Save More This Holiday Season With These Hacks!

November 16th 2018

The holiday season is approaching which means saving up money to buy gifts from friends, family, and loved ones…and maybe even yourself!

With Thanksgiving on its way, the holiday shopping season is about to commence. Despite all the Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, money can still be incredibly stressful when trying to find that perfect gift for the ones you love. But it isn’t too late to start saving!

Here are a few money saving “hacks” that will help you get your wallet ready for the season ahead!

1. Check for cash back- This one isn’t about saving, but instead, is about realizing the money you have available to you. Many credit cards have “cash back” deals attached and they can be useful in two ways. One way is that cash back can often be redeemed in the form of gift cards or credits. For example, my credit card allows me to apply cash back to Amazon purchases! The second way cash back can be useful is that you can explore what stores are offering cash back and when and you can plan your shopping around that in order to save a little cash!
2. Putting away $5 bills- I saw online once that this one guy saved every $5 bill he received and ended up with a lot of money. By choosing a bill that you exclusively save (like a $5 or $10 bill), you can easily put money aside for gift shopping!
3. Plan shopping in advance- Make a list of who you are shopping for and assign a ballpark spending limit for each. Add all of the people on your list up and see how much money you need to set aside. You can even take that money out in cash and put it aside to make sure for certain that it will not be spent until it has to be. This is a really good hack for those who often forget how many people they actually need to buy for.
4. Skip Starbucks, make coffee at home- I can’t speak for everyone, but my Starbucks order isn’t exactly the cheapest. If I skipped Starbucks twice a week until Christmas, I would be saving $50 that I could be spending on my friends and family! It is so much cheaper (and eco-friendly) to make your beverage at home a few days a week!
5. Cook with friends instead of eating out- My friends and I really enjoy cooking together and we find that it is so much cheaper (and healthier) than going out to eat! Not only do you know everything that is going into your food, you can create much larger portions for a fraction of the cost of going out to eat!

But most of all, don’t stress! Money isn’t everything, so try your best and understand that you don’t need to spend a lot to show the people in your life that you appreciate them this holiday season!

Jess~