The holiday season brings family, good times, and good food. But it can also mean crowded malls, fighting for gifts, and empty wallets. Every year, we spend a fortune on Christmas gifts, and pay the price in the following months. Here are some useful tips that can help you save some money on gifts this year.
Start early.
The earlier the better. Buy gifts throughout the year and keep them in a gift closet (or shelf, box, chest, cabinet what ever works for you). Watch for sales all year round. Many stores have after-holiday mark downs, and you can get some gifts for the next year really cheap. Buying in advance also spreads the money you will be spending out over a longer period of time, so you are not broke at the end of the year.
Lookout for Sales
As it gets closer to the holidays, keep your eye open for sales. Check the newspapers for store circulars and compare prices on the things you want to buy. If you are willing to wake up early and fight a crowd, head out on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. Many stores put our great deals and open at dawn for shoppers. In more recent years, online stores have done Cyber Monday, where prices are dropped the Monday after Thanksgiving.
Compare prices Online
You can also compare your local prices to those online. Check sites such as amazon.com, overstock.com, buy.com, pricegrabber.com, and shopzilla.com for good deals. Check for current coupon codes on cheap-buys.com. Buy.com coupons can save you from $10 to $15, that’s not bad at all. Mybargainbuddy.com lists sites with free shipping and also lists coupon codes. Subscribe to newsletters for your favorite brands, so you will alerted to sales and special discounts.
Purchase Gift Wrap Early
As far as wrapping the gifts, purchases supplies early. Gift bags, gift wrap, tissue paper, and ribbon get marked down after the holidays. You can also look for solid colors to use throughout the year for birthday and other non-holiday gifts.
Reuse Things Around the Home
Or instead of buying wrapping supplies you can reuse things around your home, such as brown paper bags and newspapers. You can take junk mail and old magazine pages and shred them to make gift bag and box fillers.
Plan some Frugal Gift Ideas
In addition to looking out for sales, you can plan some frugal gift ideas. Visit a dollar store, and pick up some picture frames or mugs. You can fill these with pictures of your kids, yourself, depending on who you intend to give it to. Fill mugs with homemade treats or hot chocolate packets. You can wrap either of these really nicely to make a nice gift.
Make your own Gift Baskets
Gift baskets are another frugal gift. Purchase empty baskets at a thrift store or a dollar store. You can fill these up with anything you wish, perhaps making a theme out of them. For families, you can do a movie night gift basket. Include a gift card for a movie, some popcorn, and assorted movie treats. Or perhaps make a snowman kit for a family with children. Fill up the basket with things you can get from a dollar store; a fleece scarf, a black hat, fake carrot noses. You can also add in a packet or two of hot chocolate.
You can also make gift baskets for individuals. Fill a small gift basket with makeup or hair supplies for a teenaged girl. You can find stuff at dollar stores or on sale at drug stores.
Another way to save some money on gifts is to make them instead of buying them. If you are crafty, you can make a number of gifts. Handmade scarves, hats, mittens, sweaters, socks, and blankets can all my knitted or crocheted. With sewing skills, you can make just about anything. Some good ideas are tote bags, cosmetic purses, reusable shopping bags, blankets, and clothes. For someone that likes to cook, you can make a chef apron, a gathering apron, or dish rags. You can hand make hair bows, tutus, or felt play food for little girls. For a little boy, you can make a super hero cape or a pair dragon wings. For younger children, you can make fabric clutch balls, stuffed animals, soft sole shoes, or wooden peg toys. Other ideas are crayons melted down and molded into shapes, bean bags, homemade play dough and homemade paints.
If you are better at cooking and baking than crafting, you can make homemade jams, cookies, jerky, caramels, and a number of other treats as gifts. If you have your own garden, you can make homemade salsa.
The holidays are a time where many people spend a ton of money and run up their credit card balances. Luckily, gift giving can be done frugally. Plan ahead, look out for sales and cheap items, and make what you can yourself.