Wondering how to save money buying Christmas gifts this year? Stretch your dollar this holiday season with these Christmas shopping tips, perfect for those who are doing Christmas on a budget!
Christmas shopping on a budget
Ahhhh the holidays are here and we are so excited! I feel like there is so much to do, and not enough time or money to do it. Holiday shopping tends to be one of the most stressful times for me, so I try to get it done early (I knocked a lot of my shopping out on Amazon this year).
You’ll love these 10 holiday shopping tips
If you are doing Christmas on a budget like I am, you may need some ideas and ways to save during the holidays. I have done my research over the years and employ the same smart holiday shopping tactics each year, and I never go over budget! You can learn how to save money buying Christmas gifts right here with these top 10 holiday shopping tips.
How To Save Money Buying Christmas Gifts This Year
You don’t have to break the bank this Christmas to give gifts to those you care for. Here’s how to save money on holiday gifts for your loved ones.
1. Create a solid, no-fail Chrismas budget
Want to know how to save money buying Christmas gifts? This is the first and most important step you should take for smart holiday shopping. Come up with a round figure of how much you can realistically spend on holiday gifts without going broke or into a significant amount of debt. This could be $200, $350, $500, whatever. Your call.
Living within your means makes life so much easier for you, and this applies to Christmas shopping as well. It is so easy to see something you think someone would like and just buy it out of impulse. NO! Once the budget is gone, it is truly gone. This is one of the most important tips for Christmas shopping on a budget! Trust me, your family loves you and will understand that you’re on a budget.
2. Make a holiday shopping list, and check it twice
Once you have created a solid budget and know your total maximum spend dollar amount for holiday gifts, it’s time to make a list! I personally have 6 people in my family that I regularly purchase holiday gifts for, so I would divide my total dollar amount by 6. Learning how to save money buying Christmas gifts starts with a budget and a gift list, I do this and it works for me every single year!
So, if you allotted $400 for Christmas gifts and you have 8 people you need to buy Christmas presents for, the easiest way to do this is to divide $400 / 8 = $50 each, maximum. There is, of course, room to move around as you please. If you have an infant or a distant cousin on your list, maybe they won’t need the entire $50 you’ve allotted. You could then apply a little bit more to a gift for someone else who you think matters more, like your husband/wife or a very close relative.
3. Do your research and know the right prices
There are lots of different prices available for the same item, so do some quick research to see where you can get the best price. Some re-sellers mark up their items higher than the original price, so make sure you price-check the big box and specialty stores for the items you want. Now that’s smart holiday shopping!
4. Black Friday and Cyber Monday can be your friends!
I sure hope that you will take advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year – this time is one of the best Christmas shopping hacks! The discounts are always amazing and the vast majority of larger retailers participate.
I got a couple of things for the kids and I know they will be excited. There are still some lingering cyber sales available as retailers continue to compete, search the web to see what’s still available.
Here are some of the most popular Black Friday retailers:
5. Take advantage of other in-store and online deals
When Black Friday and Cyber Monday end, there are still great discounts to be found. Retailers are still in competition with each other to gain your business, so they will have discounts until Christmas Day!
Sometimes you can find special deals in-store and online, check each store’s circular to see what they’re offering at a discount. You can really learn how to save money buying Christmas gifts by finding the best deals!
6. Shop using cash-back sites
There are a few different cash-back websites that will PAY YOU for using their site to shop at your favorite retailers. eBates is one of these sites, you can shop through them at stores such as Walmart, Macy’s, Kohl’s, and more! You will get a percentage of your purchase as cashback. If you use my eBates link, you’ll get a free $10 to spend! CLICK HERE
7. Buy discounted gift cards
There are discounted gift cards available on various sites, helping you save even more money on holiday gifts. On eBay, many sellers want to offload gift cards they won’t use and sometimes sell them for a lower price than the full amount.
Also, with websites like Gift Cards, Card Pool, and Raise, you can buy gift cards for up to 35% off of retail value. These are trusted sites that buy unwanted gift cards and sell them at a lower price than face value. Combine this discount with a sale at the store and maximize your savings!
8. Start checking the holiday sale sections FIRST.
This is one of my favorite ways how to save money buying Christmas gifts. Always start with the sale section! This applies to all stores you visit and any websites you click to shop on.
Visit the clearance or sale tabs online, or check for discount racks in stores to see what you can find, you never know what gems might be hiding that are on your list! Here’s Amazon’s clearance page.
9. Stick to the script, do NOT be tempted to go over budget!
There are so many great holiday gift deals out there, and I know it can be so easy to overspend on the ones we love. Stick to your budget and do your best not to overspend! This is one of the biggest deal breakers, if you overspend, it doesn’t really matter if you stretch your dollar on your Christmas gifts – the money is long gone.
10. Large families should consider a Christmas gift exchange
We used to do this when we would visit my ex-husband’s huge family each Christmas. We literally would have 10+ adults to purchase gifts for, and that is just too much! The family decided that we would write each of our names and place them in a hat. Whoever you chose is who you would buy a gift for, that’s it!
There was a $25 maximum spend amount set, so no gift was too big or too expensive. This way, everyone receives a gift and nobody goes broke! If you’re traveling to visit family this year, check out these how to save money on holiday travel.
Christmas on a budget has never been easier, good luck with holiday shopping!
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