5 ways to save on holiday shopping this season

This holiday shopping season will be longer, more expensive and in some ways more chaotic than previous years, making it easy to overspend. But there are also opportunities for significant savings if you know where and how to look for them.

“There are supply chain issues, inflation, big retailers cutting back on inventory — when you put it all together, it looks like a recipe for disaster,” said Jill Cataldo, a Chicago-based consumer coupon expert. Her solution? “I started shopping now. If you see something and it looks like a good deal, it’s time to pick it up.”

That’s because, while prices are generally higher, retailers have already kicked off the holiday season with discounts and sales spread over the last three months of the year. With this challenging backdrop in mind, here are the best ways to save money this Black Friday season:

1. Shop early and often

It may seem like a no-brainer, but starting early can lessen the impact on your budget and allow you to get better deals. “I watch prices, see which retailer is offering the best price, and I always look for coupons before I buy—anything is better than paying full price,” Cataldo says. When she makes an early purchase, she keeps the receipt handy in case the price drops. Some retailers offer price matching, or you can shop around for a better deal and return the purchase at a higher price.

2. Be relentless in your price comparison

Programs, browser extensions and other tools which will help you track and compare prices galore; you just have to choose the one you like the most. You can find options that browse the web in the background while you shop and alert you to lower prices, coupon codes, and cash back opportunities.

For example, ShopSavvy’s shopping program will monitor price changes for certain items. John Boyd, co-founder and CEO of Monolith Technologies, which owns ShopSavvy, says he uses the feature for things he keeps an eye on, like a single-lens digital SLR. “I want to be notified as soon as these things go on sale because it might be on sale for a few minutes and then it’s gone,” he says.

The Camelizer app performs a similar function specifically for Amazon pricing.

Greg Lisiewski, vice president of PayPal Shopping, which includes the Honey shopping browser extension, says that when he wants to buy something, he searches for the retailer in the PayPal app to see if any discounts are available (under “Offers”).

These discounts are especially valuable right now because PayPal Honey reports that toys and games are up 11% this year compared to last year, coffee machines are up 7%, and cycling equipment and gear are up 9%. The company also reports that the biggest discounts this holiday season were on cosmetics, musical instruments and general department stores.

3. Layer on coupon codes and refunds

Getting a great deal isn’t just about price, you can save others with coupon codes and cash back offers.

Cataldo enjoys refund offers, which are available through programs like Rakuten, CouponCabin, and Ibotta. “It’s just one extra step when you’re going to buy online and then you get the check,” she says. “I like easy things and this is very easy.”

Scott Kluth, founder and CEO of CouponCabin, says overstocked stores will often have discounts of 10% to 15%, and cash back offers ranging from 3% to 20%. “Add all those savings on top of each other,” he says, adding that online stores sometimes accept multiple coupon codes and offer free shipping.

4. Check out the local shops

Deborah Weinswig, CEO and founder of retail research and consulting firm Coresight Research, says getting to know your local stores and attending events in person can be the way to score the biggest deals. “Store managers are given the opportunity to negotiate and match or beat prices,” she says, especially if they have excess inventory.

She suggests joining live streams, following your favorite brands on social media, and signing up for brand loyalty programs to be the first to know about discounts and sales. “Some codes are only valid for 24 hours and some prices are only valid for 4 hours,” she says, so if you want the best deals, be prepared to act fast.

5. Talk to friends and family about downsizing

With many people feeling the stress of rising prices, this is a good year to talk to family and friends about setting limits. For Sarah Schweisthal, social media manager at budgeting app You Need a Budget, that means creating a gift exchange with family members so that each person buys just one gift within an agreed-upon spending limit. “We all bought each other gifts, but there are a lot of adults in our family. “One of us just said, ‘Hey, that doesn’t seem sustainable,'” she says.

Schweisthal believes the gift-giving approach has saved her family hundreds of dollars — and this year in particular, it’s more important than ever budget for the holidays.

This article was written by NerdWallet and originally published by The Associated Press.

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Kimberly Palmer writes for NerdWallet. Email: kpalmer@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @kimberlypalmer.

The article 5 Ways to Save Money on Holiday Shopping This Season originally appeared on NerdWallet.