by Chelsea Springli 
Fall just hit, but it’s never too early to start your holiday shopping! In fact, right now might be the perfect time to get your holiday shopping in. The weather is beautiful, and the stores are generally less hectic than they will be later in the season. Plus, the big stores have already started teasing their deals with big shopping days coming in early November. Here are a few additional reasons why you should consider beginning your holiday shopping now.
Take Advantage of Early Sales
You don’t have to wait until Black Friday or Cyber Monday to take advantage of great deals. There are great deals you can take advantage of even today! Industry experts note that imports for the holiday season are happening early this year. This means that inventory is high early, but we don’t know how inventory will look as we get closer to the holiday season. Some of the items that you are expecting to buy on Black Friday or Cyber Monday could be purchased now instead. Crossing those items off of your list now can save you a massive headache later!
Remember not to buy something just because it’s on sale. I create my holiday shopping list in October every year. That way, when I see something from the list go on sale, I can buy it at the discounted price and save money on a purchase I would have made anyway.
Avoid Potential Shipping Delays
Most of us have experienced the stress and anxiety of a last-second online delivery that is at risk of not arriving on time. Don’t allow that kind of tension into your holiday shopping this year! Plan for delays so that you’ll have plenty of time for your gifts to arrive. Some retailers let you buy your product online and then pick it up at the store to help save on shipping fees.
Stretch Out Your Spending
Financially speaking, beginning your holiday shopping early makes a lot of sense. Saving all your holiday shopping for December means you can expect to take a major hit in your budget all at once. Shopping early allows you to budget some spending month in advance. Use your designated funds for the holidays to lessen the blow on your finances during a shortened period. This will make the winter months less stressful when it comes to budgeting!
Shop with the Right Rewards Credit Card
As you start to plan your holiday shopping, consider whether you have the right credit card in your wallet to maximize each purchase. One easy way to do this is our Signature Rewards Visa Credit Card that delivers a low introductory interest rate for balance transfers, making it more affordable to pay off your existing balance and your holiday purchases. You’ll also earn points for every dollar you spend. You can redeem these points for travel rewards, merchandise, or even cash back.
By starting your shopping early with a rewards credit card, you allow yourself enough time to rack up points from your early purchases. That way, you can cash in those points to help ease the strain on your budget in December. Earning a little bit of cashback on your spending can really add up over time and help you earn big savings over the course of the holiday shopping season. Just remember to be a wise cardholder and not make extra purchases for the sake of earning points.
Start Shopping
As much as we hate those overachievers who have all their gifts bought and wrapped by Thanksgiving, we must also admit that they’re onto something. Nearly half of shoppers plan to start holiday shopping in October. They get to enjoy the bulk of the holiday season without the burden of making lists, going from store to store, and spending hours searching online retailers. They can even save a bunch of money in the process by shopping early sales and saving on shipping.
The good news, however, is that you can do all of that, too. You just have to get started.
