Tis the Season of Saving
Five holiday-shopping secrets to keep your family, friends and finances happy!
Start Early
Not only will this keep the chaos of holiday shopping down to a minimum, but your wallet will take less of a hit. Strategize, give yourself plenty of time and set a budget per person (and stick to it!). Buy a gift or two every week so you aren’t draining your budget on Christmas Eve at the mall. If you aren’t sure how or where to start a holiday budget, check out this site for a free budgeting template, and other related tools like holiday greeting and photo cards!
Get Crafty
Homemade gifts aren’t all macaroni necklaces and scarves (though if you’ve mastered the art, don’t stop now)! Ornaments, coasters, sugar scrubs, mason jar candles, bath bombs, scented soap, herb infused olive oil – the Pinterest possibilities are endless! Need more inspiration? We found 70 more ideas for homemade gift giving this holiday season.
Be a Savvy Consumer
Just because a price tag is accompanied by “doorbuster” or “final-sale clearance” doesn’t mean it’s not overpriced, and a lot of time stores will take advantage of having a flashy discount sticker when it’s not even much of a deal. If you’re a sucker for Black Friday savings, make sure you’re also price checking while you shop with an online retail store, such as Amazon, as over 17 percent of items will be more expensive than they are on this site (plus you get the bonus of delivery)! Sales aren’t always a scam, but it’s better to be safe than sorry, so make sure you double check other retailers before you finalize your purchase.
Forget the "Stuff"
Forget the “stuff” and instead, give an experience! Studies show that as far as the issue of “money-well-spent” goes, meaningful experiences yield a much more lasting return than that of tangible things. Consider a cruise during the off season for an inexpensive trip or a family summer vacation abroad in place of physical gifts. Print off an itinerary or fake plane tickets and stick those in an envelope to give the recipient a once-in-a-lifetime surprise. Chances are you’ll find the anticipation of the trip or experience to surpass the brief moment of excitement after a present is ripped open.
Less is More
Use untraditional wrapping paper. Stretch your dollars with a giant roll of brown Kraft paper that you can customize with holiday stamps or a simple bow. Bonus, Kraft paper is easily recyclable so you can feel good about encouraging the recipients of your gifts to do the planet a solid and recycle their crumpled paper.
Ultimately, remember what the holidays are all about. While wrapping things up and tying them all together in big bows and fancy packaging is fun, it’s not the only reason for the season. This year, celebrate in the company of your loved ones and by making memories – it’s probably the only thing that doesn’t come with a price tag!
By Campus USA at 2 Nov 2017, 12:50 PM