It’s that crazy, fun, festive time of the year. Everyone’s out and about searching for the perfect gift to give their loved ones. Do you find this time of year to be relaxing and enjoyable or stressful and overwhelming? If you answered the latter, is it because you are wondering where the money will come from when buying all of these gifts? Well… you are not alone! I am here to give you some easy and practical tips so that you can save money this holiday season. Let the stress-free shopping begin!
1. Ebates.com
If you are an online shopper, this website is now your new best friend. You will get cold hard cash back for shopping at some of your favorite stores, including Kohls, Amazon, Macys, Groupon, Ebay, to name a few. They give back up to 8% on purchases! It’s awesome!
2. Using coupons
Coupons really do help you save money! Save coupons from the Sunday paper or ones that come in the mail such as Bed Bath & Beyond or Buy Buy Baby. They can come in handy now! Or if you are more tech-savvy, you can use digital coupons. My favorite is the app SnipSnap. Always check for a coupon before paying. Chances are, there will be one available!
3. Shop the sales
Take advantage of those Black Friday deals! Most stores advertise their sales a few days early or can be found online the week before. Also take advantage of the free shipping offered on Black Friday or Cyber Monday.
4. Write a list and stick to it
This will keep you accountable and on target. Remember the goal is to save money.
5. Start holiday shopping early
This way you aren’t rushing last minute and buying a gift that wasn’t thought through or was a rushed decision. But don’t buy too early or you can miss out on the good holiday sales.
6. Create a Christmas budget
Write out a list of whom you need to buy for and how much money you have to spend. Allocate a certain amount of money to each person that fits within your budget. Now make into a game/challenge: to get the best deal for that amount. If you spent under what you allotted, that’s more money in your pocket. (PS: Who said Christmas shopping can’t be fun)
7. Order holiday cards early
Prices tend to go up around Christmas. Shutterfly and other online sites tend to do discounts in October that you can take advantage of. If you are a Kohl’s credit card customer, every year around this time you will get a $20 free gift to Shutterfly. I use this to buy our cards or a personalized calendar for my mom!
8. Sign up for ShopKicks
This is one of my favorite mobile apps. You get free cash for walking into stores. Some stores allow you to scan items for extra points. This app really does work, believe me!
9. Use cash back credit cards
My husband and I use credit cards where we get back rewards. One of our cards gives us flight miles and the other card we have gives us back cash! Every few months we cash it in and do something fun! (Side note: if you have credit cards, make sure to pay them off every month in full)
10. Buy wrapping paper and gift wrap at the end of the season
I always buy gift-wrapping supplies after the holidays because they go on clearance. Buy them later and save them for next year! It will save you around 70%.
11. Cluster shop
Buy multiple things from one place. If you see that multiple items on your Christmas list can be purchased from the same place, order them all at once. This way you can take advantage of free shipping or sales such as $25 off $100 or more.
12. Cash back deals
Kohls is famous for this one! I love when they have their “for every $50 spent you get back $10” sales. These deals are great for big buys, such as Kitchen Aids or top appliances because you can get $60+ back. You can use this money to knock off the rest of your list!
13. FREE MONEY
If you budget on a 4 week schedule; use your fifth week paycheck as free cash! My husband and I have a budget based on 4 weeks so we take our last “free” paycheck and designate it to Christmas! This happens 4-5 times a year when there are 5 weeks that fall within the month. Score!
14. Use Groupon
Groupon has some great deals. They list items or deals that are up to 70% off. Sometimes, I get a little addicted. Speaking of, I just ordered two items off it tonight! Whoops…
15. Don’t go into debt
Did I have to go there? Of course I did! I’m the money guru after all 😉 But seriously, only buy what you have the money to buy! Everyone’s budget is different. Make the most of what you got! Remember it’s not about the money; it’s about the heart behind it.
Did you actually make it down to the end? Did I babble on too long? Haha, maybe so… but I hope you found these 15 tips to be helpful! I really do think that you will have a fun, easy and affordable Christmas shopping experience this year! Happy Holidays, everyone!
This post was first seen here on Society Letters.
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