Tips For Christmas Shopping On A Budget
The holidays are quickly approaching, and I have some great tips for Christmas shopping on a budget. It’s not too late to get in on the good deals that are out there when it comes to Christmas shopping.
We all want to give our kids a great Christmas without breaking the bank in the process. Don’t add to the stress by getting yourself into debt to buy Christmas gifts. Think outside of the box and you just might find exactly what you’re looking for.
We were always pretty lucky growing up when it came to Christmas. It was my favorite time of year, and not just because of the gifts. Like many people, I always enjoyed going to grandma’s house and getting together with family we hadn’t seen in a while.
Laying under the tree, looking up at the lights, and playing with the ornaments. Guessing what was in the wrapped up boxes, waiting with excitement to open them. We would all cram into the small living room and pass out the stack of gifts. It was always so much fun.
But as our family grew, siblings and cousins, getting married and having babies, it got harder and harder (and more and more expensive) to buy gifts for everyone. So we had to get creative with our Christmas gift giving.
I definitely want to make sure my own daughter has those same great Christmas memories and experiences that I had as a child. So I found a few shopping tips that will help keep my budget under control and won’t break the bank.
Try these budget-friendly ideas for getting your kid’s Christmas gifts this year.
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Start with a budget and stick to it.
Figure out who you will be buying gifts for this year. Have an amount in mind of how much money you are willing to spend. An easy way to stick to your budget by putting that money on a gift card or prepaid cash card to use ONLY for your Christmas shopping. If you can plan ahead, start putting money towards your Christmas gifts a few months early, that way you aren’t taking a huge chunk out of your usual monthly income.
Browse for gently used items on resell sites.
Look for gently used, excellent condition, and new in box toys on sites like Varagesale, Offerup, and Facebook Marketplace. This is one of my favorite ways to find new items I might be interested in. If I am wanting to get my daughter something specific, I will look here first to see if I can find what I am looking for in good condition. If not, then I will move onto finding it at the store. You can find tons of barely used and like new toys on these resell websites. Check back often because people are posting new items every day.
Be a smart online shopper.
Use the Priceblink web extension when doing your online shopping. Add it onto your web browser and it will automatically search for lower prices as you shop online. You’ll get a notification that it has found a lower price on a different site. This is a good one to have all year long. If you do a lot of online shopping it definitely comes in handy when looking for the best price. For extra savings, look for discounted gift cards on sites such as Gift Card Granny. Try it on Cyber Monday!
Keep it simple with just 4 gifts.
Keep it simple with just 4 Christmas gifts for each child: a gift they want, a gift they need, a gift to wear, and a gift to read. Don’t waste money on frivolous junk the kids will just open then throw to the side. Make their gifts meaningful and teach them the value of what they are getting.
Christmas is such a great time of year, but the expenses can add up quickly. You don’t have to go into debt for Christmas! The key is to prepare and plan ahead of time. Keep your budget in mind and think outside of the box. Relax and enjoy this holiday season.