Let’s state the obvious: the holidays are freakin’ expensive and a little stressful. As much as I love lounging around in my thermal PJs listening to Micheal Buble’s Christmas album and sipping a hot toddy, Christmas can be stressful. And even worse than general holiday stress, it’s a pretty expensive time of year. But luckily there are loads of ways to save money on holiday shopping.
While you’re inevitably going to spend some money on Christmas, you don’t have to go into debt showing your loved ones they mean something to you (or proving you’re the hostess with the mostest). I came up with 5 ways you can save a little money this holiday season.
1 | Be organized + stick to a budget.
Make a list of everyone you need to buy for and what you’ll get them, or at least a general guideline of what you’ll get them. And decide on a spending limit. It’s fair to give your immediate family a higher spending limit than your friends, so don’t feel bad. Gifting should be about the sentiment and meaning, not the dollar amount anyway. Taking these steps will ensure you stay within budget and don’t flip the f*ck out because you realized you forgot something on Christmas Eve.
2 | Try to gift secondhand goods.
I find thrifting clothes for other people to be difficult unless I’m 100% sure of their style and preferences, but home wares and accessories are easy to purchase as gifts, and inexpensive, too! Take a peek at the glassware and art shelves. I always find great whiskey decanters, glass sets, and baskets. I also frequently find amazing coffee table books, catch-all trays, and other home decor pieces.
3 | Opt for a secret Santa strategy.
Rather than buying multiple gifts, organizing a white elephant, secret Santa, gift exchange situation can allow you to buy less and have a ton of fun. Traditional gift exchanges will let you buy for one specific person and receive one gift. Or you could go a different and little more savage route with dirty Santa exchanges. Generally you buy a gift that can be enjoyed be a lot of different people and exchange as usual, with a twist. Sometimes there’s a rhyme that will tell you where to pass your gift, or sometimes you blatantly take the gift you’d rather have. These tend to be so fun and warrant quite a few laughs.
Personally I have opted for a Secret Santa stich in the past. I’m still able to gift something incredibly thoughtful without having to dish out money for every single person in a group.
4 | Go homemade.
Maybe you’re trying to gift in a non-materialistic way, you don’t know what to get someone, or are strapped for cash but have a stocked pantry. Homemade baked goods could make for an amazing gift, especially if it’s a favorite of the recipient. Personally, I see a homemade gift as time taken, spent on me, and that is something special.
5 | Utilize cashback site + rewards cards.
Personally, I think it’s silly to shop without using cashback sites, like Rakuten (formerly Ebates,) or utilizing rewards credit cards. Rakuten teams up with stores to offer cashback on your purchases and features tons of stores you already shop with — including Sephora, Target, Amazon, and more! The percentages differ from time to time, but even small percentages add up over time. And it’s totally legit and FREE. Get a $10 bonus with your first purchase by following this link. I also get a small commission, but feel free to go straight to their site if you’d prefer.
On the other hand, if you have a credit card that offers rewards like cashback or points that can be redeemed for gifts or even airline perks, you should use them to do your holiday shopping. I don’t encourage using them as a way to spend more than you can afford. But when you pay off your balance in full every month, using your credit cards can be a great way to rack up extra cashback and monetary perks.
Do you have any tips you use to save money on holiday shopping? I’d love to know them, because this girl is ballin’ on a budget this year!
You may also enjoy these holiday gift guides:
Best saving tip I have is start your shopping in August.
That way you have 2 options; get it done early to enjoy the season, or use it as a way to buy here and there instead of all at once to help you stay on budget.
Plus all the toy companies release their “hot toys” list in the first week of August.
That is usually what I do, but I am seriously slacking this year! I still haven’t gotten anything…..
-Jacqie