Looking for ways to save money Christmas shopping? I mean really, aren’t we all? Did you know last year the average American racked up $1000 in holiday shopping debt– each? (I.e., not household debt!) CNBC estimated that it takes Americans about 5 years to pay off each year of holiday debt. That is mind blowing! The truth is, that kind of holiday debt is simply not necessary. You can enjoy the holidays without racking up thousands of dollars in debt. Here’s how you can save money Christmas shopping and avoid unnecessary holiday debt.
HOW TO SAVE MONEY CHRISTMAS SHOPPING
PLAN AHEAD.
The best way to save money Christmas shopping is to plan ahead. Take a minute to list out all of the people you’ll need to shop for (kids, spouse/partner, parents, siblings, whoever you want to buy a gift for). Start thinking about what kinds of thing(s) you want to get them and how much they’ll cost. The extent to which you are prepared is the extent to which you’ll succeed saving money this Christmas season.
SET A BUDGET.
Another thing you’ll need to do to save money Christmas shopping is to set a budget. Take a look at your finances and figure out what you can comfortably afford. Figure out how much you want to spend on each of your loved ones and then stick to your budget when the time comes to spend. [Interested in learning how to budget? See Related: The Easiest Budgeting Method Ever]
SAVE EARLY.
Start saving for your Christmas shopping early and throughout the year. That way, when it’s time to go shopping, you have all the money you need and you won’t rack up any debt for Christmas shopping. I factor in Christmas shopping to my budget every month starting in January. I save $100 per month, that way, by December, I have a good amount of savings to spend on Christmas. It makes Christmas so much less stressful knowing that I can actually afford it.
SHOP EARLY.
In addition to saving money for Christmas early, you should start shopping for Christmas early. You can score all kinds of great deals throughout the year if you are prepared by knowing who you are shopping for and how much you intend to spend. This will also help you to feel less stressed as the holidays get near
SUBSCRIBE AND FOLLOW BRANDS ON SOCIAL MEDIA.
Tons of brands offer great deals to their followers on social media and when you subscribe to their newsletters. You may want to create an e-mail address strictly for this purpose– your coupon e-mail address, if you will. That way you can score tons of deals from your favorite brands for the holidays but your personal e-mail inbox won’t be too cluttered.
SHOP SALES.
Another great (albeit obvious) way to save money Christmas shopping is to shop sales throughout the year. Usually the best savings occur around holidays, so definitely check for deals on Black Friday, Labor Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, etc. You can also get great deals with pop up sales. That’s why it’s important to set your budget, know who you are shopping for, and start shopping early throughout the year. You’ll get the best deals!
EARN REWARDS & CASH BACK FOR ONLINE SHOPPING.
When you are prepared for Christmas shopping, it’s a lot easier to earn money back on your purchases. For example, if you do your shopping through the website Rakuten, you can earn money back on your regular purchases. All you do is sign up here (you’ll get a free $10 for signing up) and then type the website you want to shop at in the search bar on the top of their page. Then, just do the shopping you were planning to do and you’ll earn cash back on your purchase. It really is as easy as that!
Another way to earn cash back is to use the web browser extension honey. Honey will automatically apply promo codes to your shopping cart when you check out of many popular websites. That way, you don’t have to go scouring the internet to make sure you are getting the best deal. In addition, Honey will give you points for whatever you purchase which you can later turn into free gift cards. It’s amazing and also completely free to use. You can grab the free extension for your browser here. (You can also download the free app for your phone).
STOP SHOPPING.
The last and one of the most important things you can do to save money Christmdeas shopping is to STOP shopping. Give yourself a hard deadline when all of your shopping must be done and then stick to it. One of the easiest ways to overspend on Christmas is to keep shopping. It’s easy to feel like you haven’t done enough or bought enough. By giving yourself a hard deadline, you won’t give in to those feelings of guilt that will inevitably hurt your budget.
What are some of your favorite ways to save money Christmas shopping?
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Hi there! I’m Amber! And welcome to the Deeply in Debt blog where we’re offering simple solutions for big debt.
Shop Early is a huge one for us. My wife does a fantastic job of snagging items here and there throughout the year to spread out the cost of Christmas shopping. Our other favorite Christmas money-saving hack is simply buying less stuff. We’ve found that just spending time together with family is what we want most, and exchanging gifts doesn’t really add much value to the gathering. That works better in some families than others, but we’ve learned to make it work for ours. Thanks for sharing the tips!
Love that! Less can definitely be more. Thanks!