Have you started shopping for gifts yet? The holidays are around the corner. If you are like me, you’re always looking to make the most of your money. If you are like me, you have thought about shopping and gifts. If you more like the thirty percent surveyed, then you have already begun your shopping! But in this economy, everyone is looking for ways to save on gifts.

Here are just a few tips to help you along with making the most of your money.

Comparison Shop

Comparison shopping is pretty easy to do online. Many people comparison shop online anyway, as it’s both easy and smart regardless of the season or the economy. Approximately seventy percent of shoppers said they plan to compare prices on gifts before making their purchases. Several websites specialize in comparison shopping, including ComparisonShopping.com, BizRate, PriceGrabber.com, and Shopzilla. It’ll also be worth it to stop over at FreeShipping.org this season. It provides codes for free shipping for more than 1,700 stores. That could not hurt.

Homemade gifts and cards

For you creative types, there are websites with plenty of craft ideas, like KidsCraftWeekly.com. However, if you’re not the creative (or patient) type, like me, then there’s always the possibility of buying homemade artwork, jewelry, and clothing at Etsy.com. If you enjoy baking, holiday-themed baked goods are a yummy, fun, and inexpensive gifts for your friends and family.

Discount Shopping

About fifty percent of the people surveyed said that they would shop at discount stores for gifts this year. Stores like Marshalls,  T. J. Maxx, Tuesday Morning, and Filene’s Basement are a few of those that carry overstocked items at discount prices. The Internet has its own version of discount stores, where overstocked items are available at discounted prices.  OverStock.com and SmartBargain.com make bargain shopping possible all year long. Some experts recommend Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) shopping online at midnight in order to find some especially good deals.

Internet Coupons

More and more companies are making online coupons available to consumers. In many cases, it’s simply a code to type in before making a purchase in order to receive a discount. So, keep your eyes open for “promo codes” while online shopping, and check out sites like AFullCup.com.

Regifting

Regifting can sound like a really “cheap” thing to do, unless what you’re regifting is a quality item — one you have not used, preferably — for which you simply don’t have any use. Shopping experts have a suggestion as we consider the regifting option.

“Avoid the dreaded fruitcake this year, and go for gifts, preferably less personal and unused, such as gift cards, jewelry, candles, picture frames, and housewares.”

As we head into this holiday season on a tight budget, my guess is that we are all going to find creative, fun ways to make our dollars stretch. This was just a short list of ways to save money. What will you do this year to save money on gift buying? Share your creative ideas with us. Happy shopping!