Low Effort Ways to Save Big during the Holidays
This time of year comes with so much joy, wonder, and…spending. Shopping for friends and family can be stressful, especially for those who don’t love gift-giving or who are on a tight budget. If you’re the former, check out these gift guides. If you’re the latter, enjoy these simple tips to help you save this holiday season!
Make a list (and check it twice)
Start by listing everyone you plan to shop for this season. Next to each person’s name, write down their preferences and what you’d feel comfortable spending. For example, my Mom isn’t a “gifts person.” She’d much rather you donate to a great cause in her name. My two brothers and I usually pool together dollars for our parents’ gifts, so I’d estimate $50 - $100 for my portion of her gift. My best friend and I typically keep our gifts within the $40 - $50 price range, so I’d write that price next to her name and limit my searches to that price point.
Jotting down notes about your friends’ and families’ preferences with estimated spending limits will help guide your search and help you estimate your total spending this holiday season. Congrats! You’ve just created a holiday budget! If the total number looks too high, explore lower cost or free gift ideas.
Plan ahead
An article published in 2010 still rings true 12 years later — delay can pay. By waiting until the last minute, you risk limiting yourself to whatever is left on the shelves at your local Target, and you also risk paying more for it. This post is being released on November 1st for a reason!
Once you’ve written down who you’re buying for and what you’re willing to spend, do a little internet surfing. Planning allows you to price shop, a luxury procrastinators don’t get. I recommend using free online tools like Karma that help you save and organize items into lists and notify you when prices drop. Doing the leg work before big discount holidays like Black Friday and Cyber Monday helps maximize your chances of getting a great deal on items you’ve had your eye on, and it limits your stress so you can enjoy the holiday season.
Here’s an example view of what a saved product list looks like on the Karma website. You can see alerts for sale items and available cash back on items saved to your list.
Stack cash back offers
Rewards credit cards are nothing new, so they’re probably already in your wallet. Every card offers different rewards - cash, travel points, gift cards, etc. — but some also offer increased rewards for spending in certain categories or at specific retailers. I have a Chase Sapphire Reserve, and there’s a section in my account portal called Chase Offers. All you have to do is: 1) “add” the offer by clicking the plus sign at the top right corner of the box and 2) use the credit card at checkout. The cash back will be provided in the form of a statement credit! Check to see if your credit cards offer something similar.
This is what the offers look like in my Chase portal. Any box with a green checkmark indicates deals that I have “added” to my card. If I buy anything from one of those retailers, in store or online, I’ll receive the cash back in the form of a statement credit.
Using credit card features in conjunction with cash back sites like Rakuten* allows you to stack cash back offers. The easiest and most effective way to use Rakuten is to install the browser button. It will automatically alert you when cash back is available once you visit a retailer’s site. Just click the cash back button, check out, and the cash will be credited to your Rakuten account. I’ve earned ~$3,000 via Rakuten in my lifetime, so I can confidently say it’s not fake!
(*Psst — if you sign up for Rakuten using the link above, you and I both get $$$ back after you make your first purchase.)
Pile on discount codes
Want to triple up on discounts? Use available credit card offers with Rakuten AND available discount codes. Googling discount codes is simple, but it can be time-consuming to find ones that work. That’s where Honey comes in! Again, I highly recommend installing the browser button for this one.
Just like Rakuten, a window will display in the upper right-hand portion of your screen if there are available codes for the site you’re on. Once you reach the screen that has the promo code box, select the button to apply all of Honey’s discovered discount codes. It will automatically select the code that provides the highest discount.
Hot tip: If you activate Rakuten first, using Honey will sometimes deactivate it. Remember to reactivate Rakuten by clicking on the browser button and applying the cash back once more — now your deals are stacked!
Repurpose or enhance your existing decor
At the beginning of each holiday season decor hits the shelves, and the Christmas spirit basically drives my car to Target. Over the last couple of years, I’ve tried to make an event out of just browsing the aisles of Target for fun rather than with an intent to purchase.
My family has had the same holiday decor for the last 30 years, and we adored bringing all of the nostalgic garland, ornaments, and knick-knacks out of the attic every year as a family. I feel like there’s something to be said for decor with memories that are oftentimes pushed aside to make way for cohesive, professionally designed spaces. Different strokes for different folks, I suppose, but an easy way to save this season is to repurpose or find a new appreciation for the decor you already have.
Instead of replacing your perfectly good front door wreath, consider changing the bow with inexpensive ribbon or adding battery operated lights and ornaments to elevate it. Sprucing up what you already have will likely be cheaper and less wasteful than replacing what you have with the “next best thing.”
Take advantage of free shipping
Am I the only one who didn’t know there was a National Free Shipping Day until this year? Apparently, it started in 2008 and is scheduled for December 14th. Just ooooone more reason for you to plan early!
If you’d like to knock out your shopping before then, shop in person or pay attention to purchase minimums to take advantage of free shipping offers. Don’t do this blindly, though. Do a quick little cost-benefit analysis before you check out.
If you’re $8 shy of free shipping and shipping costs $8, it’d probably behoove you to add something to your cart that costs $8-$10 so you’re getting something for your money. If you’re $30 away from the free shipping minimum and shipping costs $8, pay the shipping price instead of spending an additional $22 bucks.
Another tip — see if you can purchase multiple people’s gifts at one retailer. Even if one gift is a few dollars cheaper at another store, it’ll probably be easier to meet the shipping minimum and will help cut down on packaging and shipping waste.
Gift your time or skills
Actions speak louder than the last-minute gift you picked off the clearance rack. Use your unique skills to gift something especially meaningful and low cost. If you’re a great calligrapher and your friend is getting married soon, maybe offer to make signs or place cards for her wedding. If you are skilled at video editing, put together a video or picture montage of your friends’ baby! Are you the next Marie Kondo? Offer to organize a garage or annoying storage closet for your busy friend. Sometimes people would rather have your time and thoughtfulness than “things.”
Hopefully you now feel ready to take on the holiday gifting season! While red is a festive color, let’s stay in the black, shall we?
Ready to get a jump start on planning and shopping?