Holiday Shopping Blues: Save Some Cash

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My mom used to start her Christmas shopping in August. She would start asking me for the things that I wanted for Christmas as early as July. I thought she was crazy, but I tell you, she knew where to find good deals. It would get to Black Friday and there’d only be one or two things she would need… which after I turned 16 I would get sent to get while she worked. Needless to say, I turned out the same way. I started bothering my friends for what they wanted as early as September or August.

But, holiday shopping is stressful for some people. People have a horrible tendency to overspend, go beyond their budgets, get angry and frustrated cause there’s too many people in the store, and a million other things.  How do I reduce the stress? What can I do to make the experience more pleasant?

Today, I’m going to share with you some money-saving tips to help you get ready for holiday shopping. On Friday, I’m going to continue this with some tips for reducing the stressfulness that holiday shopping can bring. So, stay tuned for that as well.

-          Outlets are awesome. I live in an area where there are several outlet centers within an hour radius of me. This is a wonderful thing, because I have access to huge discounts, especially if I hit them at just the right time. Outlets offer bargains that you can’t get in normal stores.

-          Subscribe to email newsletters. I’m a huge fan of utilizing the internet to find out information. Most major stores offer email updates where you can learn about their sales and such ahead of time so that you can figure out who has the best deals and when.

-          Don’t be afraid of warehouse club stores. Sam’s Club and other stores like it are great for finding sweet deals. Yes, you have to pay for a membership, but the money that you have the potential of saving yearly is totally worth it. They have almost everything that you could ever want to find in them, and usually at prices that make you feel like you’re committing robbery.

-          Be Creative and Crafty. If you are talented, then you can use your talent to make inexpensive gifts for your family and friends. One of the best gifts that I ever received was the gift that I got from my best friend for being the maid of honor in her wedding; one of our favorite things to do was cook together, so she put together a cookbook of all of the recipes that we liked and made together throughout college. Remember, the sentimental value far outweighs any price tag you can put on something, especially if it’s well done. Another way to keep cost down is to invite friends over for dinner and make something that they like; the quality time that you spend together is invaluable, and you have to eat anyway, so why not eat with someone else?

-          Keep to your budget. This is so hard for so many people. In my family, my brother and I were allowed to pick a “big gift” that had a certain price cap, and then the rest had to be smaller gifts. Some people suggest that you make a list of everyone you’re buying for and put a certain price cap on them, when you’ve hit that cap, cross them off of the list so you’re not tempted to buy more for them.

-          Large family? I didn’t have one, but my friends who do have bigger families just usually did a secret Santa or something similar. Put names in a hat, you buy a gift within a certain price range for that person, and then you’re done. Simple, inexpensive, and no one is ending up with 20 pairs of socks just because no one knows what to buy them.

Saving money is important, especially during the holiday season where we can get carried away with our expressions of love for the people in our lives. Be smart, have fun, and save some cash along the way.

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