Around this time each year, I begin to plan out my strategy for Christmas. It’s always curious to me that I have to plan for a winter holiday during the brutal heat of summer, but such is life. Will I stay home or travel for the holidays? If I stay home, who will I invite? What will I cook? What activities will we do? How much will it cost, and on, and on? In this dreadful economy, I have to be particularly skillful when it comes to planning or I’ll wind up in a predicament that my household cannot afford.
It is at this mid-point of year that I have to start sweating the idea of how much money I’ll need for holiday festivities and gifts. This usually means that I have to start saving money here and there, specifically for purchasing Christmas gifts. The last several years, I’ve become aware of offerings that help to cut the financial burden of gift purchasing. A good example is that there are many websites and blogs that list daily freebies samples, where you can sign up to receive free stuff and samples from various companies. I’ve been able to snag free t-shirts, razors, water bottles, coffee mugs and more, and all of it has definitely helped me out with stocking stuffers.
In addition, I've lessened my financial burden by entering to win sweepstakes online. You’d be surprised how many thousands of sweepstakes exist on the internet (probably too many to count!) I haven’t won a ton from those, but a gift pack from Victoria’s Secret and Dove soap set will come in handy for those coworkers that I dreaded spending money on, anyway. I’ve also found my Sunday newspaper’s coupon section to be incredibly helpful for saving money. With the grocery savings alone, I could save a few hundred dollars quite easily between now and Christmas. I know a lot of people don’t like the time investment to clip and organizes coupons. They also don’t like the stares and hassle factor at the grocery store to redeem coupons, but if you need to save a few hundred dollars and you’ve got the time to do it, I can think of no easier way than clipping them.
Certainly, I spend more time planning my holiday spending strategy than most other people do, but it helps me keep my wits once the holidays actually arrive. It amazes me how many people seem blindsided by holiday expenses and it makes me want to ask, “Did you not think you would celebrate it this year?” The only good thing about holiday expenses is that they are predictable and when anything is predictable, it means you’ve got time to plan for it. Use your time wisely.
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