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Maximise value this Christmas
Despite 85% of Australians admitting the current economic unrest has put them under increased financial strain, Christmas hasn't been cancelled this year.
New research commissioned by eBay revealed that one in three Australians don't plan on cutting back their spending at all this Christmas. Instead, they are planning on shopping around for better value when looking for that perfect gift this Christmas.
Justine Davies, financial planner, author and mother of three, says that consumers tend to assume they can only get good deals in department stores and tend to waste both valuable time and money during the Christmas shopping season, but they can easily avoid Christmas stress with a bit of preparation.
Have a gift list.
Just like a grocery list or a "to do" list, having a checklist of people for whom you need to buy Christmas gifts makes the shopping process so much simpler. Otherwise in the stress and rush of shopping it is easy to forget someone. And forgetting to buy that one gift can mean a whole extra time-consuming trip to the shops.
Set a dollar limit.
Once you have your checklist of people to buy for, write a dollar limit beside each person. Having a dollar limit and vowing not to exceed it helps to prevent those impulse and desperation buys. It's easy to be seduced by the displays and lighting and background music in a shop and start spending far more than intended. It's also easy, when running out of shopping time, to buy something, anything, irrespective of the cost. Having a limit helps to keep a lid on that.
Ask around for ideas.
No matter what your dollar limit, if you buy something that doesn't suit the recipient then it's wasted money. If you are stuck for ideas, ask friends and family what they think might suit. An appropriate five-dollar gift is much more valuable than a twenty dollar inappropriate gift!
Get value by shopping online.
Save yourself time and money by shopping online. Not only can you avoid the crowds and queues but you can always find great value for money with new items often selling for less than retail on eBay. Even better - eBay is open 24 hours a day!
Don't go with the flow.
The large shopping centres all tend to have more of the same items. So to find a gift that will stand out, think outside the square about where you shop. You can pick up some fantastic gifts at your local art and craft or farmers' markets. Or surf the net for some inspiration - on eBay a toy is sold every 16 seconds and a piece of women's clothing is sold every 8 seconds! Not only are you likely to find more cost-effective presents, they will also be more original.
Less is more.
We all suffer from consumables overload nowadays. Choose one good quality, well thought out gift that says: "you're special." It's a much nicer option than several disposable trinkets.
eBay spokesperson Sian Gipslis says with almost half of the people surveyed stressed about the debt associated with Christmas shopping, it's not surprising the majority of consumers are looking to purchase gifts online, combating the frustrations surrounding festive shopping outings, and saving themselves from the effort, annoyance and cost involved in traditional high street shopping.
If you are thinking about shopping online for your Christmas presents, why not check out Yahoo!7 Shopping.
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