I love all kinds of holidays. We all know that holidays are the most memorable events of the year. However, holidays are also expensive. We can spend all our money if we aren’t careful. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), Americans had planned to spend $998 on decorations, gifts and food in 2020. Moreover, this figure doesn’t include all the expenses that would occur during the holiday season. There is no need for us having holiday stress as long as we are prepared for the holiday season and that means having savings, perhaps using something like this SoFi credit card, https://www.sofi.com/credit-card/ to help you to boost your savings as you get closer to the holidays. So, here are five effective saving tips for holidays that we can use.
Making a Spending Budget
Before we buy anything during the holidays, I need to create a spending budget. A spending budget gives me an idea of how much I should spend. This prevents me from making purchases that I may later on regret. I can use tools to help me work out my other obligations, such as a secured loan calculator and a budget spreadsheet, to factor these into this.
One thing I always do is write a list of everybody that I want to give and allocating the money that I want to spend on that particular person. I then allocate the amount of money I want to spend on food and entertainment during the holidays. A spending budget also gives me an idea of how much I should save so that I can buy other stuff that I might need.
Knowing When to Shop
Shopping during the high peak holiday season has never been a good idea. It is ideal to shop in early November. Retailers have discounts on products during this period. The Black Friday deals also happen in November.
However, I do not wait for Black Friday deals only because there are also other deals. I always look for other deals and then set up deal alerts on my phone so that I don’t miss out on any opportunity. Different brands send out deal alerts to subscribers once a product has been put on a discount.
In this period, I also look for products that have coupon codes. A mobile app like coupon Sherpa can be used while shopping so that we can see what coupons are available on the product that we are buying.
Buy One Gift at a Time
It’s never a good idea for us to buy goods and gifts at once during the holiday. If I buy everything at once I often end up overspending and buying gifts that were not in my budget. This also means that I will buy gifts at an expensive price because I won’t be giving myself the chance to look at the discounts on different products. It is always a good idea to look at different websites or stores for multiple discount options which can help you save more money in the long run. For instance, if you would like to give something personalized for your loved one, you can visit sites similar to Mato & Hash (www.matohash.com) to explore some cool options. Or, if you would like to gift silverware – there might be offline or online stores you can look at. In short, your options are endless, and so are the discounts during the festive season!
I say this because I have found that when I buy gifts little by little I save up extra money instead of using all my money. I therefore never have any money problems the coming January.
Shopping Online
Shopping online is flexible. I can shop at any time of the day. I also get to have an opportunity of comparing different products and their prices in an easy manner. Additionally, shopping online can allow me to avail of huge discounts that are otherwise not available for products sold by land-based shops. Besides this, when I shop online, I also get to save the time and fuel that I would have used going to the store. For instance, if I were to shop for graduation regalia like diploma frames for someone, who is about to graduate, then I would perhaps look for online shops similar to Jostens on the Internet. By shopping online, I would not only be able to get the product at a lower price than I could at a land-based store, but I would be able to save fuel as well.
Also, when you can shop at online platforms like African American Expressions, you could be contributing a certain amount of money towards Church Fundraising events. If you want to do something meaningful during this holiday season, you can make use of such opportunities and give a share of your savings to the ones in need.
Preparing Homemade Gifts
During the holidays I have found that people enjoy homemade gifts more than gifts bought in the store. Since I know most of my friends and their preferences, I make gifts that are suited to their preferences. I can make edible cookies, food and even clothes. By making homemade gifts I also get to save money.
Conclusion
The holidays can be stressful if I don’t prepare well financially. Good financial planning will save me and you the stress of having no money in January. It will also enable me to live within our means during the holiday season and even save.
