“Procrastinator” is such an ugly word. You’re not a procrastinator; you’re just busy, and you let a few people fall through the cracks and now you’re scrambling to find last-minute gifts. It’s okay! I’ve been there!
You don’t want to fight the crowds at the mall and Walmart and who could blame you? Long lines at the register, picked-over selection, and gas prices are through the roof so all that driving and sitting in traffic will cost you money as well as time.
Why put yourself through all that when you can STILL get gifts online and get rewarded for it?
Here are some of my suggestions for gifts you can order online in time for Christmas:
1. Magazine Subscriptions. They’re cheap, cheap, cheap when you buy them online and they’re a gift the recipient will enjoy year-round. If you order one they already subscribe to, they can make a simple phone call to customer service and tack on the new subscription to the end of their existing one. Magazines.com gives you an option to print a card letting the recipient know they’ll be receiving a gift subscription, or they’ll let you send a free e-card announcement. BestDealMagazines has better prices overall but they don’t do gift announcements — you’ll have to come up with your own. NetMagazines and ValueMags have an option to send the gift recipient a postcard announcement of their gift subscription but it may not arrive before Christmas so you may want to create your own.
Specific ideas:
Magazines.com has 22 issues of Parenting for $4.97, 12 issues of Money for $14.95, and 52 issues of Soap Opera Digest for $27.97. Use code holidaymags for $5 off certain titles (see site for details) and get 35% cash back from Jellyfish.com!
BestDealMagazines has over 120 annual subscriptions for $4.69 including Car and Driver, Guideposts, Nintendo Power, and Sporting News. Get an extra 15% off most titles with code PXCJ1223, plus get 10% cash back from Ebates, MrRebates, or QuickRewards!
NetMagazines has a coupon code for $5 off a $20 order: DC222 and you can earn 20% cash back from Extrabux or a 25.5% rebate (toward a US Savings Bond) from BondRewards. They have a Take 5 for $30 ($25 after the coupon) is a best-seller: choose 5 subscriptions from a list of over 50 magazines and you can send each one to a different recipient if you’d like. Titles include Family Fun, Official XBox Magazine, Field & Stream, Road and Track, and more!
ValueMags has Beadwork for $24.95, PopStar for $19.99, and Smart Money for $15. Get 25% cash back from Ebates or FatWallet.
These are just some gift ideas; each store sells lots of magazine subscriptions, just dig around for deals!
2. BlueNile.com. These guys sell jewelry with free overnight shipping and most orders ship the same day (even if engraving is required). Sterling silver engraveable charms start at $30 and pendants at $40. Other ideas include money clips, key chains, and watches. They sell beautiful gemstone jewelry like amethyst and topaz, plus pearls, and don’t forget the diamonds — diamond earrings start at $225!
Get 5% cash back on BlueNile purchases through FatWallet or a 4.25% rebate toward a US Savings Bond from BondRewards!
3. Zappos.com. Shoes, clothes, bags, and accessories, and free overnight shipping! Order as late as Sunday at 4pm Eastern to receive it on Christmas Eve! Need to return it? Shipping’s free on returns, too, AND they have a 110% lowest price guarantee! They sell the popular Heelys skate shoes, Uggs, watches, sunglasses, and jewelry, too.
Earn 8% cash back at Zappos through QuickRewards, or get a 10.2% rebate toward US Savings Bonds from BondRewards!
4. Fossil. As mentioned below, Fossil is Ebates’ double-rebate merchant of the day today, with 16% cash back on purchases. You can order through noon central time tomorrow for free shipping and receive your order by Christmas Eve. If you don’t have time to shop today to get the 16% through Ebates, go through FatWallet tomorrow for 12% cash back.
5. Shoebuy.com. Like Zappos, Shoebuy offers free overnight shipping, free return shipping if required, and no sales tax. Almost 1500 items ship the same day you order them, meaning you can order as late as 4pm Eastern on Friday to receive it on Christmas Eve. In addition to shoes, they sell clothes, bags, and accessories. They have a total of 938 items for under 50 bucks that ship for free the same day you order!
Earn 20% cash back by shopping through Jellyfish, 15% through Extrabux, or get a 14.45% rebate toward a US Savings Bond through BondRewards.
6. Flowers and Gifts from Florists. Shipping won’t be free, but it won’t cost any more than their usual rates if you order today or tomorrow. Shipping depends on the item but budget for around $16. The good news is that there are some good coupons available for florists like FTD. Ebates offers 12% cash back on FTD purchases plus they have a link to click through for an extra 15% off your order.
7. RedEnvelope.com. Use your Mastercard to pay for your purchase and enter code LASTCHANCE for free 2-day shipping (today’s the last day)! Lots of great gift ideas including jewelry and gadgets. Get 6% cash back from Ebates or a 6.8% rebate toward a US Savings Bond from BondRewards!
8. OfficeDepot.com. They offer free next-business day delivery on $50+ orders placed before 5pm local time. They have some good gifts including leather binders, lamps, pens, and more. They sell batteries, too! You can earn between 1 and 3% cash back by going through a rewards program but the exact amount depends on the type of item that you buy (less for technology items, more for office supplies).
These are just a few ideas for those of you still working on finishing off your Christmas shopping. Hope it helps!
