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American Express Holiday Shopping Challenge | $250 Gift Card Giveaway

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American Express has given me a challenge, I do believe I can complete – shop for five people on a budget. They are providing me with $250 to shop while supporting at least one Small Business as part of the Small Business Saturday Event on November 26, 2011.

I’ve also been provided with 40,000 American Express Membership Rewards points to find additional gifts or maybe a gift for myself! As a long time American Express Holder, I know these points can be redeemed for electronics, travel, and even gift cards. I rarely carry cash, as it disappears too easily, so I use my American Express card for almost every purchase, pay it off each month, and earn points on my shopping and everyday purchases.

American Express is encouraging shoppers to shop Small Business Saturday and get a $25 credit back when you register an eligible American Express Card. Then use your card for a purchase of $25 or more at a small business on November 26 to receive your statement credit. Small businesses are the heart of the economy. They are the jobs creators and mean so much to many communities.

I used the zip code finder on the Small Business Saturday Facebook page and came up with several small businesses in my area including Moser Jewelers, Pizza King, and Ace Hardware. All of these are within a five minute drive, which saves time and gas.

American Express would like to give one lucky Bargain Briana a $250 Gift Card of your choice! Next week, I’ll announce the winner and share the 5 gifts I was able to purchase with a $250.

How to Win?

Prize: $250 Gift Card of your choice

You can enter up to 4 times with the following methods:

1. Leave a comment: How do you stay within your holiday budget?

**If you are reading in an email or a feed reader, you must click over to enter this giveaway. Entries via email are not accepted.

2. Subscribe to my FREE newsletter. You must confirm your email for a valid entry. If you are already a subscriber, leave a comment letting me know you are already getting the bargains in your inbox!

3.  Become a Facebook Like of Bargain Briana.

4. Tweet the Following on Twitter:

Enter to win a $250 Gift Card + Shop Small Business Saturday via @bargainbriana

Please leave a comment for each additional entry.

Giveaway ends on November 28, 2011 at 8 a.m. EST.

Winner will be chosen by random. Be sure bargainbriana@gmail.com is in your safe sender list as you don’t want to miss the email if you are the chosen winner. U.S. Residents only. Alternate entry: Mail a postcard with the giveaway you are entering along with your name, address, and email to PO Box 14, Tipton, IN 46072.

This giveaway was sponsored  by American Express. This Post was written by me and was not edited by the sponsor. Find a static page of the giveaways you can enter here. Read more on my Disclosure Policy

Want to win a $250 Amazon.com gift card? Be sure to enter my $250 Amazon.com gift card Holiday Giveaway! Check back throughout the week for more Giveaways! Good Luck!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I start early, I make an excel spreadsheet list with what I need to by and for who I need to by for. Plan out my shopping by watching sales, using Bargain Brianna, of course! Shop on-line with free shipping and using Mr. Rebates. It’s like a game to save the most money!

  2. This year I made gift bags that included the Dec. “All You” magazine, a pair of scissors, a coupon organizer, a list of my couponing websites and some of my freebies-$1.00 items to show that you really can get good stuff for cheap by couponing. I spent a total of about $5.00 per bag and they were full. My family loved it and I have had several people ask my to help them learn how to coupon.

    I also got ornaments (I collect them and like to give them as well) at our local drug store. It is a local business and not a national chain. They always have a 75% off sale after Christmas each year, so everyone, kids included, got a nice ornament and I think for 13 ornaments or so I paid like $10.00.

    I shopped black Friday for my daughter and my fiance’s kids. We got all 4 of their Christmas items for $250.00 and it was good stuff like Wii games, ipods, jewlery, pillow pets, ect.

    I spent way less this year than ever and it was one of the BEST Christmas’s I have ever had!!

  5. i have a hard time staying on budget because there’s so many unplanned expenses. i just save all year long, just $50 a month.

  8. We stay within budget my making lists for the kids and setting our maximum spending price, only buying for family, and trying to find as many sales and deals as possible.

  9. The biggest thing I do to stay within budget is to pick up bargains throughout the year. Thank you for the giveaway!

  20. Staying within my budget is easy right now because we don’t have a whole lot and really, we just don’t spend a lot. When things are a little better, I try not to impulse buy. It’s my weakness!

  24. I stay within budget by shopping around for the best buys for gifts on my family’s holiday lists

  25. I am the CHEAPEST person alive… Doesn’t sound very becoming but it’s true – I’m thrifty! I will search and search until I find the best price on an item… We don’t have a whole heck of a lot of money during the holidays, like most other families, so it’s a struggle, but it’s so much fun! It’s almost like a game finding great deals on things, and looking @ all the latest blogs and latest deals – THAT is how I stay on my holiday budget :)

  29. I stay within my holiday budget with coupons and free deals online (already got my free holiday cards this year). Thanks for the chance to win! :)

  33. I stay in my budget just by paying with cash and realizing the spirit of the season is not about things. I just remember what’s important is being with my son – and try not to get sucked in to the rest.

  39. After Christmas, I start by saving $20 each week from our paychecks and putting it into a special envelope that I can tap into starting in November when I start the main shopping. I make a master list of people we are buying for that year and set a monetary limit for each person. I also put gift ideas next to their name. I then get separate envelopes for each person and put that amount of money in their envelope. I keep them all in my purse or my coupon binder. Since I carry them both with me at all times, I have them whenever I am shopping. It really helps to have it all planned out in advance!
    Thanks for the chance. bekki1820cb at gmail dot com

  43. I stay within my holiday budget by nixing the credit cards and operating strictly with cash. Can’t spend what I don’t have in my account!

  51. I put aside money just for presents, find out a few things each person wants and choose items that fit my budget.

  55. I tweeted Enter to win a $250 Gift Card + Shop Small Business Saturday via @bargainbriana. Twitter name JosephineLewis3

  58. I stay on budget by keeping a list of items bought on my phone and checking it often before making a purchase.

  62. I plan ahead my budget and make a list of items and their costs, go online to find best prices/deals for each item.

  65. I stay within budget by not using credit cards, and by internet shopping with a debit card instead, so I can’t go over, plus I utilize discount codes online. Thanks!!

  66. I brainstorm for each recipient and then research the heck out of prices for the items online. Sometimes I pay less than expected and sometimes a bit more, but it averages out each year.

  86. We stay within our holiday budget by utilizing coupons, and sales!
    I also try to buy things through the year and save them for the holidays so I’m not spending a big amount all at once.

  91. Tough to stay within my holiday budget! I make the list before I go out so I don’t due any impulse shopping.

  103. I stay in my holiday budget by taking advantage of sales, rebates (sending EACH one out), thrift stores, and sticking to cash only. We have learned that it is better to have a few items that we really want rather than piles of gifts that we don’t really care about. We also only buy what is on sale or reduced. We do not pay full price period.

    kalea_kane(at)yahoo(dot)com

  110. I stay on budget by shopping all year round. I especially LOVE summer time buys. I bought almost all my daughter and son’s toys for Christmas at Kmart in July this year. I got 50% off of already clearanced prices :)

  118. i don’t usually set a budget, though i try to find as many deals as possible because i hate buying things at full price

  124. I generally buy the year before so that helps. Of course all the items are when they are at the lowest prices.

  136. I don’t use a credit card. I also take advantage of all of the “free” offers I can. I just got my daughter a gymnastics tote from the Vistaprint deal…as well as some personalized labels for a stocking stuffer. For grandparents, the kids usually make something for them. This year we are being VERY frugal! :)

  140. I shop throughout the year and use contest winnings (like this) to help bring my out of pocket expense down.

    Thanks1

  146. I save up money all year long per paycheck and then once the item I want is on sale I go and buy it and put it away until Christmas! =)

  149. i keep a list of what i have bought. kids dont like it when somebody else gets 1 more present then they did.

  166. I’m on a fixed income so I’ve picked up little things here and there. I also shop goodwill and make candles and soaps for presents. It all helps with my holiday budget

  178. I stay within my holiday budget by purchasing gifts throughout the year as I see them on special through Groupon and other similar sites, as well as continually shopping store clearances. I also request wish lists from my daughters well in advance so I have plenty of time to catch items on sale. :)

  179. I plan on making lists and definitely will be doing the math using coupons and deals to ensure that I stick within my limit :)

  183. I stay or try very hard to stay on budget by staying aware of what i have bought or still need & finding where it is cheaper at. Thanks for the giveaway!

    aemgeg4 (@) yahoo (dot) com

  184. Start shopping early, price comparison, use cash-back credit cards to make the purchase (and then pay off the card).

  187. Hi and happy Thanksgiving! :) Well, there are only two people that I buy gifts for, and have limited money anyway, so it tends to be pretty easy… though I would love to get bigger things for them, even if in the end, it’s always the thought that counts… :)

    Lois

  199. I try to stay in my budget by shopping sales with coupons, thrift stores have very nice gifts and only bringing money with me that is available to me.

  203. I do my shopping all year long so I can find good deals!

    Btw, I’m really excited for small business Saturday!

  212. We give everyone a certain dollar amount we will spend on them and keep track in our “Christmas” notebook what we have bought and how much was spent on each item.

  219. I keep a very specific list and I buy a lot of my items on Amazon with gift codes I’ve earned through Swagbucks.

  226. I stay within my budget by watching the sales and using coupons with those sales whenever possible. I also follow you for the best deals around. This has helped me huge in staying within my budget!

  230. I stay in my holiday budget by saving in a savings account monthly auto-withdrawal throughout the year, then spending from my attached checking acct debit card only. This isn’t my regular checking account, I actually keep all of my “short term goal” savings in a separate bank just to keep getting that money into my regular monthly expenses checking account more difficult. I just pretend no other cards or anything exist, so if I overspend it would be an overdraft (even though the acct is protected by an overdraft line of credit so I won’t actually pay bounced check fees.

  240. I create an envelope for each person. Then I put the set spending limit in cash in the envelope. That way, I know when I’m out of cash, I’ve hit the limit!

  241. This may seem horrible, but we really limit who we shop for. I come form a large family. My mom is one of 12. I am one of 5. (add in spouses and kids and you have one big ol family) We all use to buy for everyone, but that just got out of control.. and now, we just dont! … we buy for the kids and mom…

  253. i dont stay in our holiday budget. i just hope it always works out at the end of the year and it always does.

  256. I liked Bargain Briana on facebook. I also left a comment on your wall letting you know I liked from this giveaway (Angie B.)

  257. I stay on budget during the holidays by first deciding what i can afford. Then i make a list of the people i need to buy or make gifts for and put a dollar amount next to each name. I add them up and then adjust my amounts to make sure I am within my budget. Then the key to it all is to only spend what I have on my list. Thanks for the giveaway.

  259. I have a holiday club and I set a little a side each paycheck to put in my holiday club. I also cash in my rewards for places like mypoints.com and swagbucks. I then see how much I have between my rewards and holiday club and decide how much I plan to spend on each person. I never use a credit card for Christmas.

  261. I stay in budget by getting items way on sale mainly through amazon and I don’t have a credit card, so no risk of DEBT I was pretty bad when I had one and need to fix my credit.

  262. We also have a budget…it was set weeks ago and I’ve spent the last 3 weeks scouring the internet and in stores to find the best prices for the items our family members want most. One side of my family also has a “no presents” policy, and we just go out to eat at a nice restaurant instead. It’s much more economical to spend money on 2 people’s dinner than presents for 6 adults!

  265. I stay on my holiday budget by keeping gifts out, accessible and unwrapped until very close to Christmas so that I can see exactly what I bought and I don’t over buy

  272. I stay within my holiday budget by using coupons, price comparing online, & looking to friends for deals & tips.

  273. I have stopped using credit. If I can’t pay cash for Christmas, then it looks like I am baking :) I set a limit for my kids and husband and get creative!

  277. We just try to be conservative, while also getting at least one thing that each child really wants (within reason).

  283. We make our list a few months before Christmas, so I can keep a lookout for good deals to get the presents we want.

  289. I make a list of what I need and stick to it.
    Also use coupons if the price is right and I need it.
    Thank you.
    barbara dot montyj at gmail dot com

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