While Jesus will always have the ultimate card on saving for Christmas, pressure to spend during the holiday season can cause stress. You can use these 6 tips for saving money at Christmastime to get more bang for your buck without the headache. Let’s look at a few ways to save our coins, spend less, and still celebrate with loved ones this year.
1. Upcycle
Upcycling is creating something new from discarded materials by repairing or repurposing them into something cooler than the original. In this case, what you need for Christmas presents isn’t always at the store or coming from Amazon. They’re in your kitchen, closet, or garage!
Find old things laying around the house and give them new life. Yarn becomes mittens or pot stickers for the kitchen. Single socks that lost their mate in the dryer become quilts, bigger gloves, or a stocking for the fireplace, if not the Christmas tree. Salsa and pasta sauce jars make for great candleholders or cookie jars. Add the dry ingredients and attach a recipe with a bow—instant present. Need Christmas labels? Try those coloring books! Hand-paint them, or print them off your computer.
Upcycling may mean spending less money, but a bit more time. Dollar store upcycling is trending for good reason. With a little effort, you can create replicas of expensive, high end items using products from the dollar store. Get inspired by following #dollartreeDIY on any social media site. Get ready to have your mind blown with inspiration. You’ll believe you can do anything with a hot glue gun and Christ who gives you strength! (And you can!)
Amazingly, recycled clothes which no longer fit or have use can also become great gifts. That’s right, hand-me-downs. But, can we change the name? Your old clothes can truly be a “hand up” for someone in need (or want) of them. Especially if you take care to preserve your threads. Consider allowing a relative to shop your closet. Clean the clothes your children have outgrown by taking them to a cleaning service. They usually have an onsite seamstress who can fix any small tears or dangling strings. Then, wrap them nicely and give them to younger kids in your family who could give the clothes new personality.
2. Shop Early
Alternatively, if you need to venture outside, don’t wait until the end of the year. Many people start Christmas shopping in October when price gouging is already in effect. Get ahead by Christmas shopping as early as January. When you see something for a loved one, purchase it immediately, or plan to get it within two weeks of the time you saw it. Stores will actually hold a product for you anywhere from five days to two weeks during the year. In some stores, you may be asked to pay a 5% holding fee. Later, you can return back and buy the product. You don’t have to wait to do the layaway program in September or October. This approach will significantly decrease the anxiety and stress from trying to purchase presents at the last minute each year. Plus, it saves you money by decreasing your impulse buying.
3. Rewards & Coupons
Don’t overlook money-saving benefits from your bank. Most banks and credit unions offer rewards programs that provide discounts for shopping with certain merchants. Your bank may also have a rewards points program in which you earn points for simply swiping your debit card. The points typically expire within a 12 month calendar year from the time you earn them. You can trade those points for merchandise or gift cards, which in themselves can be presents for your loved ones. Check with your bank or credit union today. Even CashApp users have access to discounts through their boosts feature.
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4. Check Your Bank
Another option for saving money at Christmastime is a Christmas Savings account from your bank or credit union. This type of account allows you to deposit money throughout the year, but you cannot withdraw any funds until it’s time for Christmas buying. The account is locked! You can automatically deposit a predetermined amount from your paycheck or make deposits in the amount of each present you want to purchase later in the year. If you select the latter, make sure to include taxes in the deposit amount to give you some cushion once you begin shopping.
5. Comparing Prices
One store may claim they have the lowest prices but that doesn’t make it true. Open multiple tabs in your web browser and compare. A tab for Walmart, Amazon, and Overstock could save you significantly. Amazon has this feature built into their website. Simply scroll down to the product’s specifications and find the option to compare the product with other Amazon Sellers offering the same or similar item.
Honey is a built-in coupon finder that will automatically apply the best coupon available so that you get the best price. Simply install the browser add-on which will check for coupons while you shop online.
6. Buy in Bulk
Remember when you were younger and grandma gave each child a stocking full of fruits and peppermints? You can do the same with any items you use. Sam’s Club and Costco to the rescue! Buying in bulk helps when you have multiple people to give to such as organizations, your co-workers, the local homeless shelter, or for your family Christmas dinner. One 24-pack of something becomes presents for 24 people, and you only paid one low price. Package it with Christmas decor, and voila! You have just created your signature present for this year.
These ideas will help you with saving money at Christmastime so you can better enjoy family and our freedom because of the gift God gave us in Jesus Christ. Eliminate impulse buying and last-minute shopping. Replace those stressful habits with utilizing the things you are already blessed with. You are creating something new with those you love!
Shawnee Eskridge is a believer, wife, and mother. She resides in Memphis, TN where she works as a faith-based clinical therapist, autism advocate, podcaster, and blog writer. Shawnee also volunteers as a peer support specialist for needhim.org, helping people come to know and understand Christ daily. When not writing, Shawnee enjoys date nights with her husband, painting and dancing with her daughters, meditating, and reading.
