According to Forbes.com, the average American spends more than $1,000 on Christmas each year {$2,000 if you travel}. That’s A LOT of money if you haven’t planned for it, and can cause you to go backwards in your financial goals. Luckily for us, there are banks out there similar to Easybank who might be able to help you with set up your savings so you might be able to save up for next Christmas. Well, I have a few tips and tricks to help you save money on Christmas so that you don’t have to spend $1,000 this year.
14 Ways to Save Money on Christmas:
1. Plan Ahead.
Have money come out of your pay check each time you get paid and into a Christmas Club account or another savings account, some people decide to buy bitcoin in the hope to make a bit more money to go towards christmas presents. Some people have even looked into the idea of how to invest, in the hopes of earning more money before Christmas. We all know that this time of year can be quite stressful, especially if you are in a financially difficult situation, which is why many people want to find ways of making this easier. My husband is the financial guy in our family {yes, I realize the irony ???? }, and he has it set up to where a certain amount comes out of his paycheck into our Christmas Club Account. It is an interest bearing account, so not only do we save money for Christmas, we “make” money off of our savings from interest.
2. Cash in your rewards points from Pampers and My Coke Rewards for credits to Shutterfly.
Last year I used my Pampers Gifts to Grow points to pay for our Christmas Cards from Shutterfly. That in itself saved us around $40!
3. Cash in your points for gift cards.
You can use your points from ShopKick, Swagbucks, Opinion Outpost, and Toluna for gift cards. You can use the gift cards while Christmas shopping, or use them as Christmas gifts {$5 gift cards make great stocking stuffers}.
4. Cash out from mobile apps.
If you use mobile apps to help you save money throughout the year {like Ibotta, Checkout 51, & Shopmium}, you can “cash out” around Christmas for some extra holiday money. You can also “cash out” from your ecoupon accounts like SavingStar and Upromise for extra cash to use. This money doesn’t come out of your pocket and can help cover extra costs, or use it to help bless another family in need.
5. Make a list of who all you need to buy for and gift ideas.
This will help you stay organized and know who you have to buy for and what you plan to buy for that person. Once you have purchased a gift for them, mark the name off your list. This will keep you from overbuying. (Sign up below to get FREE Christmas Budget and Christmas Shopping List printables delivered to your inbox!)
6. Make gifts.
This may sound “old fashioned”, but seriously hand made gifts are so much more meaningful! Last year, I had my girls make ornaments for all the grandparents {we made reindeer out of their thumbprints}, and they were a HUGE hit! The best part about that gift, it literally only cost me around $4 for a box of ornaments because I already had brown paint, ribbon, ornament hooks, and a paint pen. That $4 produced SIX gifts!
7. Purchase gift certificates for less.
Sites like Groupon & LivingSocial will offer a $10 certificate to Starbucks for $5, and many other ones like that throughout the year. Use these for gifts, or to help purchase gifts. You’re saving 50% right off the top when you purchase these certificates.
8. Shop smart.
Stack coupon codes, rebates, and cash back {like from ebates} on purchases to save more money on a bigger item. Look for coupon codes to your favorite online stores here.
9. Subscribe to emails.
Many stores are offering discount codes for signing up to receive their emails to alert you of Black Friday Sales. While I realize it may not be ideal to read a “Bass Pro” email each day, the savings from the coupon code on that new rifle your husband wants could be well worth it. Alternatively you could take the more direct approach of visiting specialist coupon websites like SearchPromoCodes.com, and seeing what they have to offer in the way of discounts and money-off codes, they can help you save hundreds at times like this when every penny counts.
10. Subscribe to my email.
Each day, I look for deals to help you save the most money on your holiday expenses. I realize you don’t have time to come search this site each day, so I deliver them to your inbox so you can read them when you have a chance. Also, when you subscribe, you get FREE holiday organization printables to help you stay organized this holiday season. You can subscribe below {I don’t spam you, and I don’t sell your email address.}
11. Take advantage of free credits.
There are a lot of places who are offering $10 off a $10 order or a free $10 credit. Take advantage of those. You can use the $10 credit to Thred Up for a free wallet for a stocking stuffer (they have new items with tags that start at very low prices). Use these credits to snag some freebies to help with Christmas expenses or for gifts.
12. Take advantage of free offers.
There are some places offering a free box of goodies for a low shipping cost. These is a GREAT way to snag some gifts for super cheap. Now, keep in mind that many of these will sign you up for a subscription. So if you don’t want the subscription, you can cancel it at anytime. I, personally, did the Dr. Seuss one last year to snag some books for Sabrye for Christmas at just $0.99! This is an AWESOME price for Dr. Seuss books! I cancelled after I got my first freebie box, and had no issues. Disney Books & Julep also offer this same type of service.
13. Shop at Hollar.
If you’ve never shopped at Hollar before, you will LOVE it! Hollar offers popular toys, clothing, and home decor for prices starting at just $1.00! Shipping is FREE on your first $10 order. After that, you will get free shipping on your order totaling $25 or more.
14. Buy discounted gift cards.
Raise.com offers discounted gift cards! This means you can pay just $5.00 for a $10.00 gift card to name brand stores like Walmart, Target, and Kohl’s. This helps you save money off the top to purchase gifts.
Do you have any other tips or tricks for saving money on Christmas? I would love to hear your tips! You can pin these tips here for later.
Looking for more tips on saving money at Christmas?
- 5 Ways to Say Merry Christmas on a Budget
- Last Minute Christmas Gifts (for all budgets)
- 5 Tips for Saving Money on Black Friday Online Sales
