas.

How would you give to older children who seem content with what they already have, the sense of wonder that a younger child gets when he or she first approaches the presents under the tree? I have not many days to sort this one out…