1. Designate a Notebook or Document Keep all of your loved ones names and gift ideas in one location for ideas and for when they drop hints. If you're a digital fan use a Note app like Evernote, Document or Spreadsheet to keep track or look in projects in publishing programs for printable gift lists. And if you are a traditional write-it-down kind of person, like myself, use a composition or spiral notebook to jot down ideas or a binder with pockets for saving clippings and sale fliers like the "Extreme Couponers" do to be organized if you have a large family.

2. Create A Realistic Budget Do you recall what you spent last year? Will you spend more or less than last year? Planning ahead can save big money and help you avoid running up last minute credit card balances. Save some cash every week and only use it for your gift items and keep a tally of spending. Save credit cards for special incentives like exclusive discounts and special offers or as a plan for a larger purchase to pay off over time.

3. Use A Gift Registry Many times people don't know what to get someone for a gift or buy the wrong size or color, etc..., but if your family uses an online Holiday Gift List and pre-selects items of their choice in varying departments and price ranges, it can help loved ones pick out just the right gift. Gift Registries can be emailed or shared with a private link or made public so that shoppers can simply search for a name in the site database. Use a site like Shop.com that has One Cart checkout for multiple stores and services in one registry or MA's EZ Cart for the Partner Store listings. This service can be a great convenience for people that have distant family members whom can't visit in person to give their gift or teens that are hard to shop for.

4. Do Comparison Shopping Online Today many of the top e-Commerce sites are search engines for products by brand, model and other details with sales to get the best deal on a specific item. The search on Market America has results that show how many stores offer that item then show a breakdown of prices, free shipping offers, and cash back values so that shoppers can make the best choice. Hot Deals and Coupon Codes can change daily so be sure to sign up for Deal Alerts if available like on Shop.com. Never miss a deal by registering online at your favorite store websites to get emails on private or early sales for their customers. Use BlackFriday.com & CyberMondaySpecials to track upcoming early bird sales.

5. Get Paid To Shop That's right, selectively purchases those gifts with cash back incentives so that they accrue toward rebates and cash outs. Getting cash back is the big buzz in marketing for enticing consumers these days but mostly for using certain credit cards. What about cash back from websites like Market America and Shop.com plus the savings from coupons and holiday sales?! Bing discontinued their cash back program back in 2010 and Google had Checkout, both of which failed to generate enough interest or revenue, while MA's program for Preferred Customers is growing strong with 3,500 stores and is the only site to get Wal-mart to participate seasonally in the cash back program. The MA cash back program also pays customers for friends to shop with email invites as an added incentive for loyal shoppers to earn more. Know any Shopaholics to refer?

6. Use Smartphone Apps For Finding Deals Find a killer app for deal shopping via your mobile phone for in-store shopping savings and special offers. Sometimes a store will accept seeing an email or code on a cell phone toward checkout savings and new apps like the MA Mobile App found easily on iTunes or app marketplace can give the MA consumer the latest deal on the item with a bar code scan but also show any cash back that will accrue toward their account. The scanned item would be purchased via the mobile app and either delivered home or picked up at the store if they offer that for instant gratification.

7. Give an eGift Not sure what to get someone but you would rather not just send a generic giftcard? Try putting together an eGift with several options for the recipient that you select to present to them by email. They choose the one they like best and then you are charged for the item which then ships out to the gift recipient.

Lastly, if you use a cash back site but check with other sites for extra coupon codes or offers, make sure to check out via the original cash back link to ensure proper credit. Sometimes I will open several windows to a site I'm logged into to get that code from somewhere else but then update or re-open my original window link to see it's the same as the new one with the offer. For example I was able to get a shipping discount and add emailed coupon codes and use reward points toward my total all in one transaction while also earning cash back from the original site link. 

Be a savvy shopper to save more money this year by using discount codes and cash back for purchases and have fun shopping online!