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• 7 ways to shop smart and save money this holiday season

The current financial pressures and a lack of confidence in the economy will force shoppers to be very conservative with their holiday spending this year. The National Retail Foundation is projecting that holiday sales will rise 2.2 percent this year to $470.4 billion. This gain falls well below the 10-year average of a 4.4 percent holiday sales growth and represents the slowest growth since 2002, when holiday sales rose 1.3 percent.

If holiday shopping has you worried about pinching pennies, it’s time to get smart about your shopping. Here are some ways to save cash during the upcoming holidays:

1. Brave Black Friday. Take advantage of the day-after-Thanksgiving sales, and you can actually save money. People often start at 5 a.m. and wait in long lines to receive freebies, discounts and deals. With a little strategy, you can plan which gifts to buy in advance by reading sales advertisements on Thanksgiving. Preparation is a must to tackle the craziness of the crowds. Carefully check opening times for stores, and watch for the fine print regarding popular items, such as “while supplies last” or “available to first 100 customers only.”

Tip: Pair up with a bargain-minded buddy. While people jump — sometimes literally — on the hottest items, your smart-shopping pal can hit one end of the store while you are at another. Then you can swap limited-quantity items and double your deals.

2. Shop late, too! The smartest of shoppers ditch all the stress of Black Friday and pick up their presents the day after Christmas. Although the lines will be long with returns, nearly everything is marked down in price. So avoid the customer service chaos, head to the last-minute clearance sales and buy a quick gift for a friend you have yet to see. There is no predicting what the economy will be like tomorrow, let alone next holiday season, so be a savvy shopper, take advantage of the deals and buy for next year, too.

Tip: Those snowflake sweaters and Santa slippers may not have quite the same appeal when they’re tossed in a clearance pile in January.

3. Save time and transportation money by shopping early online. Heard of Cyber Monday? If you are not fearless enough for Black Friday, the Monday after Thanksgiving is the Internet equivalent. Avoid the crowds, and shop online instead. Lots of stores offer discounts that are exclusively for online shoppers, many with free shipping, too. Also, you don’t have to wait for Thanksgiving to start holiday shopping, so get your gift list together, and surf the net early to find the best buys. Many e-tailers offer free or discounted shipping, which may seem like an extra expense, but with the current gas prices, the cost of shipping can even out when you end up driving from store to store to snag those hard-to-find items.

Tip: A great way to pay for online items is through PayPal. It offers discounts to shoppers several times during the year, including the month of December.

4. Use up those forgotten store credits and old gift cards. For your last birthday, did Grandpa give you a gift certificate to a store he shops at himself? This is a perfect way to re-gift. Use up a gift card to a store you may not shop in to buy for someone else. If you have some forgotten store credit for a few returned items, this is a simple way to reduce your gift-buying, money-spending budget.

Tip: Consider giving the gift card back to Grandpa. He may not remember anyhow.

5. Sign up to receive e-mails from your favorite stores. These e-mails allow you to use online-only discounts not available to in-store shoppers. You can surf the Web or sign up to receive e-mails while in the store. Check out this secret weapon: www.bargainist.com. This Web site lists the best online shopping deals and claims to make you “go broke saving money.” The Bargainist digs up discounts for you on thousands of everyday items. Begin searching Bargainist as early as October when online holiday deals start.

Tip: Not a good idea for a spam-hater; expect to receive at least two e-mails per week from stores during December.

6. Get your friends together for a Secret Santa gift exchange. Why buy seven gifts for friends when you can just buy one? This is a cost-efficient way to include everyone but still save money. Write down all participants’ names, and let each person draw a name. Set a budget for each gift; this can range as low as $5 to as much as $50. Besides only having to buy one gift, the fun part of this money-saving method is no one knows who is getting or giving what. As the holidays approach, gather all friends together for a gift exchange, bring some holiday treats and let the gift-giving begin.

Tip: Make sure your friends can keep a secret.

7. What is the quickest way to save a buck? Do NOT shop for yourself. Last holiday season, the average shopper spent $99 on gifts for themselves. This can be hard when you hit the dollar deals and the BOGO steals, but think twice when you see that lust-worthy item at a good price because taking yourself off your shopping list is the first and fastest way to save you some money.

Tip: Remember: Saving money on your holiday gift-giving list just might be the best gift you can give yourself.