Christmas is wonderful. It gives you the chance to spoil everyone, and hopefully yourself. As well as spend time together eating, drinking, playing games and enjoying your presents. However, it is also a bit exhausting. A lot of time and energy goes into organising the perfect family Christmas. So, by the time the January sales come around the last thing you want to do is to drag yourself to the shops. The queues are usually horrendous and most people´s nerves are a bit frayed.
That is why, every year, more people are opting to buy online rather than shop in person. It is, by far, the easiest way to pick up new canvas prints, soft furnishings and other items to give your home a fresh new look for 2018.
Make a list
However, to get the most out of the January sales, it is wise to take an organised and disciplined approach. You really do not want to start the New Year in debt because temptation got the better of you. Sadly, thousands of families are struggling to pay their bills because they regularly overspend on online purchases. The best way to avoid this happening to you is to make a list of what you actually need and stick to it.
Avoid impulse purchases
If you are prone to temptation, ignore all of the marketing emails that come in. Instead, go to your favourite online retailer and use the search facility to find what you actually need. This is a far more disciplined way of shopping that stops you being distracted by, and possibly buying, shiny objects you will later regret buying.
Shop early
For big purchases, it is worth getting up early and doing your shopping straight away. As with most sales, the best deals get snapped up early. This is the case whether you go to the shops or buy online.
It is also worth checking when your favourite retailers actually start their January sales. These days, quite a few stores actually start straight after Christmas.
Do a bit of research for big purchases
If there are big or expensive items you want to pick up in the sales do some research in advance. Knowing what size TV will fit into your living room and how many of each type of connection you need will stop you from making a poor purchasing decision. You really do not want to have to send your bargain TV back and buy another one at the full retail price. It is much better to be organised. That way you will be able to quickly determine if that 50% off TV deal really is right for you and order it before someone else does.
It is important to bear in mind that, sometimes, returning items bought in a sale is not as easy as you think. Retailers can, and do, change their standard returns policy when they hold sales. A store that normally allows returns to take place for up to 28 days after purchase may shorten the permitted returns period to just 14 days. You can read more about this practice, here.
Disclaimer: This is a collaborative post.
