This time of year most of us are thinking about the hustle and bustle of the quickly approaching holiday season. Decorations, family time, and the gifts that are to be given to our loved ones. Now I am sure that like myself, you also think about how to cut corners here and there when making those gift giving decisions in order to save money. I try my hardest each year not to go into debt while showing my family that they are loved and thought about throughout the year. There are 4 extremely important things to remember when you are trying to save money on gifts during the holidays....
1.) Plan ahead and save both money and time:
1.) Plan gift-giving well in advance. I utilize a gift box for year round shopping and taking advantage of sales and coupons with additional discounts. That will give you time to decide on the most thoughtful gifts, which are usually not the most expensive ones. And if these gifts are products that must be purchased, you will have the opportunity to look for sales and save yourself some money. I have 3 18 gallon storage bins that I use to store the gifts I get for my friends and family all year. You can give yourself a budget each month for buying gifts for each of the special people in your life.
2.) Set up a specific date to discuss with your family an appropriate amount to spend on each person. These limits not only tend to reduce expenditures and the purchasing of unnecessary last minute items; they are also greatly appreciated by the least affluent of my family members. Socialize at a pot-luck rather than at restaurant and go over options that will work for your family. During the holidays we all want to show our loved ones the appreciation we have for the. It's kind to want to be generous to friends and family it makes ones heart swell, however we don't want it to cause a Grinch in our wallet. Drawing names during September for your holiday gift giving is a great way to leave months for finding that perfect gift for a special someone. You can also plan on gifting to a your siblings family as a whole- a family game or fruit basket, maybe even a membership to the local zoo for the entire family.
3.) Make from the heart save from your wallet:
3.) Like most of us, I love to give gifts, I also love to hand make them- what I love to do more is to save money on said gifts. I make scarves, with discounted yarn mind you. I search yard sales for fabric scraps and make fun creations and keepsakes with them with my children so that way they can give gifts to family members as well. Consider writing letters or making handmade cards rather than purchasing them. A thoughtful letters truly is priceless and can be read many years after it was received. Creative mom and blogger Julia at Everyday Mom Ideas has great ideas on how to stick to a budget (under $10) and get kids involved in the gift giving tradition. These are fun and easy ways to showers loved ones with presents and also continue to pinch pennies.
4.) Make your list and check it twice:
4.) It's an all too familiar a tale- it's the last few days before the holiday, you're busy wrapping up the last of the presents and you realize you have FORGOTTEN a family member or that you never went back to that store to get that perfect gift you saw for them and now you have to forge the crowds and spend more money than you wanted to on a random gift. Overspending is all too easy to do during the holidays. I have found it to be most helpful to make a list thus allowing me to keep track of what I have spent and on whom I have spent it. Keeping a list of the gifts that have been purchased for each family member aides in keeping to a budget and not spending more than you intended at the last minute.
I assure you that implementing these ideas will save you some serious holiday cash. Try even 1 this year prior to the next holiday season coming into light and see how much you can save.
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