3 Ways to Save Money This Holiday Season

November 23, 2018

Whether its a Christmas gift, a friend flying in from out of town, or a few extra pounds, the holiday season is full of surprises. One thing that doesn’t come as a surprise is how expensive it can get. This year, Kindy’s has put together a guide that includes 3 ways to save money this holiday season.

1. Don’t Pay Retail Price

Outlet stores and coupons are your best friend during the holidays. The biggest drawback to coupons is you might forget to take them with you, especially on a hectic holiday shopping trip. But with Snip Snap, you’ll never forget a coupon. Snip Snap is, “the first app to scan, save, and redeem printed coupons on your mobile phone. Prepare to save some serious moolah.”

Outlet stores like Kindy’s Outlet and outlet malls are also a great way to save. Get factory direct prices, which can save you up to 70% off retail. These outlet stores have excess inventory that they couldn’t sell to retailers. Basically they ordered too much from the factory! Use this outlet mall search tool from outletmall.com to find outlet malls that can save you big bucks.

2. Gift Exchange

In this economy, more people are switching to alternative gift exchanges. Of course, we all have loved ones who we enjoy buying gifts for but we also buy gifts for people just in case they buy you something. Depending on the size of your family, that can get pricey!

Call up the family and suggest doing a Secret Santa or White Elephant exchange. It’s more fun and you can get creative with gifts. You’re also more likely to end up with one item you actually want that someone carefully bought for you instead of a bunch of small things you might not like.

Have kids? No problem. You can still switch it up a bit. Suggest to the adults in your family to spend their money on the kids instead of on you. After all, Santa can only carry so many toys in his bag.

3. Make Something. Go Somewhere.

Host a dinner party, take your parents out on Friday night, offer to babysit for your sister. There are many ways to give that don’t require buying. Some things are also fairly easy to make and look beautiful. Like this vintage ornament wreath made of old christmas ornaments, hot glue, string and wire hanger. It just takes 30 minutes and it costs under $5.

It’s not only cheaper to make something, but it’s much more rewarding than simply swiping a credit card. Use Pinterest to search for holiday decorating ideas and fun recipes you can make as gifts for friends and family during the holidays.

Think you’re not crafty enough? YouTube also has some great How-To’s that can teach you how to make pretty much anything.

 

Bottom line: You can save yourself a lot of stress and money by setting a budget and sticking to it. If Santa can do it, so can you! Merry Christmas!