The six tips listed below are how I keep my spending as low as possible while still giving quality Christmas presents to friends and family.
1 | Plan Ahead
One of the best ways to save money on Christmas presents is to plan ahead. Make a list of everyone that you need to buy for and start thinking of gift ideas. Once you know what you’re going to buy, you can start looking for deals. By planning ahead, you’ll have plenty of time to wait for sales or price drops. On the other hand, if you wait until last minute you’ll be stuck paying whatever the price is at that time.
Having your list done early will also allow you to think about your budget vs. what each item costs. You can quickly estimate the cost of your list and decide if it fits within your budget or if you need to think of a few cheaper ideas.
2 | Track Your Spending
Speaking of budgets, I highly recommend tracking how much money you spend on gifts. They can add up quickly and bust you budget before you even realize what you’ve spent. I track my spending on a spreadsheet, but this can easily be done on paper or whatever works best for you. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just a running total what how much money you’ve spent so far.
3 | Use Coupon Codes
Always google the shop name plus “coupon code” before checking out to see if any additional savings are available. RetailMeNot is probably the most popular coupon code site, but I like to check a few additional sites when searching.
You can also search eBay for coupon codes. Did you know that was a thing? A lot of the times you can find codes for like 20%-off for only 99 cents. Depending on how much you’re spending, that can end up saving you a lot of money. I’ve done this a few times and never had trouble with the codes, so I feel like it’s pretty legit.
Lastly, don’t forget to check the company’s social media. Sometimes companies will share coupon codes on their Facebook pages or Instagram accounts.
4 | Follow Hip2Save
Hip2Save has saved me so much money on Christmas gifts over the years. Based on the comments I’ve read over there, they’ve helped a lot of other people too. Deals are posted constantly and of course, they can expire or sell out at any time so it’s best to keep an eye on it throughout the day. If that’s not possible for your schedule, you can still check in the morning or at night and see which deals are still good. There’s usually plenty of sales still going on and lots of ways to save.
This is seriously my favorite way to buy anything from Shutterfly. They always post the codes for free items or remind you to check your email for $20 off $20 coupons sent from certain companies (like Pampers or Ibotta).
5 | Sign Up for Ebates
Ebates won’t save you money, but it will help you earn back some of the money that you spent. I forget to use it half of the time and don’t do a ton of online shopping other than Amazon, but I’ve still managed to earn $265 cash back so far. If you don’t currently have an Ebates account, you can use this link to sign up. You’ll get a $10 bonus after your first purchase! Seriously, it’s so easy to use!
6 | Points, Points, Points
First, let’s talk credit card points. I use my credit card for everything and pay it off every month. I know that system doesn’t work for everyone, but it works for me and I earn a lot of points that way. Rather than cashing them out randomly, I like to use some at the end of the year to order gift cards as stocking stuffers or use them to buy presents. Because I pay my card off every month, I don’t pay interest, so it’s pretty much free money.
Now let’s talk fuel points. Depending on where you live and what grocery store you use, you can earn fuel points for money off at the pump. For example, we’re in the Phoenix area and shop at Fry’s (aka Kroger). They give you 10 cents off per gallon for every $100 you spend. BUT, they offer 2X points on gift cards. So if you buy a $100 gift card, you’ll get 20 cents off per gallon next time you fill up (up to 35 gal). SOOOO, if you know you are going to buy gifts from a certain store, buy a gift card and earn the fuel points. Just make sure you’re actually going to spend the gift card, you don’t want to get stuck with a bunch of extra cards.
So those are my top six tips for saving money on Christmas presents. I hope you find them helpful and that they save you a bit of money this holiday season.
Do you have any other tips for saving money on Christmas presents?
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I love using Ebates and just boosted my cash back to $16 this week! I'm not familiar with Hip2Save so will definitely be checking that out now. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Ebates. Such great tips here. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYes, plan ahead and use coupon codes! Gotta brag for a sec - last week I ordered an 8x8 photo book, a 3x3 magnet, and 8 prints of different sizes from Shutterfly and only paid around $3.50 plus shipping because I had been saving coupon codes for months.
ReplyDeleteThese are great tips! I definitely try to plan ahead, but sometimes the season creeps up on me! I have been trying to only shop with deals and coupon codes, but I need to check hip2save and ebates
ReplyDeleteOK I've been hearing about Ebates EVERYWHEREEEEE, seriously I need to sign up!!!!
ReplyDeleteI am terrible at setting a Christmas budget and staying on track. I really need to plan better and use some of these resources to save money!
ReplyDeleteGreat tips and so needed during this time where it’s easy to get so caught up in the season and spend way too much! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard of Hip2Save...will definitely need to look into that. Also, couldn't agree with you more about planning ahead!
ReplyDeleteI am NOTORIOUS for over-spending at Christmas. Love these tips. I've been using Honey and Wikibuy a lot this year.
ReplyDeleteI am a clearance shopper! I get all christmas presents through the year at 50%off or more. Sometimes 90%off. Meijer is my favorite!
ReplyDelete