Unconventional Ways to Find Steep Discounts this Holiday Season

This is the first holiday season where gift ideas have just fallen into my lap. I haven’t even shopped in a store. Most of my gift buying has been online, either through deals that other friends have posted on Facebook or through e-mails I have received from various daily deal sites. Apparently I have been in the right place at the right time this year, but part of that is knowing where to be in the first place. Here are some ways for you to find super steep savings on gifts for most people on your list.

Daily Deals Sites

If someone would have told me a year ago that I’d be holiday shopping on daily deal sites, I would have thought they were crazy. This year, I’ve purchased four gifts through various websites that send an e-mail every day with a special discount offer. On Urban Dealight, I purchased a ride for my son and my husband in a World War II Aircraft to view Christmas lights. The flight usually costs $250 a person. I paid $75. On Groupon, I purchased an electric corkscrew for nearly 50 percent off and a $30 gift certificate to a specialty store which only cost me $15.

There are two valuable things to know about these sites. First, you don’t have to wait for an e-mail to find a fabulous deal. Go to the sites and browse the deals available. This time of year, you may find hundreds of deals. Second, don’t limit your shopping on these sites to the city where you live. The corkscrew I bought was through the Amarillo, Texas Groupon site. If you’re buying it online, what does it matter what city the deal is for?

Other daily deal sites I know about include:

AP Daily Deals

Living Social

Amazon Local

If you Google “daily deal sites” you may found several dozen more.

Amazon Lightning Deals

Last week, I purchased a laptop for $250 off the retail price thanks to lightning deals on Amazon.com. These are deals available at specific times of the day. They publish that time in advance, and they time the length of the sale. When the time is up, the deal is dead.

Lightning deals are not just for electronics. They are on anything Amazon sells – toys, books, music downloads, cookware, etc. If you are looking for something specific, check the lightning deals first. You can view them sometimes days in advance. You just can’t buy until the specified date.

There is still plenty of time to shop online and get your gifts in time for holiday giving. And, don’t forget yourself. If you find a steep discount on something you’ve been pricing for a long time, and you have the money in your budget, buy it now. You may not find deals this good ever again.