5 Holiday Savings Tips

Good Morning Divas 🙂 I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend. I took a much needed break from all things technological and enjoyed time spent with family and friends.  And…refrained from the Black Friday shopping madness.  The highlight of my shopping weekend was stumbling upon a teapot with flowering tea balls for $5 – well, that was the ONLY purchase I made.  I’ve made a commitment this year to shop local and support small businesses and direct sale consultants for my holiday gifts.

The holiday rush is definitely upon us! There are so many deals running rampant and it is so easy to overspend even while attempting to be thrifty.

Those that shop online know that a good deal comes up quick and you have to jump on the bandwagon to ensure you don’t miss out.  However, make sure you’re not spending money just to save money – hopefully you caught that 🙂

I did a post similar to this last year and decided it was information well worth sharing and adding on to.

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5 Holiday Savings Tips

1. Create a master budget.  I have separate bank accounts for different spending. Make all your purchases out of a “gift account” that is separate from other budget items.  Do not transfer more than you have pre-planned into the account.  If the deal exceeds what’s in your account, then it is not a good deal for you.  Pass on it, but be a good friend and “gift” the information to others by passing the deal on to other family and friends.
2. Keep a list of people you have decided to shop for somewhere handy – next to your computer, on your smart phone, etc – and refer to it whenever a great deal comes up.  If it’s an awesome deal – see who you can check off your list by purchasing it.  If you can’t match it up to someone, then pass on it.
   
3. Make your own wrapping paper – reuse newspaper, sales ads, store bags, etc.
   
4. Do a family name exchange. Rather than buy for everyone, exchange names and buy for just one person.  This is especially helpful if you have a large extended family.
   
5. Homemade, sentimental gifts are great! You can do gifts in a jar, photo collages…Pinterest has tons of great ideas to implement within your holiday gift giving.