Holiday Shopping Money Saving Tips

I love the Holidays, but there is one word that comes to mind every time I think of the holidays and that is “excess”. It is okay to give in to the “excess”, since this time only comes around once a year. However, it is not okay to pay all year for your holiday spending.

1. Budget + List = Happy Holiday Shopping!
Before you start your holiday shopping, sit down and figure out how much money you can afford to spend. Then make a list of people you want to buy gifts for this year. Next, based on your budget, decide how much you can spend on each person.

2. Work the Sales to Stretch Your Budget
The Holidays are a great time for sale and store promotions. You can work those sales to help stretch your budget to the max. For example: Take advantage of ‘buy one get one free’ Christmas sales to purchase toys for the children on your list. This way, you spend once, but get two gifts written off your list. Some stores offer special promotions when you buy electronics, like a free gift card with your purchase. You can buy the electronics on your Christmas shopping list, and then use the gift card to take care of another present for someone else.

3. Check Yourself Half Way There
I speak from my own experience when I say that it is easy to over buy during the Holidays. When you are doing your holiday shopping, it is easy to find something else that is not on your list, but that you know someone you love will enjoy. It is important to check back in on your list and budget to see how many gifts you’ve purchased and how much money you have spent. Otherwise, you can easily spend too much on certain people, causing you to overspend on your holiday shopping.

4. Shop All Year Long

The best way to shop for the holidays is to shop all year long. Yes, take advantage of sales and clearances throughout the year, this will help to cut down on how much money you spend on presents by a significant amount.

5. Start A Family Tradition

In the midst of all of your holiday shopping, don’t forget to take time out to spend some quality time with your family. There are a lot of fun and inexpensive activities you can do with your kids for little money and the memories will last forever. For some Christmas family time ideas and inspiration check out our Christmas craft for kids, make some Christmas Star Treats or Christmas cookies that the whole family can decorate together.

Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones!