The holidays are pretty much here and if you’re in denial, just think that Black Friday is only a few weeks away.
Yup, the biggest holiday shopping season of the year is near. With that being said, you don’t have to go bankrupt buying gifts for everyone on your shopping list. Instead, let’s talk about Ways to Save Money During The Holidays and avoid unwanted debt.
Ways to Save Money During The Holidays
Saving money during the holidays seems almost impossible.
After all, how exactly are you supposed to save money while shopping for everyone in your family, your neighbors, best friends, the mail carrier, etc. etc.
The task of saving seems daunting but don’t stress – there are some surefire ways you can get all of that holiday shopping done and still save money.
#1: Make a list and check it twice.
Here’s the thing, if you go in blind shopping you will ALWAYS overspend. Go into shopping this holiday season with a game plan. Make a list of everyone you are buying for, how much you want to spend, and any gift ideas you have for that person.
Doing so, will help you avoid overspending or buying unnecessary gifts. Stick to the list!!
#2. Set a budget.
I briefly talked about it above but you want to set an overall budget for holiday spending and most importantly, stick to it.
The holidays is a time when it’s easy to justify overspending because after all, they are great deals, right? While that may be true, you never want to end the year with insane amount of debt just because something was “cheap” or inexpensive during the holidays.
Set a budget and avoid going over that amount. You can readjust your budget as needed but always know your spending limit.
#3: Take advantage of retail sales.
We all know that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are two of the biggest shopping days of the entire year. Why? Because these are the days when retailers lower prices and offer insane discounts and incentives for shopping with them.
These days are a great time to take advantage of sales but did you know that retailers typically offer Black Friday prices even before Black Friday? It’s true!
Take your list and spend a few minutes each day online at major retailers like Walmart, Target, and Amazon browsing their sites for items on your list. You’d be surprised how often you’ll find a Black Friday price early!
#4: When it doubt, use the internet to find discounts.
The internet is a beautiful and useful tool and sometimes we forget how to use it properly.
At any given time, you can search for the best deal on those hot holiday gifts by visiting sites you know offer discount codes and do all the hard work for you.
For example, Sello is a site where you can discover fresh products, connect with new merchants and find the hottest discount codes with the Sello marketplace. This not only saves you money, but it saves you time. Time during the holidays already seems scarce so utilizing tools like Sello can help you get holiday shopping done while saving time and money!
#5: Save the receipts!
Okay, I cannot tell you how many times I’ve personally purchased a gift thinking I got the best deal on it only to find that same item on an even better deal a week later. That is where your receipts will come in handy!
Most retailers offer a 30-day return policy where you can return an item and repurchase it. Some even allow you to bring back your receipt for a price adjustment as long as it’s within that time period. Both will save you money and save your sanity during the holidays.
Pro tip: Create a holiday envelope where you store all your receipts in a safe place just in case they are needed!
I hope some of these tips will help you save money during the holidays. As always, comment below if you have any additional ideas!