amory mouth: 3 Geeky Money-Saving Tips for This Shopping Season!

Halloween has passed, we?re well into November, and the holiday shopping season is suddenly upon us, bringing with it the pressures of gifts and they money that they demand. Unfortunately, while this may be the time for giving, few of us will see spontaneous bonuses or raises coming from our employers, leaving us to fend for ourselves where cost-effective, budget-conscious gifts are concerned.

If you?re ready to hit the stores, both online and off, in search of the latest tech-oriented toys for your loved ones, here are three geeky money-saving tips for this shopping season:

1. Avoid the Latest Gadgets

Latest Gadgets

While the marketing tactics of companies like Nintendo, Apple and other tech companies will likely have your kids lusting around the latest game consoles and tablets, the best advice to money-conscious shoppers is to absolutely, unequivocally ignore the latest gadgets.

While hot on the lips of kids around the world, cutting-edge toys and gadgets are guaranteed to be more expensive than other options in every case, with competition and limited supplies often leading to even higher markups through resellers. And what do you get for these insanely high prices? A completely untested product, from a consumer standpoint, with limited games, apps and accessories. The name may be cool, but, as the passage of time always shows us, prices will drop substantially even as usability increases, making holding off the smartest thing you can do, even if the gadget lovers in your life don?t agree.

For example, skip the expensive Wii U and focus your dollars on a tried, tested and true Wii instead ? your pocketbook will thank you, and your little gamers will soon find out that they?ve got far more do and see with the older, more robust machine.

2. Review, and Then Review Some More

Review

One of the best things about the internet when it comes to shopping, especially for tech toys, is the wide range of opinions and reviews that are available on nearly every product imaginable, allowing us to get the best possible item every time we click ?buy? or head into a retail shop.

Whether you?re looking to gift the latest tablet, smartphone or any other geeky toy, you can instantly place your finger on the pulse of previous buyers by seeking out reviews and paying attention to the particulars that can come only from someone with hands-on, technical experience.

How exactly does reviewing save you money? When it comes to giving holiday gifts, every dollar is wasted if you don?t hit the spot with what you?re giving, and reviewing products gives you the ability to ensure that each and every dollar is well-spent, especially where complicated and widely varied geek gifts are concerned. Getting each gift right the first time also enables you to save money on the gas that a return trip to the mall or delivery back to an online retailer will cost you!

Read, research, review: if you follow these three Rs of shopping, you?re almost guaranteed to get the best product for your money, saving cash even while giving your gift the extra ?oomph? it needs to make a big impression!

3. Always Compare Prices

Compare Prices

I mentioned above that the ability to review was one of the best things about the internet when it comes to shopping; are you ready for the best thing? The ability to compare prices online.

Where price comparisons used to require a trip from store to store or wasted time on the telephone, in order to hunt down the best deal, putting on your own geek hat and settling into the wide array of price comparison websites available online makes saving money on gift purchases a breeze.

Websites like PriceGrabber and BizRate give you the ability to surf through prices on the same item across hundreds, or even thousands of retailers, both online and off, especially when the item in question is a popular electronic, allowing you to instantly identify the absolute cheapest place to spend your money. Happier is another cool app that lets you find deals and read product reviews provided by your own community:

Happier