How To Save Money This Holiday Season

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The up most, honest way to save money is don't buy anything..but that's not going to happen now is it.

You don't have to spend loads of money to have a good Christmas or which ever holiday you celebrate during this festive season. What holidays are all about is too have fun and enjoy the company of others. It's a time of joy and a time to celebrate life. But let's face it this is the time where people spend more money than any other time of the year. So there's pretty much no escaping spending money this holiday season. What we can do is make solutions to save and spend the least amount of cash as possible. 

First off before anything, making a budget and knowing what you are actually able to spend is important. As you don't want to push yourself into going all out and spending more than you have just for one day out of the year. Only to find yourself going into the new year with loads of debt to pay off. So grab a notebook, notepad or your phone and write down a budget that is suitable for you.  One more tip before I start, is money doesn't buy happiness either. It may cause a brief excitement, but if someone is upset that you didn't spend money on them, they probably didn't deserve it in the first place. Happiness comes from the heart, not the pocket. 

One way and the most important in my opinion, is sitting down or calling friends and family and either agree not to exchange gifts this year or set a price limit for presents. If a maximum price limit is set in advance, you have time for browsing and finding something that they would really like and appreciate. Alternatively setting a 'children only' rule or arranging a secret Santa are good options to limit yourself and save money. Relating to this is "Don't go out on a wing." Unless you were paying attention to a loved one, or you know them so well you can finish there sentences. Simply just ask them what they would like, before you spend your money on something that may or may not be to there liking. It's almost like going to a restaurant and ordering food for the other person. And them being polite and accepting, they take a bite and now there stuck like "what am I going to do with this food." Then you have the one's that were allergic to that food and now you messed up. So in other words don't spend money in unknown territory.   

Secondly, and one of my favorites is COUPONS, GIFT CARDS and VOUCHERS!

According to the gift card and vouchers association over $260 million dollars go unspent each year. From personal experience gift cards, coupons, and vouchers saved me $450 last holiday season which was extremely beneficial. So when you get a gift card, come across some great coupons, or receive vouchers and reward points. Store them in a safe, convenient place because they'll save you more than you could imagine. 

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Another fantastic way to save money during the holiday season is online shopping. It's not as festive or decorative as shopping at the mall or outlets. But it is a great way to find deals and other great offers. A few great websites are Coupons.com, Amazon.com, Skymall.com, and the online website for the actual store you want to visit. A plus side to online shopping is knowing that you can buy it right there and than and they have it in stock. So you don't have to go through those certain circumstances of going to the store in person and they are out of stock for the product you desire. There are websites as well where you can sell your old, undesired belongings such as phones, computers, iPods, books, and almost anything you can think of. A couple of web pages are eBay.com, Craigslist.com, and Gazelle.com.

Homemade gifts are one way to not only save money but a way to say "I love and care about you enough to take time out of the day to apply myself and make a gift that actually means something." Homemade gifts show how you really feel about someone and can mean much more than buying something most of the time. If you can't think of anything here are a couple great inexpensive ideas for homemade gifts.

Lastly, instead of actually buying something. Sometimes some of the best gifts are to plan outings or something you can do with someone you love. Spending time together can grow your relationship with that certain somebody and it's also a way of creating memories.

So remember, holidays aren't all about spending loads of money and buying gifts for everyone. It's about being with friends and family and being happy.

Thank you for reading and Happy Holidays!