Now that the holidays have been forced down our throats with cheap egg nog and stale candy canes (do they even get stale?) I'd like to offer you some tips I've been using to save money this holiday season. In no particular order...

1. Sign up for ebates. Yes, I'm gonna whore myself out here with a self-promoting linky - but you don't need to use it (unless you really want to and remain on Sandi's good list). This cool website gives you cash back if you go through their site to access the places you normally shop at (online). For example, I love Sephora and needed some more spackle for my face. I shopped through Ebates last night and got 8% back for my purchase. It may not seem like a lot but it adds up.

2. Looking for cheap books? Check out sortfloorbooks.com. These books may have slight blemishes, black binding marks, etc., but they are priced exceptionally well. Use the code "jolly" for an additional 10% off, and if you spend over $14.99, you get free shipping. If you visit the site, be sure to plug in "sets" in the search box. They have these funky little sets you can order for a coupla bucks and they make great stocking stuffers.

3. Buy a Prime Membership through Amazon.com. It's $79, but it guarantees you free 2-day shipping or $3.99 overnight shipping for a year. I save a fortune each Christmas, by not having to pay for shipping.

4. Check out deal sites like fishingfordeals.net or slickdeals.net. They are updated several times an hour with fantastic deals and coupon codes.

5. Before you place an online order anywhere, always Google to see if you can find a coupon code. I'd say 90% of the time, you'll be able to find a small discount if not a free shipping code.

6. Select "ship to site" or "site to store" when possible. For example, I need to find three bean bags for the munchkins and found some I like at Walmart.com (2% back at Ebates). I did not want to pay $40 to have them shipped so I selected "site to store." They will arrive at my closest Walmart in a few weeks and when I'm there anyway, picking up the Easy Cheese and Spam, I can easily grab them.

7. Buy local! Avoid the shipping fees altogether and support your local businesses.

8. Go homemade - well kinda. This year I'm using my photography to create calendars, photobooks, etc. for family and friends. A really cool place with great prices for this kind of thing is Artscow.com. They are located in Hong Kong so shipping take forever. However, if you sign up for daily deals, you can get some really cool stuff with free shipping - sans the bird flu ;-).

9. Don't forget to check our your local Craig's List. You can buy, sell, trade, barter - pretty much anything!

10. When all else fails, wait for the after Christmas sales and stall. A simple, "Oh crap! I forgot your gift at home!" will save you a fortune in after Christmas sales. And yes, I speak like a woman with experience in this category. Sorry mom!

What do you do? Anything helpful we can add to this list? I'm always looking for bargain hunting ideas.