It is the summertime, but when it comes to saving money, there is no time like the present to start planning for and talking about the holidays and Christmas. If you want to truly be able to enjoy yourself, then you will do so without the stress of the holidays and without getting into debt just for the holidays. It might feel too early, but so many things are cheaper to buy now, if required, rather than waiting for a big rush to do your holiday shopping. You will find it easier to spread the cost of it all by doing a little each month now, rather than taking it all on one large bill.
So with all of that in mind, here are some ideas that can help you to start planning for the holidays now, so that you can have peace of mind and be financially savvy, for when they come around.
Look out for summer sales
There are bound to be some sales in the summer, as well as back-to-school sales. What is great about these is that you can buy in advance, as really the holidays are only a few months away. If you have school-aged children, then there will be some great gifts that you can get on sale in the summer, so make sure that you make the most of when retailers have sales.
One point to note is that you should make sure that you write yourself a list of what you have bought early and who it is for. Don’t hide them too well either! Otherwise, you could forget what you have got and then spend it again, which completely defeats the point of trying to shop in advance to save money.
Shop online
Shopping in advance online can be a great way to save money. As you will be able to take a little more time to browse what you are looking for, you will be able to find some better money-saving deals. This is important too, if you know your children will love some of the toys that will be in demand by the time it is November and December, such as the Super Wings Grand Albert, for example. Shopping online is a great way to save, so make sure that you make the most of it.
Shop seasonally
When it comes to shopping seasonally, you can take advantage of some great prices. For example, once Halloween has been and gone in October, there will be a lot of costumes for children going on sale that didn’t sell. If you have little ones that love to dress up, then this can be a great idea for gifts for them, as well as for nieces and nephews. The same goes for other seasonal events such as back-to-school sales.
Anything big? Wait for Black Friday
If you are looking to get some gifts this year that are bigger ticket items or electricals, then it can be a good idea to wait for Black Friday. Although that is in November, you have plenty of time to plan and research exactly what you are looking for and where you will go to buy it, which is what will help you to save the most money and help you to make the best decision overall. Anything electrical, even like hair straighteners or curlers, can be much reduced on Black Friday; it doesn’t have to just be about TVs and iPads.
Spread the cost
If you work out how many weeks there are from now until the holidays, you could work out what you can realistically afford to save and put to one side. This can be for a big purchase closer to the time, or be saved for your Thanksgiving meal, for example. Some stores even have saving schemes, where if you put some money on a gift card each week, leading up to the holidays, it can then be used to spend in-store, and they add some extra on for you. So even if you’re not planning to make any purchases anytime soon, it is a good idea to make sure that you are putting the money aside for the holidays, so that it doesn’t get spent on other things.
Small savings can make a big difference and help you to spread the cost of the holidays. They can easily spiral out of control if you’re not too careful, so it pays to plan ahead to make sure that the holiday season doesn’t put you into debt.
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