Surviving Christmas: How To Save Money on Gifts

It's the most beautiful time of the year, but after a year of rising food and energy prices, you might be feeling a little more stressed about Christmas and, in particular, Christmas spending this year than usual.

It's that time of year to start thinking about Christmas. Being frugal requires starting early and planning ahead of time. Here are some tried-and-true ideas for making your holiday budget-friendly.

• Creating a spending plan will not only help you limit your spending, but it will also help you reduce your financial anxiety because you will know exactly what you need and how much it will cost.
• Establish a gift budget: Set a total limit and distribute it among the people on your list. When shopping, keep in mind and stick to your budget for each individual.
• Use cash only: Determine how much money you need to spend on gifts, food, decorations, clothing, etc. this holiday season, and then, if possible, take out that exact amount in cash. After you've done that, separate it into distinct envelopes with labels based on the category. You'll spend less and experience fewer surprises when you receive your bank account statements in January if you do this. For assistance, see our article on a cash-only spending plan.
• Don't do buy now pay later:Tempting as these schemes may be, avoid them unless you have a plan in place to repay the loan during the interest-free period. Otherwise, once the 0% period expires, you'll be charged a high interest rate, and that new sofa, outfit, or TV could end up costing you much more. If you miss payments, it may have a negative impact on your credit score.
• Don't shop at the mall: Avoiding the mall also means keeping away from all of the pushy kiosk salespeople. Additionally, you won't have to worry about the countless distractions, such as the spooky mall Santa, the tempting retail window displays, and the aroma of cinnamon-sugar pretzels. Oh, and the crowded parking lot. the uncontrollable crowds. Avoid going to the mall to save money, stress, and time.
• Perform an exchange: This will significantly reduce costs, especially if you have a large family or a large group of coworkers. You only need to buy one gift instead of a bunch. This is something our family does, and it helps us de-stress during the holidays.
• Make your own presents: Food items, jar mixes, framed favorite quotes or photos, knitted/crocheted scarves and hats, photo slide shows, and so on are always appreciated. We had a friend who always made delicious treats and beautifully packaged them in tissue paper and decorated boxes. Because she put so much effort into the presentation, they always seemed special.
• Visit a thrift store and a dollar store: Some may cringe at this item, but you might be surprised at the great gifts available. You can also make unique and memorable gifts by packaging them with thrift store finds. 
• Create recipe books or cards. You can choose a theme, such as chocolate recipes for a chocolate lover.
• Give hobby-related gifts: Consider the person's hobbies: sheet music for a musician, a plant for a gardener, golf balls for a golfer, scrapbook supplies for a scrapper, books for a reader, and so on. A thoughtful gift is often far more meaningful than an expensive one.
• Re-gift: There is nothing improper about giving away a gift you previously received but never used. Give it away if you don't have a reason to keep it and you believe someone else would value it more.
• The least expensive method for shipping a package: Do your homework to find the most affordable option if you're posting gifts this year.
• If you shop online, utilize private browsing: The cookies that retailers store on your computer while you shop online let them know what products you've looked at and allow them to raise their prices. By using Incognito Mode, you can stop them from doing this as well as prevent the items you've looked at from appearing as ads and ruining the surprise if your family members see your laptop.
• Use smart cart strategies: Fill up your online cart, but delay checking out. Stores will inquire if you forgot to check out if they notice items in your basket and may even send you a coupon to entice you to purchase the items. For them to contact you, you must have provided your email address.