If you are planning to do a little shopping online for holiday gifts this year, do not forget to look for those wonderful free shipping coupon codes!

Two sites to bookmark and check before you shop are FreeShipping.org and RetailMeNot.com. Find out which stores are offering coupons and promo codes and other special offers as well. At FreeShipping for example, you can search stores like Target to find online deals and promotion codes that you may not even know about or find anywhere else.

You can also search by category to find stores that might be offering free shipping for a specific item you want to buy.

Need money for Christmas shopping? If you are feeling blue, panicked, distraught about the gift giving season, and are stressed trying to figure out ways to get some extra money for Christmas, check out these ideas here. These are a few places online where you can trade, sell and turn your old stuff into cash, just in time for the holidays!

1. Electronics. If you have electronic gadgets you no longer need, then check out these online sites where you can maybe trade them in for a check or store gift card (even if they are broken sometimes)-

BuyMyTronics.com

YouRenew.com

BestBuyTradein.com (Best Buy)
HP.com/united-states/hho/buyback-recycle/index.html (Hewlett Packard)

Extra Tip: If you have bought a laptop, iPod or cellphone from Best Buy and still have your receipt, you can sell it back and get cash or a gift card on the spot.)

2. Clothes. You can open a free storefront and sell clothes at Smashion.com
Just upload pictures of the clothes you want to sell, write a brief description, and set your price. When something sells, you get paid via PayPal!

Extra Tip: If you have a Palto's Closet or Buffalo Exchange anywhere near you, you can take in clothes and a buyer will review them and make you an offer right then. You can walk out with cash in hand! To find out if there is a store near you, visit PlatosCloset.com and BuffaloExchange.com

3. Books. Got books--need cash? Check out these online sites where you may be able to sell those books and get some money for Christmas shopping!

 Cash4Books.net

SellBackYourBook.com

MyBookBuyer,com

Powells.com

4 . Games, DVDs and CDs.  Visit Spun.com and BuyBackMedia.com to find out how much you can get  for them. Plus, for older video games, go to G2KGames.net.

Enter the name of the item or the UPC number. You'll get a prepaid envelope or reimbursement for shipping costs, and receive a check or PayPal payment within a week or so after shipping.

5. Gift Cards. If you have any gift cards worth $25 or more, you can sell them for 60% to 90% of the value of the card. Visit SwapAGift.com, GiftCardRescue.com, PlasticJungle.com or CardPool.com.

Extra Tip: Many check-cashing stores participate with SwapAGift.com. They will pay you on the spot for gift cards. Visit SwapAGift.com/partners/find to see if there is a participating store near you!

And don't forget to check out some of our homemade gift ideas posted here!

A couple of ideas to tuck under your hat the next time you head out to spend your very hard earned money--

According to Martin Lindstrom, author of "Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy," retailers can be very tricky when it comes to getting consumers to spend more than they may have planned to.

Retailers will focus more and more of their advertising toward parents with children. Why? Because kids influence 80 percent of their parents' buying habits. So leave the kids at home when you do the shopping. According to Lindstrom, whose background is in marketing and advertising, "We do know today if you bring your kid with you into a retailer, you are likely to buy up to 30 percent more."

Make a list, says Lindstrom...get into the habit because it will pay off. And while you're at it, buy the cheapest of the product type you've put on the list. "Sticking to a list and buying the cheapest of those categories will result in 35 to 45 percent in savings," he says. If you want, reward yourself for making a list by buying one extra thing off the list. We like that idea.

Beware of the buy one item--get a free "gift" or second item--deals. Lindstrom suggests consumers ask themselves if they really need that item, regardless of the "free" offer.

Take a calculator! Simple advice that will really go a long way. A calculator at the grocery store will let you know exactly how much you are spending and prevent surprises at the check out stand.

Finally, Lindstrom suggests that changing your grocery shopping habits will help you notice prices more, and cheaper brands that are available on the shelves. "When you walk down the same supermarket aisles, it's a routine. You're not going to question the price," he says. "But if you change your path through the supermarket, you're waking up and starting to evaluate the value of everything you put in your cart."

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