Get your Christmas shopping sorted. (Without leaving the house).

By JO ABI

Christmas shopping is not for the faint-hearted. It takes commando precision. It takes the organisation of a Navy Seal. It takes meticulous planning and efficiency so that the following mission objectives can be achieved:

– All gifts purchased

– Money left in the bank

– General happiness from recipients on the day

– A couple of treats for you, purchased with money saved

Christmas cheer

And all you need to achieve these objectives are some brilliant websites and a safe way to pay for purchases, like a Cash Passport (the prepaid MasterCard) which lets you pay in foreign currency to save money on fees, charges and exchange costs on foreign websites. It’s also not connected to your credit card or bank accounts for peace of mind.

You don’t want your credit details compromised. That would qualify as a mission failure and must be avoided at all costs.

Just as an FYI, you should know that this post is sponsored by Cash Passport Prepaid MasterCard®. But all opinions expressed by the author are 100% authentic and written in their own words. 

I’ve found the best websites for Christmas shopping are:

1. eBay.com.

eBay is equally awesome if you know exactly what to buy, or you have no idea at all and just want to get some ideas. The world of eBay has saved me thousands of dollars over the years, and given me millions of gift ideas.

For Christmas shopping so far I have searched for ‘iPods’, ‘Fisher Price’ and ‘Pedometer’ and I am now feeling pretty inspired.

2. Apple Store.

Apple is really competitive and they tend to have really great prices for brand new devices, so I ended up here looking for the kid’s iPods and found some great deals. Plus, they have such an incredible range of accessories.

This is a great site when you are shopping for people who are difficult to buy for because the accessories on offer are absolutely amazing and it’s reassuring to get them from Apple itself.

 3. Groupon.

I’ve only recently become a Groupon devotee and I am slightly obsessed with all the discount vouchers you can purchase. I found discount vouchers for Toys‘R‘Us which I can either use to buy Christmas gifts or give AS Christmas gifts – how perfect is that?

Groupon is a perfect first step before you visit any site because you never know what deals they have and how much you can save.

 4. Hello Kitty World.

My daughter’s name is Caterina which we shortened to Cat and then transformed into Kitty Cat, which means she has decided that Hello Kitty products are the best things in the entire world, (and which also makes her easy to buy for).

But no matter who you are buying for, Hello Kitty is a perfect gift for all young girls and anyone with a derivative of the name Kitty/Cat/Caterina/Katina. Don’t forget, you could also pay in Pounds to extract some extra savings using your Cash Passport mentioned above.

5. Cosmetic America.

I’m not sure why but buying cosmetics from overseas just makes me feel more glamorous. I know I can probably get most of it at my local department store, but finding a parking space is easier said than done.

So Cosmetic America is where I head now for not only brilliant products but awesome prices. And I love me some discount cosmetics. You can save money when buying Christmas presents for others (and then grab something for yourself too).

6. Asos.com.

Some people shy away from buying clothes as gifts but I have a handful of women who are close to me who I know well enough to buy clothes for. And if they don’t like what I choose for them, they are more than welcome to give them to me.

Asos is the best site to go for clothes and accessories and if you place an order now, you can include a fab outfit for yourself for Christmas Day.

7. Amazon.

Amazon is the only website my loved ones need for me for Christmas. I love books, book packages, I love re-reading my favourite books or getting them in better condition. And of course it helps that Amazon now sells so much more.

Need a new electronic device for reading books? Head to Amazon. And don’t forget the gift card option. When I buy people coupons or vouchers or gift cards I always wrap it up with a big box of chocolates. To me, there is no present more perfect than this.

8. LEGO.

LEGO is a forever gift. It suits all ages, it suits boys and girls and it lasts for so long. When archaeologists do digs in the year 3000, they will find a lot of LEGO and all of our LEGO creations.

LEGO is a perfect Christmas gift for the kids and the official LEGO website has absolutely everything in stock so you don’t have to search various locations for specific varieties – like when my son wanted LEGO FARMYARD for his birthday and it took me two weeks to find a shop that stocked it.

 What are your favourite sites for Christmas shopping?

For some inspiration, here’s the most popular Christmas gifts from over the past 50 years…

Cash Passport is a great way to save when shopping on overseas sites. It’s a prepaid MasterCard^® that lets you load money at locked in exchange rates*. This means you can pay in local currency on overseas sites, so there’s no need to convert your money to Australian dollars – helping you avoid extra currency and transaction fees*.

Plus if you load $200 (AUD equivalent in foreign currency) onto your card before 31 December we’ll add a bonus $10 to your account. Simply use the code MM10 when you apply.*

Visit cashpassport.com.au to find out more and purchase your card.

* T&Cs apply, visit www.cashpassport.com.au for full details. Bonus $10 will be applied to your account within 30 days after loading $200 AUD equivalent on a new Cash Passport Prepaid MasterCard. Offer available to the first 500 customers using code MM10 until the 31^st December 2015.