Christmas Shopping 2021 - Some tips to help you save money
Ready or not, it won’t be long until the festive season is upon us. It’s the most wonderful time of the year... apart from the last minute Christmas shopping that is! Still, there’s plenty to be merry about, and with a little bit of planning you can avoid overspending, and have your Christmas shopping wrapped up in no time! Read on for some Xmas shopping tips and ideas to help you save money, so come mid December you’ll be chilling out, watching Christmas movies while sipping on your hot chocolate.
Top 10 Christmas Shopping Tips
Christmas can be expensive, but it doesn't have to be. Check out all our best tips for saving money this Christmas, so you can make the most of your festive celebrations!
- Create a Budget
Overspending is way too easy at Christmas, so if money is tight, create a budget and stick to it! Know how much you can afford to spend before hitting the shops or adding to the basket.
- Make a List … and check it twice!
Create a list of all the loved ones you want to buy for, along with a Christmas gift idea beside their name. Then, take it a step further and allocate a rough budget towards each person. You’ll feel an immense amount of satisfaction ticking off that list once the gifts are purchased!
- Start Early
Start buying those Christmas bargains now so that you don’t turn up at Christmas empty-handed. If you see something you want at a great price, it may not be available in December due to current supply chain issues in the UK.
- Shop the Sales
The festive season brings a vast array of fantastic Christmas sales, so make the most of them! Take advantage of sales events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
- Start a Secret Santa Tradition
Instead of buying gifts for all your friends, family and workmates why not suggest a Secret Santa? Agree on a set amount each person will spend, and focus on giving that one person an extra special gift.
- Shop Online and use Discount Codes
Not only do you avoid the manic rush of shopping instore, you can make the most of online sales and offers by stacking them with discount codes for extra savings.
- Get a Gift Receipt
Many retailers offer gift receipts, these receipts show a description of the goods, but not the price. If you have a gift receipt, you should be able to exchange an item.
- Regift
You are bound to receive a gift or two that you are never going to use, but you know someone else will love! Just make sure your gift doesn't fall into the hands of the person who originally gave it to you!
- Make your own Christmas Gifts
If you’re a creative person and have the time, then a great way to save money on Christmas gifts is to make them yourself. It’s personal, thoughtful, and one of a kind.
- Find the best deals on hotukdeals of course!
At hotukdeals we know all about getting the best deals and offers, our community are always on the hunt for bargains and eager to share their finds making it much easier for everyone to track down the biggest Christmas discounts.
How to save money on your Christmas Shopping and get the best deals
Find the best deals using hotukdeals
All of the hottest deals in the run-up to Christmas are found on our website and in the app. At the top of the homepage, you'll see a few different categories of deals...
What do the tabs mean?
- Highlights - the BEST of hotukdeals including hot deals, fast-moving threads, glitches & more
- Hot - Deals voted Hot by the community hit the hot page around 100 degrees and shows deals starting to climb the hotukdeals boards.
- New - All deals submitted get posted here, it's the go-to for everything new, well worth keeping tabs on as some expire very quickly.
Christmas Shopping Event Page
Our Christmas Shopping page is a treasure trove of gift ideas! Perfumes, Toys, Electronics and more ...It’s the ideal place to find all the latest Christmas deals and offers.
Discount Codes
Who doesn’t love getting some extra discount?! Make sure to check our voucher section for discount codes that will give you extra savings before you make your purchase!
Set up Keyword Alerts
If you don’t want to run the risk of missing out on a good deal for a product you are looking for e.g a console, or ghds, you can easily set up a ‘Keyword Alert’ and get notified as soon as a deal you are interested in gets posted.
If you haven't already done so, register with hotukdeals and create an account.
Already use our website? Click on your profile picture in the top right corner.
Select “Alerts” and then on “Manage Alerts”
Enter a keyword for which you want to add an alert e.g adidas
You can also choose whether you want to be notified about all deals that match your keyword, or only about warm, hot or super-hot deals.
You can set up keyword alerts for the deals you want to see. Keyword alerts are great if you are on the hunt for a specific item. You can set these up via the hotukdeals app, Android or Apple or via Desktop/Laptop
Top 5 Christmas Shopping Merchants
I realise my top 5 list may well be different to yours, but this is where I will likely end up buying most of my gifts in the run up to Christmas.
- Adidas
Adidas trainers are always on my Christmas shopping list, expect some great offers coming up on men, women’s and kids clothing and trainers.
- Amazon
Look out for great discounts on electronics, toys, gaming, and beauty, free delivery for prime members is always a nice bonus too!
- Argos
Toys, gaming, jewellery, electronics & more. Argos is a great all-rounder when it comes to gifting.
- Beauty Base
I find it hard to pass up on a good perfume deal, and it’s such a lovely gift to receive. Beauty Base come through with some really strong perfume discounts
- Boots
Boots Star Gifts is where it’s at, with great brands like Clinique, MAC, Soap & Glory, there’s so much to choose from. Also worth keeping a lookout on their Perfume and Aftershave offers, there’s usually a discount code floating about too
Get Free Returns with PayPal Returns
There’s no doubt that many of us buy a lot of our Christmas gifts online, but what if that item arrives and it isn’t quite what you expected? While a lot of online retailers offer free returns, many do not. But there is a way around losing that money, when returning your item.
PayPal offers a free returns service called 'PayPal Returns Shipping On Us’ that can be used whenever a free or refunded return option is not available from the seller you made your purchase from. If a store charges for returns, but accepts PayPal, you're in luck.
You can find out all the details to make sure you are eligible to use PayPal returns in our Guide here.
Christmas Shopping Tips FAQs
How do I save money on Christmas shopping?
Who doesn’t want some Christmas money saving tips?! There are lots of things you can do now to help you avoid starting the new year strapped for cash
One of the best ways to save money is to be prepared. Avoid the last minute rush which could leave you paying more than you need to for the xmas gifts you want.