The holidays are around the corner, and with them, comes a set of headaches people want to avoid. Those headaches stem from the money you have to spend and maybe not knowing what to buy, but that’s a different issue. The following are five ways you can save money while shopping for the holidays.
1. Starting Early
One thing you can do to save money during the holidays is to simply stop shopping around that time. A lot of people wait until the holidays get here to do their shopping, which isn’t a good idea. Retailers know that you’re waiting until the last minute. By that time, the need is too great, and you can’t wait for a good deal.
All you can do is accept the prices you see in front of you. Don’t put yourself in that position. Start your holiday shopping early on before anyone is thinking about holiday shopping. You’ll find that prices are reasonable if you start doing your shopping early. Plus, you can space out your purchases, which helps soften the blow.
2. Discount Hunting
Shopping early isn’t the only thing that’ll help you save money. You can also start to hunt for discounts. Every store offers discounts at some point. Maybe it’ll be a coupon, rebate, or a sale. The point is that they all do it, and you have to be ready when they show up.
The only problem is hunting for them. This part can take a while if you don’t know where to look. You can follow the stores you like on social media. They usually post discounts there. You can also sign up for a company’s newsletter. Stores like Walmart make things easy for you. Walmart rebates are readily available online if you look for them. Most of the time, you get rebates for great things, which should make holiday shopping feel better.
3. Set a Budget
Sometimes, the only reason people overspend during the holidays is that they haven’t set a budget. You want to set a budget for the holidays and stick to it. A good way to ensure this is to use a prepaid debit card or only use cash.
You’re going to see all sorts of things you could buy for loved ones, but resist splurging as best you can. If you stick to your budget, you’ll see that you’re saving money, which is the goal. The reason most people dread the holidays is that they spend too much. With a budget, you won’t have that headache because the holidays should be a happy time.
4. Naughty and Nice Lists
Maybe some people you know don’t deserve a gift. It might sound harsh to withhold a gift, but it promotes good behavior and shows that there are consequences for every action.
You can create a list of people who were naughty this year and a list of nice people. Shop for just the nice people and skip the others. This may help you save a lot of money. If you feel a little strange about doing this, you can announce that you’re doing this beforehand so that no one is surprised when they don’t get a gift. You can also make it a joke to soften the blow a bit.
5. Used and Reused
There’s no shame in going to a thrift store, pawnshop, or maybe an antique store. Sometimes, you can find special things in these types of stores, especially if people in your family love unique things. Go ahead and search these places to find unique gifts for your loved ones.
You’ll feel like you’re on a treasure hunt looking for gifts. Finding something good in these stores takes time though, so be sure to give yourself time by starting your shopping as early as possible as mentioned earlier. Sometimes, these places even have things that are still in the box or look virtually new, so just keep looking until you get lucky.
Now, you know what you can do to shop and save during the holidays. Most of these steps are easy to take, and they’re more than worth it to avoid dealing with that holiday headache this year.
