8 Super Tips To Save Money on Thanksgiving and Christmas
Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner, and although we welcome their yearly arrival, and the food, family, and friends that typically fill us with joy, we’d like to offer you a few tips to help keep your pocketbook full as well. Gifts, family meetings, dinners and travel, all play a part in draining our pocket books. And don’t even get me started on Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping.
With that being said, here are a few ways to save money this Holiday Season:
Plan Your Budget and Stick to It
Recognizing your budget, and knowing what you are going to spend (and not straying from this amount) is the most important step. Determine what you spent last year and use this as a baseline estimate. You can then plan up or down from there depending on circumstances. For example, will you travel the same distance, expect the same company, plan for dinner etc…Then you should make a list based on priorities and determine what is really worth spending your hard earned money on.
Use Envelopes to Help You to Organize Your Budget and Save
Envelopes are a very simple way to plan and organize your aforementioned list. You can quite literally have a back-of-the envelope budget for Thanksgiving, and one for Christmas. Simply write the amount you estimate spending on each item (be it food, travel, gifts etc…) and you will then have a much better handle on the actual amount needed in order to stick to your budget. Having a firm number in mind lets you know exactly how much you’ll spend (and save)
Save on Thanksgiving Dinner
Hosting Thanksgiving dinner? It actually makes sense to buy your food last minute. If you can buy your turkey even one day (or better yet the same day), you will find dramatically lower prices. Surveys show that ornaments, food, decorations, gifts etc…are cheaper as the actual holiday approaches. Also try not to overspend by buying too much. Typically, our natural instinct is to overspend on food and ancillary items. Besides, you can always stock up on more items if need be.
Black Friday is Not The Best Day to Save Money
Contrary to popular belief, unless you’re one of the poor souls camping out all night in order to
Secure that awesome deal on a new flat screen TV, Black Friday doesn’t necessarily offer the best prices. In reality, you can find as good prices online on Cyber Monday or even throughout the week as retailers will be heavily discounting their items over several days, if not weeks.
– December 11th-15th is the ideal time to buy computer electronics
– Toys and the Clothes tend to be cheaper in December, specifically on December 15th.
– The best day to buy televisions is usually on December 18th.
Saves Money Without Losing the Christmas Spirit
We all love Christmas lights, but the expense on a power bill can be real. Avoid these extra expenses by decorating in vivid colors, using lamps, or even candles to create the same effect.
However, if lights are a must, you can opt for laser lights. Basically, these allow you to project lights and Christmas-themed images throughout your home at a fraction of the price.
Use Apps to Help Find and Take Advantage of Discounts
Download the applications from the stores that you have in mind. You can receive coupons and information about discounts directly from them that might not be available in store. Most apps also have “price matching” features that allow for comparison across the web, ensuring that they will match the price of any other competitor in order to win the sale.
A few recommended apps and websites include:
-Blackfriday.com, Tgiblackfriday.
– Ibotta.com & Ebates for immediate discounts and coupons on all your favorite stores
– Gift cards take the hassle out of potential returns when you guess (wrongly) about the perfect gift. Put the power in the receiver’s hands by giving them the flexibility to choose their own gift at the chosen store. Try the apps giftcardgranny.com & Ebates to start with.
Are You Going to Travel? Keep the Following Tips in Mind:
The best days to travel are the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as the flights are much more economical, and explains that if you travel, bring light luggage or a travel bag only. This will allow you to take advantage of flights that charge up to 50% less!
Hope that the aforementioned tips were helpful. This season, make sure that your wallet stays full as you enjoy the Holidays so that you will have 1 less New Year’s Resolution to be mindful of. Happy Holidays!
George Diaz writes at personal finance site Sobredinero.com
