Holiday Shopping 2017: 5 Hacks For Saving Big

It is easy to get caught in the whirl of holiday spending. In fact, the average American spent over $900 on holiday gifts in 2016. While the fear of overspending may be creeping up on many due to the fast-approaching holiday season, there are ways to save big and not break the bank.

Aside from setting a budget and taking advantage of post-Thanksgiving sales like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, there are small things that can be done to bring a big change to your wallet. Keeping in mind five key tactics this holiday season could ease the pocketbooks of many shoppers.

Cash-Back Shopping

Ebates awards up to 25 percent cash back to their shoppers and features over 1,200 different shops.

Discounted Gift Cards

Websites like Gift Card Granny features nearly 300,000 discounted gift card deals from shops such as Apple, Best Buy and Gamestop.

Free Shipping Day

Occurring Dec. 15, stores such as Target, Barnes & Noble and American Eagle Outfitters are all providing free shipping to their customers. See the complete list of participating retailers here.

Price-Checking Apps

ShopSavvy is compatible with iOS, Andriod and WP7 and does all the work for you by scanning barcodes of products and searching the web for the best deal.

Do-It-Yourself Gifts

DIY gifts can be an inexpensive alternative to gift giving. Check out social media sites like Pinterest for inspiration in crafting.