Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. We all love the festivities and spending time with friends and family. However, there’s one aspect that many people dread: the cost.
There are so many factors to consider, but gift-giving is probably the one that scares more people than any other. We all appreciate the fact that giving is better than receiving. There’s no greater feeling than seeing the faces of our loved ones light up. Unfortunately, stretching our budgets to do this can be very difficult.
But help is at hand. These handy tips should remove some of the financial sting, allowing you to enjoy the festivities fully. Merry Christmas.
Take 0% Interest Plans
Most people don’t mind spending a little extra money than they’d like, especially if it makes their loved ones happy. But physically finding that money can be a real struggle.
Taking out payday loans and other short-term solutions is a bad idea. It’s a nice sentiment, but the fallout simply isn’t worth it. Meanwhile, buying presents on high-interest store cards is ill advised. Thankfully, many stores will offer 0% interest on six or 12-month packages.
It won’t lower the overall cost of Christmas, but it does remove some of the immediate stress. Moreover, repaying in a timely fashion can boost your credit score too.
Use Coupons
Arguably the best way to reduce the cost of Christmas shopping is to buy presents at a cheaper price. It’s hardly rocket science now, is it?
Visit discountrue.com to find out more information on special online discount coupons. Use them to your advantage, and you could land yourself a very significant saving. Compare online prices between stores like Sears and Kohl’s to ensure you are getting products at the cheapest price available.
Individually, it might not make a huge saving. Cumulatively, though, you’ll certainly see the difference.
Use Multiple Purchase Offers
Christmas is a time of year where competing companies are in constant competition to win your business. Consequently, they will regularly offer great promotions. For example, they may offer you the chance to buy two items and get one free.
Ordinarily speaking, many of these deals aren’t as good as they first seem. Instead, they simply encourage you to spend more money than necessary. At this time of year, though, it’s a fantastic way to buy presents for several people at once without breaking the bank.
Using the above example, three people will be getting a great gift while you’ll be saving 1/3 of the price. Not bad, eh?
Introduce A Secret Santa
It’s the little presents that soon add up. As much as you love the people you’re buying for; it is important to prioritise. Do you really need to be buying 10 different colleagues a $10 present?
Why not introduce a Secret Santa game. This way, everyone can get involved without having to spend huge sums of money. You’ll each only need to buy one present. Moreover, the anonymous aspect can help inject a little extra fun to the office. You can generate names with the help of www.drawnames.com.
It’s not only work situations that can benefit from this. Try this idea with friends to further increase the savings. In an ideal world, you’d all love to treat each other. But times are hard, and they’re probably feeling it just as much as you.
Besides, it gives you more money to spend on your immediate family.
Think About Delivery
Another seemingly small cost that can soon add up is delivery charges. The odd $5 fee might not feel overly important. Believe us, it will soon add up.
Many companies offer free delivery when spending a certain amount of money. If possible, take this option. Alternatively, you could always look for free delivery promotion codes or companies that offer free in-store pickup.
Shop After Christmas
We all buy for people that we won’t see until the New Year. This could be due to geography or time constraints. Either way, you should be keen to use this to your advantage.
Most shops will offer Boxing Day and January sales. It doesn’t matter if you shop online or in the local shopping center; this is a great way to get a better gift at the fraction of the price. The recipient doesn’t need to know any better.
In fact, many people actively prefer to take this option. Couples can agree to get a sentimental gift for each other on December 25th before spending a day shopping at the sales afterwards. It’s going to save you money and is a great way to use up one of those redundant days between Christmas and New Year.
