tips to save money

Tips to save money during holidays are crucial to avoid the troubles that follow after the celebratory mood is over. Holidays are like tornadoes to our pockets and if we fail to plan sounds, the probability of living a life of struggles is inevitable. One needs money to enjoy every other holiday with family, relatives, and friends.

After suffering the same fate over and over again for the past 3 years, I came to realize I was never poor, but my expenditure planning was bad and that made me not to save money. Understanding the best mechanisms and opportunities to save money can help you to avoid falling into the same trouble.

Online Surveys for Gift Cards

During holidays, stores undergo massive sales, while others give out significant discounts to attract more customers. One can engage in online reviews in various stores and earn gift cards or cash that will help to save money by spending less.

The online surveys can be about a product, a service offered, or customer service. Online surveys do not necessarily fetch vast amounts of money, but after the survey for a month, one can earn a decent gift card. One can do online reviews during their spare time.

However, an individual should be careful on websites that ask for online surveys since there are illegitimate sites. Legit sites have a free sign in and sage, and they do not ask for one’s phone number when joining, and the site should have a better rating from the Better Business Bureau. Sites such as Survey Junkie, inboxdollars are known for paid online surveys. In return, one saves a deal of money that could be used to buy gifts.

Check Out for Coupons

Coupons are one of the best ways to get discounts when shopping. Coupons are promotion codes used in online shopping where a customer enters the code and gains discounts on some products. Some coupons offer fantastic discounts on products during holiday or seasonal shopping.

Some stores make coupons valid for specific products in some stores. A shopper must check the products sold on offered at a lower price where coupons apply. With such discount offers, it is easier for one to plan shopping around specific products that qualify for vouchers. Coupons help one save cash during the festive seasons.

Black Friday Shopping

Stores offer Black Friday Shopping seasons where they provide exciting offers, discounts, and even free shipping of products. Most black Friday deals precede a holiday season.

Utilization of Black Friday deals can save vast amounts of cash compared to buying the same products during other times. However, one needs to prepare for black Friday by setting an expenditure limit. Secondly, one needs to draw a budget and stick to it to avoid overspending. Black Friday shopping opens up various stores with similar products at lower rates.

It is, therefore, essential that one explores different stores with the lowest rates of the same product before shopping without compromising the quality. Buying during Black Friday is considered one of the best tips to save money as it helps one save money through discounts, low product prices, and free shipping offers.

Some of the companies with best Black Friday shopping plans include:

                  1. amazon.com: – Black Friday deals now live!
                  2. Walmart.com: – Black Friday deals in every category
                  3. BestBuy.com: – Black Friday doorbusters live
                  4. Target.com: – Doorbuster deals now live
                  5. Adidas.com: – up to 75% off everything!
                  6. UnderArmour.com: 30% off sitewide for Black Friday
                  7. Belk.com: Daily doorbusters – 75% off
                  8. Dell: – deals launch at 10am Friday
                  9. Disney Plus:  Get a free 7-day free trial here
                  10. Ebay.com: A strong focus on TVs and consoles
                  11. HomeDepot.com: Daily deal Black Friday savings
                  12. JCPenney.com: Pre-Black Friday deals
                  13. Kohls.com: Coupons aplenty in big sale
                  14. NorthFace.com: 25% off some crazily-warm styles
                  15. Lowes.com: Deals on tools and smart home
                  16. Macy’s.com: Preview specials with 60% off womenswear
                  17. Mixbook: See the new Black Fri-yay deals
                  18. NewEgg.com: Black Friday deals
                  19. Nike.com: Big savings on apparel
                  20. Sears.com: Hefty savings on TVs
                  21. Stage.com: Up to 60% off a range of apparel

Free Reward Points

Some stores offer free reward points to their customers. It is essential to gather the free reward points during shopping and save them up for redeeming during holiday shopping. Both online and physical stores offer free reward points to customers who shop for products of a specific amount.

Free reward points can be redeemed for cash, shopping vouchers, or freebies. A frequent shopper should check out stores with free reward points and enroll. Whether paying with cash or using debit and credit cards, one should check out for the loyalty programs.

Gathering enough free reward points qualify one for freebies. One can save up enough points for redeeming during holiday seasons when shopping in bulk.

Holiday Travel Saving

Traveling during holidays as a family or an individual can be quite expensive and hectic considering the massive number of people who schedule their travels at the same time. One may end up spending more than budgeted on the trip.

However, travel hacking offers a solution to make traveling easier and cheaper with incredible travel experiences. One can earn and redeem reward points and airline miles for free travel. Some travel agencies offer credit card rewards where one can redeem them for free travel.

Some credit cards have a loyalty program where they provide free bonuses and rewards for signing up. Frequent travelers have an opportunity to qualify for awards from travel agencies and hotels frequently used. For instance, the Chase Sapphire Reserve offers bonuses to those who use their credit cards for travel and gifts. Payment through PayPal qualifies one for rewards.

Cashback Sites

Another tip for saving up money during holidays is by using cashback sites. When shopping for Christmas gifts or any holiday gifts, the utilization of Swagbucks saves a deal of money. Sites such as Swagbucks offer shoppers up to 20% cashback when shopping online.

Statistics show that Swagbucks has given over 300 million dollars as rewards. The rewards come as a result of referral fees paid by retailer websites for directing a buyer to their website. The cashback site splits the referral fee into half for purchasing through their link.

Cashback sites require a potential buyer to sign up for a free account that comes up with a bonus. When one wants to buy a product online, start a search at the cashback site, get the right location, and make a purchase.

Through the purchase, the cashback site gives points redeemable for cash or gift cards. The amount of points earned varies depending on the store used for purchase. Such rewards help one save some cash for another product.

Make a Budget and List

A budget comes in handy when doing holiday shopping. Make a budget for the holiday gifts you want to buy and the ones you can afford. After having a realistically drawn budget, create a list of the items you want to buy and prioritize them considering the maximum amount you intend to spend.

With a budget and prioritized list, make a competitive comparison of the products to identify the seller who offers the product at the best deal — comparing product prices due for purchase before purchase enables you to buy the best product at a lower price.

A budget and prioritized list help one avoid the overwhelming holiday season spirit that leads to impulse purchases.

Shop Earlier Before or Late after Holidays

One of the best tips for saving money during holidays is buying products way prior before holidays or way later after the festive season is over. Most stores stock up their products for the holiday season. However, not every item gets sold out during the festivities. The left-over stock often goes for a lower price, to reduce the unsold inventory, especially after the seasonal sales period is over.

Additionally, you can make purchases for holiday gifts way earlier before the festivities. Most products become more expensive during holidays compared to other times. Purchasing the product before the holidays saves the extra cash for valuable items that do not undergo significant changes. One can buy the product earlier on and have it delivered during the festivities. More prior or late purchases save some cash, which requires early preparation for holidays.

Choosing Cheaper Traditions

Traditions include things that people engage in to make holidays special such as traveling, visiting attraction sites, or buying gifts. Such cultures may end up being a financial burden. However, family holiday traditions do not necessarily have to incur the cost to be memorable. A family can have cheaper family traditions and save up on holiday expenditures. The following activities offer more affordable family traditions and can be used as tips to save money fast.

  • Watching movies at home instead of going to the theater
  • Taking the kids to the mall to see Santa
  • Baking together as a family
  • Reading Christmas stories together at home
  • Utilizing discounts for local attractions

Such traditions leave a lasting memory without running the family into holiday costs. It instills a sense of family togetherness during holidays.

Buy Products in Bulk

Various stores provide products at lower prices during holiday seasons compared to other times. You can buy such products in bulk to save up some cash, items such as groceries, toiletries, and sanitary items. One can buy items commonly and extensively used at home in bulk. It saves the trips back to the store for the same product in terms of gas, transport, and time.

So if you are interested to learn the tips to save money, use the above-mentioned ideas to save a handsome amount of money while enjoying life round the year.