Thanksgiving is near, but it is never too early to begin thinking about what gifts you will be getting for other people this holiday season. The holidays can be difficult for everyone, especially college students, since we want to spend so much money on gifts for friends and family. This time of the year is often dreaded, because it means that we will have less money in our pockets. But, we don’t have to spend the season broke! So here are some helpful tips for saving money as the holiday season is rapidly approaching:
1. Make a List: When you go out holiday shopping, make a list for yourself. This will keep you on track and hopefully keep you from buying those shoes that you see in the store window. Plus, if you really want those shoes, start dropping hints to your family and friends and maybe the shoes will find its’ way to you.
2. Make a Budget: If you set a limit for how much you will spend, then you won’t find your bank account empty and the holiday season will be less stressful for you. Also, remember that the best gifts aren’t always the most expensive gifts!
3. Pay with cash: I am always guilty of never having cash; however if you want to save money, use cash. When you use a credit card or a debit card, it can be hard to keep track of how much you are spending. If you take cash out of the bank, you will successfully stay within your budget. Only using cash means that you can’t go above what you have with you and that means you will be less likely to buy things you don’t need or buy things out of your budget.
4. Pay attention to all the holiday sales: If you don’t know or haven’t realized yet, right after Halloween is when all the holiday advertisements and sales start coming out. Get a head start and look up when stores will have their holiday sales so that you can plan when you will buy your gifts.
5. Consider Black Friday: Personally, I’ve never gone out on Black Friday, and with the ever increasing online Black Friday sales, I’m not sure if I ever will. But, to save yourself a bunch, you could participate in any Black Friday sales online or in stores this year. Although it might be tough, you will definitely come home with some gifts and more money in your wallet!
6. Start now! Last year, I waited until the last minute to get Christmas gifts. That left me almost completely broke and it took forever before I felt like I got my bank account back to where it was originally. But, if you start spending some money here and there and getting gifts as the next few weeks pass by, you’ll barely notice the dent it makes in your bank account.
7. This isn’t really a tip, but more of a suggestion. USE BING REWARDS. You get points when you search for things on Bing, when you get other people to make accounts and many other things. When you get a certain amount of points, you can redeem them for all kinds of rewards. Some of the rewards include a $5 amazon gift card, a $5 Sephora gift card, a Chipotle gift card and a $5 Macy’s gift card. They aren’t much, but they are definitely helpful. The more points you get, the more gift cards you can get. I’ve been able to get items for free on Amazon using the gift cards from Bing Rewards!
Happy holiday shopping!