5 Frugal Ways to Save for Christmas Gifts

Jenny/ October 7, 2018/ Thrifty Homeschool Mama Tips & Tricks

 

disclaimer:  This post contains affiliate links which will cost you nothing if you click on them but will earn me a small affiliate fee if you purchase or join through them.

 

If you’re like me at this time of year I really start thinking of Christmas presents.  Its not like we’re super extravagant but I still love for us to buy special somethings for those special people in our lives.  And that requires…money…sigh.  Its also the same time as property and real estate tax pay up time and insurance payments for many. 

So, how can we save for Christmas on an already tight budget?  If you’re like me and are on one income with 6 people then you may be cringing even further this time of year.  Here are some ideas for getting Christmas $$ without too much effort and no second jobs 😉

 

1.  Start a special savings account for Christmas gifts and put any leftovers in it.  (Don’t forget your rewards on your credit card and other store cards!)  You’ll be amazed at how quickly an extra $5 or $10 a month can add up!  Even if its just a dollar or two, put it in there.  You won’t even know what you would have spent that on 6 months later but if you save it and buy Christmas gifts for the ones you love (and buy quality, not junk) you won’t regret that.

 

2.  Sell your unneeded items on ebay, facebook or craigslist and put the cash in your special savings account.   Bonus:  you’ll clean out your clutter at the same time!  This one seems like such a hassle at first, but once you start, you’ll find its hard to make yourself stop.  We once got into this selling craze during the middle of winter (we were bored and housebound, what can I say?) and sold something like $1,000 of stuff!  Yikes, it was just lying around, not getting used.  And last year, I went through my husband’s pants and came up with 17, yes you read that right, 17 pairs of almost new (or new pants) that HE NEVER WORE!  I sold them and put that $160 towards our Christmas gift fund!  A side benefit was our closet was cleaner!

 

 

 

3.  Start using ebates, ibotta and other money saving apps and put the cash directly in your special Christmas account.  This one may not make you loads of money to put towards Christmas gifts but I usually get $15-$20 every 3 months simply for shopping through them!  Hey, who wants to throw away and extra $60-$80 a year?  Not me!

 

4.  Put off any unneeded purchases and tuck the $$ you would have spent on coffee out, little toys, movies ect… into your special account.  Here again, the little adds up!  I am the worst when it comes to instant gratification sometimes, but honestly would we (and our kids) be more satisfied in the long run if we put off that junky $1-$5 purchase and got something really nice instead later?

 

5.  Throw an online or in-home party for books, Lilla Rose, or something else you can use as gifts (this technically won’t earn you $$ but will provide gifts free of charge for you to give).  Norwex is great for both earning money & getting great Christmas gifts for FREE!  I have done this multiple years in a row.  Its so fun to give books, hair clips or awesome cleaning products as gifts (especially when you know you paid absolutely zilch for them!) and the receiver loves them too 🙂

 

So, this list is by no means exhaustive, but it does get you going and I hope these tips helps you and get your mind to thinking about how you can save for great Christmas gifts without going into debt!  What things do you do to get your Christmas cash?

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About Jenny

Jenny is a homeschooling mom of 4 and wife to a wonderful husband. She enjoys reading, a good cup of coffee, and spending time outdoors with her family. You can find her writing about Jesus, homeschooling, and life on her blog Our Inconvenient Family, and contributing regularly at Lifeschooling Conference.

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