How to Plan for Diwali Shopping

As the festive season approaches, it is time to start making shopping plans for Diwali. If you are working somewhere, you will likely be juggling between work, family, and social commitments. In that case, you might find it even harder if you leave the shopping part for the last moment.

To make your life easy, we’ve come up with this handy guide to help you plan your Diwali shopping.

Tips to make your shopping fun and stress-free

1. Create a budget to avoid last-minute surprises

While the festive season calls for some pampering, creating a budget can help you avoid stress. For example, you can allocate a rough budget for various categories such as clothing, gifts, decorations, and any big purchases you plan to make. Many e-commerce platforms as well as offline stores will be running great discounts and offers that you might find hard to resist. You can look up videos by various tech influencers to get more specific tips on best pricing during the festive season to make sure you are on time for the best deals.

2. Make a shopping list

We Indians love splurging on our families during Diwali. Creating budgets and shopping lists might seem like a very unusual practise. However, it would only do you good to be more prepared for the shopping season. Start with essentials such decorations, apparel, firecrackers, and gifts for friends and family, and then move on to bigger items like home appliances, furniture, etc.

ALSO READ: 6 Reasons Why Credit Cards Are Preferred for Online Shopping

3. Wishlist items

While both online and offline stores offer their own advantages, there is no doubt that getting deals and discounts is much more convenient when shopping online. Especially when it comes to apparel and home appliances, it is smart if you wishlist items and track their price so you don’t have to spend time exploring stuff at the last moment.

4. Explore multiple ways to save money

When it comes to shopping, saving a bit on the MRP never hurts. So even if you don’t find discounts on the item itself, you can look out for other ways to save money on it. For example, if you know you will be buying things from Amazon, you can purchase a giftcard on OneCard that offers 5% valueback*. Some credit cards also offer special discounts if you shop via a unique link associated with your credit card account. Exploring these alternative ways to save money will require you to go through your email inbox or keep a watch on the offer notifications you get on your app.

*Offers and discounts may vary with time. Please check your OneCard app for the latest information.

5. Track your expenses

As you start shopping, keep track of your spending and check off items on your shopping list so you have clear visibility of your remaining budget. If you are a OneCard user, you can also set up your monthly budgets and analyse your spending according to categories or even merchants.

6. Start early

A lot of people start their Diwali shopping as early as September. They like to take their time to explore and find the best options out there. Early shoppers also generally try to avoid the crowded markets that one can witness as we approach Diwali.

Final Words

Doing some smart research and planning ahead of time can help you save a lot of money and make shopping less stressful. We hope you have more fun shopping with your friends and family this Diwali season!