Everyone gets tempted to go on spending sprees during the holiday season. Sales are on in stores and it is the gifting season and you have so many parties to attend. You want to go shopping, buy gifts and clothes at the discounted sales. There are so many opportunities to spend! All this has a negative impact on your bank balance. How do you save in such a scenario?
The good news is that if you plan ahead, you can save and have a meaningful and enjoyable holiday season as well. Tell yourself it is not a rule that you spend tons of money to enjoy the festive season. The right mind set will go a long way to helping you to economize and enjoy your holiday season.
Cash Saving Tips
* Set aside cash especially for the season spending. You can start months ahead and stash some money away for your festivities. This will at least help reduce your spending to some extent.
* Make lists of gifts, buys, expenses to organize your spending. Against each item write the approximate amount you intend to spend. When you make lists, you have a preview of how much your expense will amount to and it will control impulse buys.
* You can get great bargains online. Best deals are on during holiday season and you can benefit with special offers and discounts. Buy gifts in bulk to get discounted offers. You could shop at discount store rather than at malls as the prices at discount store are much lower. The same items would cost you more at malls.
* Minimize your use of your credit card. If you must use it, use special offers of zero annual percentage rates on purchases for 12 months. Use cash or debit cards to buy gifts and other expenses as much as possible so that you get control over your spending.
Food, Decorations, And Gift Wrapping
You can save money by creating your own Christmas cards, decorations, and gift wrapping. Using card paper, metallic cords, ribbons, and glue, you can get creative and make cards with a personal touch. Similarly, you can make homemade decorations for the festive season. It is eco-friendly to recycle paper and old cards and use it for Christmas cards and gift wrapping. Fabric, cardboard boxes, embellished paper, colored ribbons, strings, and paper can help save the money spent on cards, decorations, and gift wrap.
Eating food at home and preparing special festive food at home can reduce your expenses on buying expensive food. Pot luck is a great idea if you are having a party. Each guest could get a dish and you all can enjoy delicious homemade food. Another idea is to stock up on food items on sales.
Festive time is a great time for enjoying yourself with your family and friends. You can enjoy without going all out spending a lot of money. Family and friends gatherings with games, singing carols, taking a drive around town, or even watching a film together is fun and entertaining. Additionally, you will feel good knowing that you have saved and not gone over the top on spending your resources.