A good way to save money is to start planning ahead for next Christmas now. How can you do that? Well, there are many ways and I'm not very good at them, but the times that I've done some of them, I've been much more relaxed about the holidays. This year I'm going to have a grandbaby to shop for and I plan to spoil that little one! LOL. So my goal this year is to start now. Here's my plan:
1. Make a list of who I need to buy for and put it in my purse. Also put on there the gift exchanges I need to buy for.
2. Start watching sales for items to fit the people/exchanges on my list. As I purchase gifts, write down the gifts on the list (and write down where I put them, lol).
3. When possible, use coupons/gift cards to help pay for the costs of the gifts. There are many programs out there that can help you do that. Gift Hulk and Swagbucks are both rewards programs where you earn points and can redeem them for gift cards. These can be saved throughout the year and used to buy gifts for Christmas. Another thing I used this year was Staples Rewards. As I mentioned in a post earlier this week, I earn Staples Rewards coupons when I turn in ink cartridges. You can also earn them on items you purchase in the store. I had bought some batteries (that I needed anyway) that were 100% back in Staples Rewards and when I got that coupon, I took it in there and used it to help buy some Christmas gifts. I also used a Sears automotive card I got. It was a $25 off $25 or more purchase, but could only be used in the automotive department at Sears. I could have used it for the repair shop, an oil change, etc. I chose to use it to buy some things in the automotive department.
How do you plan for the holidays? Please share your thoughts in the comment section!
Oh and keep in mind, this can be a great time of year to stock up on gift items, many of those items are marked down after Christmas!
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