Tis' the season to spend money but when it comes to shelling out money to for presents, food, decorations, wrapping paper, tape, we tend to feel a little less jolly about the whole thing. There are ways to savings during Christmas time though and I would like to give you some tips as a present today so here I go.
Making a list, checking it twice
Certain people have not been nice during the year but let's leave the corporate heads of big bank companies out of this. I'm talking about the people you're thinking about getting presents. I usually spend the Christmas season with my immediate family - Mom, Step dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Brothers, & Sisters so anyone outside my circle wont necessarily receive a present from me but I will cut my list short to the people I celebrate it with. So with that being said, I have about 11 people to shop for. My point here is that it is okay to shop for people outside your circle like Co-workers and distant cousins, but try sticking to the people who have always been there for you.
Shop Ahead, Stay Ahead
Time frames are extremely important when it comes to shopping for presents for the ones you love. Retail and grocery stores recognize the sense of urgency during the holiday season and take advantage by rising their prices because they know very well that you will be more willing to shell out a few pennies here and a few extra dollars there. So, when it comes to shopping, try getting through this task during the year but months before the season whenever possible. The best time to shop for holiday decorations and wrapping paper is on the first week after Christmas as these items are discounted in price to make room for their non-season items in the store.
Food
We all get together and eat Turkey, Ham, or whatever food your family wishes during Christmas time. We could stay creative by making a pot luck with the family. It makes for great conversations, recipe swapping, time-saving and for the sake of this topic, saving money!
Wrapping
So I went to my local retail store with the big red bulls eye as a logo and I found that their gift bags cost anywhere between $0.49 - $4.99 depending on what size gift bag you get. I never really factored in the cost of wrapping into the equation of holiday shopping but I was amazed that it would cost me $5 to wrap my little brothers gift. Since I was there to pick up some other items, I skipped the gift bags and went to my local dollar store and was amazed again to find a range of gift bags - from small to large - for $1 each!! They had very nice looking ones for Christmas and I paid $5 to conceal 5 whole gifts instead of one gift for the same price.
You can also go a step further by using those white boxes they give away at retail stores or ask if they have any boxes they are throwing away. If you are using gift bags, ask for these to be returned back to you so you can use them for next year or other occasions. The worst investment I think I could make is buying wrapping paper - it takes so much time, tape and you can't really re-use the torn paper for next year.
Ask For Presents That Save You Money
I have a prepaid cellphone and I thought that I would ask everyone in my family to get me a prepaid card to load onto my account. If they do, I would save $50 for the next 2 months! Someone in my family asked for hair clippers and I thought I would get them that gift since it was affordable to buy but the savings would be greater throughout the years.
So there you go, a couple of tips on how to save a little dough during Christmas! I wish you and your family a happy holiday!
Making a list, checking it twice
Certain people have not been nice during the year but let's leave the corporate heads of big bank companies out of this. I'm talking about the people you're thinking about getting presents. I usually spend the Christmas season with my immediate family - Mom, Step dad, Grandma, Grandpa, Brothers, & Sisters so anyone outside my circle wont necessarily receive a present from me but I will cut my list short to the people I celebrate it with. So with that being said, I have about 11 people to shop for. My point here is that it is okay to shop for people outside your circle like Co-workers and distant cousins, but try sticking to the people who have always been there for you.
Shop Ahead, Stay Ahead
Time frames are extremely important when it comes to shopping for presents for the ones you love. Retail and grocery stores recognize the sense of urgency during the holiday season and take advantage by rising their prices because they know very well that you will be more willing to shell out a few pennies here and a few extra dollars there. So, when it comes to shopping, try getting through this task during the year but months before the season whenever possible. The best time to shop for holiday decorations and wrapping paper is on the first week after Christmas as these items are discounted in price to make room for their non-season items in the store.
Food
We all get together and eat Turkey, Ham, or whatever food your family wishes during Christmas time. We could stay creative by making a pot luck with the family. It makes for great conversations, recipe swapping, time-saving and for the sake of this topic, saving money!
Wrapping
So I went to my local retail store with the big red bulls eye as a logo and I found that their gift bags cost anywhere between $0.49 - $4.99 depending on what size gift bag you get. I never really factored in the cost of wrapping into the equation of holiday shopping but I was amazed that it would cost me $5 to wrap my little brothers gift. Since I was there to pick up some other items, I skipped the gift bags and went to my local dollar store and was amazed again to find a range of gift bags - from small to large - for $1 each!! They had very nice looking ones for Christmas and I paid $5 to conceal 5 whole gifts instead of one gift for the same price.
You can also go a step further by using those white boxes they give away at retail stores or ask if they have any boxes they are throwing away. If you are using gift bags, ask for these to be returned back to you so you can use them for next year or other occasions. The worst investment I think I could make is buying wrapping paper - it takes so much time, tape and you can't really re-use the torn paper for next year.
Ask For Presents That Save You Money
I have a prepaid cellphone and I thought that I would ask everyone in my family to get me a prepaid card to load onto my account. If they do, I would save $50 for the next 2 months! Someone in my family asked for hair clippers and I thought I would get them that gift since it was affordable to buy but the savings would be greater throughout the years.
So there you go, a couple of tips on how to save a little dough during Christmas! I wish you and your family a happy holiday!
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