Christmas shopping tips to keep you under budget
By Christmas Elf. Filed in Budget-friendly shopping |
For those celebrating Christmas, we all know that December is the most expensive month of the year. It’s a time when most of us overspend on presents, wrapping paper, entertainment and food since we’re spending a lot of our time with family and friends enjoying the holidays. And make no mistake the Christmas season is a jolly good time for laughter and cheer – the only small problem is when January rolls around and the laughter and cheer fall flat as we moan over astronomical credit card bills and empty budgets.
Make a new Christmas resolution and don’t let this happen to you any more! Follow my budget-friendly tips and you’re guaranteed to keep your Christmas costs down this season. Some of the tips work best after this holiday season, but if you follow them, you’ll definitely be ahead the game on savings for next Christmas!
**Christmas Elf’s budget-friendly tips:**
1. Write a list of all the people to whom you intend to give Christmas presents. Keep this list reasonable (I personally keep it to close friends and family); it’s okay not to give gifts to everyone. Next, write down the maximum amount you’re willing to spend on each person. This gives you a good idea of how much you’ll be spending on gifts total. Adjust until you’re comfortable with the expenditure and most importantly keep to the budget as you’re shopping.
2. A good way to make sure you don’t overspend is to leave your credit cards and checks at home. Bring only the specified amount you’re willing to spend in cash to your shopping trip.
3. So avoid credit cards at all costs. They’re too much of a temptation to overspend.
4. See if you can swap tangible gift exchanges with friends in favor of spending quality time together instead. For example, make a date for tea and you can each bring refreshments or special treats. This gives you time to talk and really show how much your friendship means.
5. Keep a closet of small assorted gifts collected during sales throughout the year. This stash can be used for Secret Santa or White Elephant gift exchanges. It prevents you from running out last minute to grab these gifts, likely paying more than you need to. You’ll have all your future holiday parties covered.
6. Spread out your gift buying throughout the year. Keep your eyes open for good gifts that can be purchased on sale. Also gift wrapping and cards are vastly reduced in January and can be used for years to come. This is a great time to snag these items.
7. Or you can go minimalistic with gift wrapping paper which racks up a surprisingly considerable cost. Buy a roll of inexpensive brown paper and then decorate with stamps, paint, drawings, etc. There’s something special about receiving a brown paper package wrapped up with string.
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Tags: gift wrapping, gifts, homemade
