By: Samantha Borchard

Christmas, that wonderful holiday where for some of us spend the two months prior living in malls trying to find those special gifts for our loved ones. You know the routine, cutting those coupons for hours in order to save money and time, only to walk from store to store going through sales racks and shelves trying to get any deal we can. The time of coupon cutting and mall camping is a thing of the past. This is the twenty-first century and thanks to technological advances, we can do everything at the touch of a button.

The first solution is not really news to many of you tech savvy students, in fact you’ve probably been doing this already, but for those who aren’t, this could help make shopping much easier. Online shopping is the quickest way to go from store to store and pick a gift for everyone on your list in a matter of minutes without even having to leave your bedroom. Many online shops even offer free and expedited shipping for those last minute shoppers.

If you’re a frugal shopper like me, you try to find a deal wherever you can. This is where Retail Me Not comes in handy. Retail Me Not is a wonderful website and App that posts coupons available for all of your favorite stores. These coupons come in printed versions and online codes so you can choose either form of shopping.

Another popular app is Groupon. Groupon is also available as a website and app for your phone that offers the deal-of-the-day as well as discounts for many companies. This site comes in handy when you are thinking of buying gift certificates as gifts for certain locations.

My favorite shopping site is Zoomingo. This site is much like Groupon in which you can access special deals, this site ideal since you can customize which stores you want to see deals for. You start by picking your favorite stores from a list based around your current location, next you pick items you want to see deals for, such as handbags, shoes, men’s clothing, etc. This app is your own personal shopping database to make your Christmas shopping a piece of cake.

So on your next shopping extravaganza, leave those days of worry and coupon cutouts behind you and remember to stock your phone up with those free apps and you’re ready to go! Happy shopping!