Everyone can use a little FREE Money at Christmas Time!  You are already going to spend so why not SAVE?  Saved money on items that you are already planning on purchasing is essentially FREE Money!

Here are 5 FREE &simple ways that you can save money on your Christmas Shopping (and don’t forget to Double Dip):

1 ► Discounted Gift Cards

Say you know that you are going to purchase an item at Walgreens, or you regularly shop there.  You can purchase gift discounted Walgreens cards in advance at a discount.  Walgreens card can be found for up to 10% OFF!  PLUS – these gift cards are savings on top of coupons and rewards.  So you can turn FREE After Rebate items into money making transactions with discounted gift cards.  I regularly purchase (and recommend) 2 places to purchase discounted gift cards:

Raise.com – Save an additional $5 off $60 New Customer Coupon w/ code RAISE60AF

Cardpool – Buy gift cards for up to 35% off

You will find discounted gift cards for national retailers, restaurants, drug stores, theaters and more at both Raise and Cardpool.

2 ► Cash Back Shopping

Cash back is FUN!  I love getting those checks in the mail.  Ebates has the largest selection of cash back offers that I have seen.  In fact, they offer Online Rebates at over 1,600 Stores!  Again, this is on top of coupons and other savings.  You could even pay with a discounted gift card from Raise.com or Cardpool to increase your savings.  That’s what I call Double Dipping!  If you make a Walgreens purchase through Ebates you will earn 8% cash back in addition to the 10% you saved on the discounted gift card.

PLUS – new members of Ebates will receive their choice of a FREE $10 Gift Card (Walmart, Target, Macy’s, Kohl’s) OR $5 FREE Cash!

3 ► Promo Codes & Coupons

Every time that I purchase something online I check to see if there is a FREE Promo Code for the item.  I have the best luck at RetailMeNot.com.  They have a HUGE database for just about every online retailer that you can imagine.  I also try a simple Google search with the retailer’s name followed by “promo code.”  RetailMeNot.com also has a FREE smartphone app in the App Store and Google Play.

If you are purchasing at a physical store try a Google search for the retailer’s name followed by “printable coupon.”  You can also check out wow-coupons.com.  If all else fails, ask them at the store if they have any FREE coupons that you can have.  There might be some available in their weekly sale flyer.  At Kohl’s whenever I ask the cashiers they gladly give me a FREE coupon for 15% off or more!

4 ► Rewards Credit Cards & Debit Cards

You will need a little self control for this one or you could end up losing your advantage to interest payments.

I am an avid fan of credit card rewards!  I charge nearly everything that I can on credit cards.  But, I pay them off each month, so I only purchase what I know I can pay.

So every Christmas purchase that I make is with a points earning credit card.

There are also cards that will save you money like the Target RedCard Credit or Debit card that saves you 5% off Target purchases.  Plus credit cards that earn you FREE cash back like Discover.

So, you might not save at Christmas time with these cards – but they will help you save down the road with FREE Perks!

5 ► Retail Purchase Rewards

There are some great reward programs and major retailer loyalty programs that allow you to earn FREE discounts, gift cards and other perks.  There are a couple that I go out of my way to use.

• MyPoints – earn points for purchases that can be redeemed for FREE gift cards to national restaurants and retailers, including Target, Walmart, Amazon.com, Outback Steakhouse and MANY, MANY MORE!
• Kroger – earn FREE fuel points/discounts for purchases of gift cards for restaurants, retail stores and more – you can get up to $1.00 off per gallon of gas on a single fill up.  That’s about $20 just for buying gift cards at Kroger. Kroger generally has 2X the points for gift card purchases and often has 4X the point promotions.  HINT – buy gift cards for places that you visit regularly, especially restaurants.
• Best Buy – earn FREE Best Buy Gift Certificates

Here’s a 6th way ► Try the FREE Amazon Discount Finder!

See, Christmas doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg!