Gold Desafio: Global Struggle
The Christmas season is quickly approaching, and most people are feeling the anxiety over the thought of holiday spending. Things are tighter for most families this year, but you still want your family to enjoy the season. However, you do not have to buy hundreds of presents and spend thousands of dollars for your family to enjoy Christmas. Follow the steps below to have a great Christmas, without going broke.
Wrapping and Packaging
Skip the expensive stuff - if you are in a department store you may want to purchase that beautiful wrapping paper by the register. But don't. There are cheaper alternatives. And regardless of how beautiful the designer wrap may be, after the package is unwrapped, the wrapping paper will just be thrown away and there will be no evidence of the beautiful wrap that existed. Also think that if you spend $2 for a roll of wrapping paper instead of $20, you will gain $18 more to spend on the gift itself.
Compare the footage - although you may find wrapping paper for $1 at your local everything's a dollar store, if you only get 30 square feet, that's probably not a good deal if you can go to your local supermarket and get 300 square feet for $5, assuming that you need that much wrap. So just as you should compare how much each ounce costs when comparing two different sized packages of cheese, you should also compare your footage cost before investing in wrapping paper.
Skip the wrapping center - if you are shopping at your local mall and you see a gift wrapping area, you may be tempted to stop. It's a great time-cutting strategy isn't it? Sure, but it will cost you. Instead, arrange with your spouse to take the kids out so when you get home you can also wrap the presents before the task piles up and is too daunting. If you wrap a few presents at a time, it will be a lot easier than waiting until the last minute. Invite some friends over to keep you entertained if you like and share wrapping supplies as you all work your way through the wrapping. However, if the store offers to gift wrap the package for free, go ahead and take them up on the offer since it won't cost you anything and will save you time.
Conserve - before you cut your wrapping paper, take a couple of seconds to accurately measure how much wrapping paper you will need. This way you won't waste paper or fold the paper over to keep it from being too long. And the fewer rolls of wrapping paper that you use equals more cash in your pocket.
Choose a color - this idea from Woman's Day can be a great time saver: for each family member that you will buy multiple gifts for, pick a color of wrapping paper. For example, your oldest son might have all his presents wrapped in blue paper, your daughter in gold, your elder son in green paper, and your youngest son in red. This will be an easy way to keep track of whose presents belong to each kid, while also saving you time and money from having to put tags on each individual present. It will also give you a visual reminder of how many presents you have already purchased so that you can scale back if you see too many.
Use alternative papers - to save even more, consider using different materials for your wrapping paper and packaging decorations. You may use some of your child's artwork to wrap around the package, newspaper or comic paper, colored tissue paper, or you may opt for materials that are more eco-friendly. So keep this option in mind to save money and also to save the environment.
Christmas Tree
Opt for a fake tree - not only will this most likely be much cheaper, if you continue to use it year after year, it will be better for the environment than if you had chopped down and disposed of a natural tree every year. For even greater savings, scour your local flea markets or secondhand stores for great deals. I recently nabbed a formerly priced $199 Christmas tree at a yard sale for $15. You can´t beat that!
Conserve electricity - just as you know that the more things you have plugged in will run up your electric bill (if you don´t know this, read my article on saving money on electricity!), the more lights you have plugged in and running every day will increase your utility bill. So unplug the lights and save the complete effect for special occasions or certain periods of time each night. You may also want to apply this concept to your outdoor decorations. A lawn ornament may cost a lot less in the long run than lights all around the house running nonstop.
Make homemade decorations - instead of buying new ornaments and decorations for your tree, consider using some of those snow days or boring weekends for craft projects with your kids. You can find tons of cute, creative ideas on sites like parents.com, thriftyfun, and allfreecrafts.com. This option will not only save you money, but will also create great memories for your children of their winter vacation.
Recycle - if you are having problems with using your same Christmas decorations from last year because you just want something new and different, think about changing your perspective. You may not want to admit that times are harder this year and you feel entitled to new things. However, if you have perfectly acceptable decorations stored in your house, you will only lose money that could have been better spent (or saved) elsewhere. If your tree is the same every year, that is absolutely fine. In fact, your children will probably be comforted in the tradition of the same tree year after year. If you must purchase something new, consider purchasing just one item, like a new ornament each year as a tradition instead of a completely revamped Christmas tree.
Stay organized - If you find yourself constantly buying new decorations for your Christmas tree because you can´t find the ones you lost last year, you may have an organization problem. This year when you take your tree down, put all similar items in a clearly labeled box or airproof container. Then place all of the Christmas decorations in the same area. If you have a lot of clutter in your house or closets, you may also want to write a list of exactly where you placed the items and keep it in a safe place like a filing cabinet, taped to a cabinet door, or saved in a file in your computer.
Stockings
Use smaller stockings - if your stockings are huge, it will take a lot more time and money to fill them up. However, if you opt for smaller stockings, they will be full in no time.
Don't be deceived - while it makes sense to go down the Christmas candy aisle for candies for your stockings, keep in mind that the packaging is not important and probably wasting you money. For example, Reese Peanut Butter mini cups may cost you $1 if they are in a candy cane container and yield 10 small cups, you may be able to buy an entire bag of the same candy for $3 and divide it between the stockings. So check the candy aisle before you check the seasonal aisle in your favorite store.
Recycle - if you are trying to figure out what to do with all that extra candy your kids just brought home from Halloween, here's a solution: keep half of it for Christmas. Sort through the Halloween themed candy and anything else that will melt or not last until Christmas, and then deposit the rest into their Christmas stockings. They'll never the difference and you'll prevent your kids from getting sick from too much candy at one time.
Shop cheaply - consider shopping at your everything's a dollar store to fill up stockings. You can pick up your family's favorite snacks, decorative items, and care items. They sell perfumes, bubble bath, candles, picture frames, socks, toys, books, crossword puzzle books, and more. So consider going this route to stock up on the items you need for your stockings.
Online Transactions
With the craziness that surrounds Christmas season, follow these tips to avoid the lines and frustrations of Christmas shopping.
Free shipping - many online shops offer free shipping and you should take advantage of this option. In fact, you really shouldn't buy a present online unless the cost of the item online plus shipping is less than it would cost in the store. Otherwise, you are spending more money unnecessarily. Once you are ready to complete your purchase, opt to send it directly to the recipient, rather than to your home address. This will save you from having to wrap the present and then pay for shipping through the post office. Many sites offer cheap or free gift wrapping or message options. Sending the package straight from the online business will save you time and money. And if you have some extra books in good condition, you can always sell these on Cash4Books.net or Amazon yourself and then use the proceeds to purchase your presents from there.
Buy used - for books, movies, and video games you are probably better off to buy these in the second-hand market such as Ebay or Amazon. Most of the time you will save a large percentage off of the original cost. And with Ebay, you don't have to pay extra for tax, so that's another quick saving. Just make sure that your intended recipient will not be offended by getting secondhand items, but do keep in mind that most of these items are very well-maintained and should work just as well as a new copy, with about half the cost.
Use coupons - most sites accept coupon codes and you can find these easily by doing a google search of the name of the business and the words “coupon code.” These codes range anywhere from free shipping, a percentage off, or a certain dollar amount off. This strategy that will only take you 2 minutes to complete can add up to substantial savings.
Shop at Wal-mart - recently I stumbled across a great deal from Wal-mart online. A Transformer toy that I wanted to buy my son that usually costs $35, was selling online for $35 with a bonus $10 egift card, making the toy only $25. And in the store, it was still selling for $35. So if you want to buy gifts online, it may well be worth your time to plan two trips on the site; one for purchasing the items, and another for going back and redeeming your bonus gift cards. Also, keep in mind that Wal-mart offers free site to store shipping, so you could do a lot of shopping online, and just pick up your package in the back when it comes in. This will save you time and frustrations from fighting the crowd. Also, if you are planning on buying video games for someone on your Christmas list, check into Wal-marts bundled items where they put two or three games into one package, which is cheaper than buying each individual game. You could always divide the games up for multiple recipients anyway, while still getting the bundled savings.
Shop Monday - skip Black Friday and instead opt for shopping Cyber Monday, a big shopping day of the year for online shopping and the deals are unbelievable. Be prepared and have all of your credit card information handy in order to be sure that you purchase everything on time.
Presents
Organize, organize, organize - Before you begin any Christmas shopping, sit down with your spouse and type in a spreadsheet every person for whom you would like to buy a gift and write the amount that you would like to spend on each person. This method will help get you organized, prevent you from leaving off anybody from the list, and also provide you with a realistic amount that holiday gifts will cost you. Perhaps this will be the concrete evidence that you might need to scale back this year. Once you have all of the people listed, and the amount you will spend on them, also write down any potential gift ideas that you have for the amount listed. This way you can be on the lookout for any sales and save even more!
Buy joint gifts - if you are opting to buy for all members on your Christmas list, consider purchasing a gift for the entire family, like a board game or movie tickets. If a couple is on your list, rather than buying each individual a gift, consider a combined gift like a nice set of coffee mugs, a certificate for a dinner out, or an item that they might want to spruce up their household. Or if you have siblings on your Christmas list, buy a gift that both children can enjoy like a video game, a movie, or a themed gift like a racetrack for one child and matching cars for the other. Buying fewer gifts will wind up saving you a bundle.
Shop throughout the year - Christmas season causes the prices on a lot of items to dramatically increase, in spite of what retail publicists might say. And many “holiday” sales do not rival the various sales that you can see throughout the year. At this point, you still have a couple of months left, so if you find a good sale, stockpile your Christmas inventory now. Or start budgeting a certain amount next year and buy gifts throughout the year starting in January, taking advantage of various sales, clearances, and after season sales.
Buy in bulk - warehouse clubs are not only good for big packages of dish soap, chicken nuggets, or toilet paper; they also offer bulk supplies of Christmas presents! For example, you can find a pack of four individually wrapped containers of bath products for $20 - if you divide those up, that's only $5 per gift for an elegantly wrapped, appropriate gift!
Volunteer - It is a proven fact that the more time that you are idle, the more likely you are to engage in destructive habits, like overspending on the holiday or making too many calls to QVC. Do not let yourself fall into this trap. Commit to and write down dates that you and your family can volunteer for a charitable organization. This could be serving food at a local soup kitchen, gathering food for the local food bank, caroling in a nursing home, cooking dinners for families in the ICU unit of a hospital, collecting balloons or toys for children at a children´s hospital, or anything else that your family has strong feelings about. Not only will you prevent yourself from being tempted to another shopping expedition, you will make a difference around you and instill positive values in your children´s lives.
Celebrate Christmas a week later - everyone has heard of Christmas in July, but if your heart is set on celebrating the holidays in the snow in December, try celebrating just one week later or on the weekend after whatever day Christmas falls on. After Christmas, you will be able to find great deals; typically Christmas-inspired presents, gift sets, and perfumes and colognes are all 50% off. You may even save money on plane tickets if you are planning to travel for the holidays since your dates would probably be out of the Christmas travel window.
Gift exchange - while the sight of a Christmas tree lavish with gifts may be appealing to you, in this current economic state, this may be the perfect opportunity to suggest to extended family members that you opt for a gift exchange. Either have each person bring a unisex gift to a gathering, or put everyone's name in a hat and draw names. Be sure that you set a firm budget in order to save more.
Shop at a weird time - After Thanksgiving, you can plan on supermarkets, clothing stores, and mall locations to be extremely crowded with holiday shoppers, even if most people are cutting back on their spending. So opt to shop during your lunch hour, take a personal day and go shopping one day, or go at 2 a.m. while your spouse stays home with the kids (assuming this is safe in your area). This way you can take your time and look at and compare the values of potential gifts without feeling the pressure to purchase any gift just to escape the crowds and store.
Skip the mall - while it may sound like a good idea to shop at the mall to get all of your shopping done in one location at one time, most of the time malls do not offer the same savings as their comparable single building location or their outlet store. So opt for a few shorter trips to your shopping destinations instead of a marathon trip to your local mall.
Take inventory - check into your children's and spouse's closets as well as the toy box. Take an inventory of what you have already. Chances are that your kids don't need 20 new toys each because their storage is probably already overloaded. And your husband already has 32 ties, so he really doesn't need another one. Do not overspend this season because you think that someone needs something without checking first. And if your husband detests some of his ties, your kids have outgrown their clothes, and they have toys they no longer play with, round these items up and drop them off at a local charity. These uncared for items can be beautiful gifts to less fortunate families, and as long as you document your donation, you can use it as a tax write off next year.
Write it down - after you purchase and wrap an item, write down the recipient's name and what the package contains in it. Keep a running list of the items you have purchased for each person. Sometimes you can buy gifts, without realizing that you had already purchased another gift or that the recipient already has enough gifts. This way you can be sure of what is under the tree and you will know when you have completed your shopping for each person.
Do Black Friday - if it is the end of November and you don't have your Christmas shopping completed, consider going to the Black Friday sales. These are usually pretty good sales and you can get some incredible deals. However, do not go there just because things are on sale. If you had not already planned on buying the sales items or you have already completed your shopping for the person that you would buy for at the Black Friday events, you are just spending more money. So if you didn't already budget to buy a flatscreen tv for your husband and budget accordingly, don't buy him one just because you see one on sale for $400. The mania that is caused during these events may also cause you to buy more than you would in a rational state of mind. So if you do decide to go Black Friday shopping, have a plan, write down what you intend to buy, and bring along a couple of friends that will be stationed at various locations to pick up items on each individual's list. Stay level-headed and try to forgive the frantic nature of the other shoppers.
Make gifts - sometimes a personalized item can be much better than anything you can find on sale at the store. Think about making gifts, especially if your children are involved, to cut back on spending. You can also make gifts with pictures from your digital camera, such as coffee mugs, calendars, t-shirts, and puzzles that usually make lovely gifts. Or consider baking goodies for some people on your list.
Remember that Christmas is the season for giving, but that does not mean that you have to give until you are broke. Set up reasonable boundaries, stick with them, and be on the lookout for great deals, and you should be able to do your holiday shopping while still keeping some much needed cash in your pocket. Have a great holiday season!
By: Samantha Kemp
Works Cited: Woman´s Day
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