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In this video, Kendra James Anderson of The Finance Femme shares tips on how to stay within budget for holiday shopping while utilizing some of Amazon Prime’s tools. By offering free shipping, timely delivery and discounts and deals, Amazon Prime helps you stay on schedule and within budget while holiday shopping.
Here are Kendra’s tips for saving:
- Make a clear list. Your list should include who you’re shopping for, what you’d like to buy for them and how much you’d like to spend on each individual. Remember Amazon Prime makes tracking this list easy because you can create a Wish List, and get notified when an item on your list sees a drop in price.
- Be realistic. While your goal might be to spend, for example, less than $25 on a gift for somebody, it’s best to be realistic about what you’ll actually spend. Being realistic helps you keep track of actual spending and allocate funds properly.
- Remember your long-term goals. Do you plan on buying a home? Buying a car? Going back to school? Remember those when deciding how much cash to spend during the holidays.
- Track your spending. After buying a gift, check back in with your list. See if you’re over or under budget. This helps you decide if and when to reallocate funds.
- Keep gift receipts. Even if your recipient doesn’t want the exact item you bought them, a gift receipt allows them to return the item and get cash or exchange it for something else. That way, you know your funds were utilized.
Shopping Mistakes:
Kendra states a top shopping mistake is having no plan — such as not making that list she mentioned. If you just start shopping, grabbing whatever looks good, you can quickly go over budget without having shopped for everybody on your list.
When it comes to Black Friday, don’t feel that you need to snag every deal. Consider whether or not the deals are in line with what’s on your shopping list. Only focus on those Black Friday deals. If the item isn’t on your list, then it’s not really a deal.
If you are shopping for kids, setting expecations is important, says Kendra. Rather than buying every little item your kids want, focus on those few top priority items — the things they’ll cherish for a long time.
**Kendra reminds shoppers with EBT or select government assistance that they might qualify for 50 percent off of their Amazon Prime account. Check to see if you qualify here.
