Newstricky| The entire world is all set to invite the baby Jesus in their hearts. With Christmas comes concern of budget as well. Though you are extremely happy to spend some quality time with your friends and family, you might go crazy about the budget on the other side. Above all the shopping list might make your heart skip a beat.
An average person spends a minimum of $ 1100 only on shopping basic essentials during Christmas. Thus the most special part of the year has and will always always have an effect on your wallet. But a little smart work will save you and your wallet from the financial crisis. Let me enumerate the ways to save yourself from drowning into debt.
Table of Contents
Work on your budget
Many people tend to spend beyond what they have to because they don’t have a proper budget or plan. So they end up buying whatever they want or wish. First and foremost step is to get your shopping list ready. Don’t include things that are unnecessary. Be selective and particular about what you add to your list. And make sure that they lie within the budget.
Saving money is more or less mandatory. Cut the expenses wherever possible. Plan on tour, dinner and other budgets. Even if you are able to save a single penny it would be great.
You can take the help of agencies that provide help on how to save your money. Some apps may also act handy. They are
- Pocket guard
- Mint
- Wally
- Every dollar and
- Good budget
Hunt for discounts
According to a survey, about 66% of the US population goes online. That is the research and prefer buying online than going for personal shopping. Remember to use the coupon codes and gift cards. During the festival season, you will have a lot of online sales happening. So check websites like
- Flipkart
- Amazon
- Shopclues
- Kohls
- Dollar stores
- Big lots etc.
Try playing games and encouraging your family to gift one another. So you don’t have to buy for everyone. Choose whom you are going to buy gifts for. Focus on your immediate friends and family and reduce it as the circle gets larger.
It’s better to go without cards. The more you pay through cash the more you will be aware of how much you spend. Sell unwanted things if you have any.
Be creative
Buy one for one offer gifts to reduce the expenses as much as possible. Rather than wrapping everything as one gift wrap them separately. Watch some YouTube tutorials and try making handicrafts by yourself. You can also gift these.
Other than that you can gift things like,
- Personalized collection of songs made by you
- Homemade cakes and cookies
- A scarf knitted by you
- Or a painting
Be cautious about parties and dinner
Don’t host unnecessary parties. Food is the major thing that we waste at each festival. So take measures to save it from wastage. There are a lot of websites like “love food hate waste” to help you work with your food wastage issues.
If possible move to salmon and duck rather than sticking on to turkey. Buy ingredients and the essentials in bulk. Buy frozen fruits and not fresh. Also, consider non packed vegetables. Use apps to get cashback offers. Make wise use of the leftovers. Look out for “try me food packets” and coupons. Keep your mind aware about the upcoming sales and offers.
Other important tips which will help you to save your money better are as follows,
- You can save on decorations by making things by yourself. Also, use the decorations used for last Christmas to save. Rather than opting for a real Christmas tree go for an artificial one.
- If you are planning on a trip during Christmas, it is better to start early. If you are traveling over a short distance go for trains.
- It is highly important that you start saving on your bills.
- When you have a family that consists of roughly 20 to 30 persons, try playing potluck and Secret Santa with them.
- A lot of us have family traditions that we follow every Christmas. You can try giving up some if possible.
- Don’t get taken away by silly tricks that the marketers play to make you buy their product. Stick on to your budget under every circumstance and know when to stop.
- Avoid credit card usage to a large extent.
- Take some time to clean your house before Christmas. So if you spot anything that is extremely old and useless sell it on eBay.
I hope that this Christmas you may gift yourself a good wallet with enough money. Christmas is a season of love and affection. Don’t let your worries about the budget ruin it. 9 out of 10 people look forward to it. So prepare yourselves to receive your gifts from Santa Clause.
