Christmas is 15 days away! Believe it or not, I’m almost done my Christmas shopping. I just have one person left to buy for at this point. I’m planning on getting that taken care of soon, and after that I’ll be completely finished!

This probably sounds a little strange, but this year, pending these last few presents I’m planning on buying, I’ll have completed 100% of my Christmas shopping through online retailers. I’ve never done this before, but it just worked out that way, and I’m really happy it did. Shopping online for Christmas is so much easier, more convenient, and with gas prices these days, cheaper too. I was able to save a lot of money through online shopping by using these techniques.

Using Coupons to Save Money

There are a few things I’ve learned in my online Christmas shopping frenzi, and one of them is the power of the coupon. I never used to use coupon codes for online shopping, and looking back I’d like to kick my former self for not bothering. A quick Google search will reveal coupon codes galore for almost every major retailer! This Christmas, I was constantly using coupon codes for shopping to try and get the most bang for my online buck, and it’s worked! I’ve almost always been able to get at least 10% off, or a few bucks off shipping, depending on the retailer.

One of the best retailers for coupon codes is Amazon. I was lucky enough to buy a few presents through Amazon and I’m happy I did because finding promo codes for Amazon is so easy. It’s harder with some retailers, especially higher end ones like Lululemon and Lush Cosmetics, but with Amazon, a Google search yields literally dozens.

Ordering Early

Any savings I might have realized on my Christmas gifts could’ve easily been slashed if I hadn’t had the forethought to start my online Christmas shopping early. By selecting the cheapest (and slowest) delivery option, I was able to keep my costs down. If I’d waited until the last minute, I would’ve ended up paying big bucks to get whatever it was I was ordering shipped to me in time for Christmas. Don’t make this mistake, place your online orders ASAP.

Price Compare – Don’t forget Travel Costs

Sure, the price of something might be a little more expensive online than at your local brick and mortar store, but don’t forget to factor in the hidden transportation cost of not buying online. For me, I live about 30 minutes from the nearest city, which costs me about $10 in gas to get to. Factoring in the transportation cost of physically getting myself to the store often makes buying online an even better deal.

There are tons of ways to save money around the holidays, and online shopping is definitely one of them!

Did you shop online this Christmas?