9 Ways to save money at Christmas
(or other gift-giving times)
Here are some ways to save money at Christmas or other gift giving times. During this season of the year, money is quickly spent, so I hope these ideas will help you with your shopping budget.
- Set a limit for the amount of money to spend on gifts per person and stick to it. This is good for birthdays too.
- Regift your tins. Do you have a stack of holiday food tins that are still beautiful? Bake a treat and share it in the tin as a gift.
- Email your Christmas greetings to your family and friends. I send out very few cards anymore because I email most of my Christmas greetings and newsletters.
- Reuse tissue paper and gift bags that are still in good condition. Neatly wrap the tissue and store in a container. Fold the gift bags and store with your wrapping paper.
- Buy wrapping paper and bows at the clearance sales at the end of the season.
- Don’t use bows and ribbons.
- Create your own cards if you are creative and have time. Find deals on paper by watching for sales.
- Wrap presents in newspapers. (A friend does this. She said that we only tear off the pretty paper and throw it away. That’s true. I’ve done it for my family too, but not for others outside the family. One Christmas when my husband was out of work, I covered gifts with a blanket and shared them one by one instead of wrapping them. Growing up, we hung one of our stockings—the ones we wore regularly—and my parents stuffed our socks and put our unwrapped presents by our socks. I don’t ever remember feeling cheated because I didn’t unwrap my presents.
- Shop year-round for Christmas presents. Be sure to keep record of what you bought for whom, so you don’t end up with a closet of gifts you forgot about. (My mom used to do this tip.) This is a great way to find deals at sales throughout the year.
I hope you have stress-free shopping and wrapping experiences this Christmas. How do you save money at Christmas?
4 Replies to “9 Ways to save money at Christmas”
Good ideas!
Thank you, Nancy!
I am one of those people who try to make everything *perfect* and even when I am doing it, I hate how it takes away from what Christmas is supposed to represent. On the other hand, I do enjoy bringing joy to others and special gifts that I am just as happy giving as the recipient is receiving. I try to keep $ amounts “even” and as our family has shrunk I know I probably go overboard. I can’t imagine Michelle having 5 children and now spouses, etc. to find gifts for. That has to be very hard and take away some of the “joy” of the season. It’s good you have a plan!!!
I keep money amounts even too, so as the family grows, it gets to be a bit more challenging, but I stick as close to the plan as I can. 🙂 It is true that bringing joy to others makes a person happy. Staying within the budget and not waiting to the last minute make me happy, too, so it comes down to balancing and planning. It can get tricky. I know you are thoughtful and a great blessing to many. I hope you have a merry and joyful season. Thanks for sharing, Deb.