7 Ways to Make Christmas More Affordable NOW

Do you know how many days are left before Christmas?  Let me offer a little help in case you’re not a calendar nut like I am.

That may seem like a long time, but it will be here before you know it. My goal this year is to have all (or at least most) of our Christmas shopping done by the end of October. That should allow us to avoid the hustle and bustle at the mall and focus on some family traditions and Jesus, the reason for it all! Sometimes hurrying to find that perfect gift at the last minute is just downright stressful, especially if it’s a strain on your budget. So let me share seven ideas I have for making gift-giving more affordable and less stressful this year.

:: Start an Envelope… Now

If you’ve been hanging around Saving & Giving much, you know that I’m a fan of cash envelopes for spending categories where OVERspending just too easy to do. (Groceries, miscellaneous money, etc.) I’d like to add Christmas to that list. Even if you’re bargain shopping, it’s still too easy to spend more than you had planned to spend. Just because it’s a good deal doesn’t mean that it should end up in my shopping cart. It’s only a good deal if I’ve set aside money to pay for it.

Why not start now? It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. A simple white envelope (or one of last year’s Christmas envelopes if you want to get festive with it) will do. Label it Christmas, and start stashing away a few extra dollars each week. It’s amazing how quickly those dollars can add up, and you’ll have the money available for that time when you find a great deal on the perfect gift for Grandpa.

:: Watch for Deals and Freebies

There’s nothing wrong with giving a gift that cost you very little…. or nothing. We gave my brother-in-law a fabulous backpack that was free-after-rebate a couple of years ago, and he LOVED it (and still uses it)! I’m always on the lookout for great photo deals (books, gifts, etc.). I made my mother-in-law a photo mousepad with Emma’s picture on it. I only paid shipping, but that doesn’t make it a less thoughtful gift.

I also like to keep an eye on the clearance deals in the stores. Instead of walking by them and wondering who is spending money on things like that right now, it might be worth a few seconds to take a look at what’s available. You never know what treasures you might find! Keep in mind that in August, back-to-school sales will be a great time to stock up on art supplies for the budding artist on your list.

:: Use Swagbucks to Earn Amazon Gift Cards

I’m pretty sure that you can order just about anything on your Christmas shopping list from Amazon these days! Shopping on Amazon is even more fun when you’re using free gift cards that you earned from Swagbucks. If you’re not familiar with Swagbucks, it’s a search engine that randomly rewards you for everyday web searches. You simply register HERE and then do all of your Internet searches through their website. Every once in a while I’m surprised with some “bucks” that appear at the top of my search results page. You don’t earn “bucks” for every search, just random ones. As you accumulate these random “bucks,” you can redeem them for prizes. My favorite prizes happen to be Amazon gift cards. We use these to buy gifts for birthdays and Christmas. With Amazon’s FREE Super Saver Shipping, you won’t even have to pay for shipping if your order is $25 or more. Free gifts…. free shipping…. It doesn’t get much more frugal than that!

:: Use Bank Rewards Points for Gifts & Gift Cards

We are SO fortunate that our bank awards points for debit card purchases, check writing, and online bill payments. It’s surprising to me how quickly those points add up. I checked ours the other day, and we’re halfway to earning a $100 Amazon gift card. (Have I mentioned that you can get almost anything from Amazon?)  I’m sure we’ll have plenty of points before Christmas rolls around, so we’ll be able to fund $100 of our shopping with that gift card. If your bank doesn’t award debit card points, it might be worth calling around your area to see if any others do.

:: Don’t Let the Small Stuff Snowball

Stockings happened to be the first thing that came to mind when I thought about the “small stuff” of Christmas. While the gifts inside them are small in size, they don’t always carry a small price tag. I’ve been amazed to see all those little doo-dads add up to big bucks! One of my goals this year is to watch for freebies and deals that would make good stocking stuffers. That’s why I ordered Emma the sticky notes with her name on them. You could also watch for freebies at Rite Aid, CVS, and Walgreens. If you have college students on your gift-giving list, a stocking filled with personal care items might make their day!

Shipping can also be a very expensive “small stuff” addition to Christmas shopping. Watch for free shipping deals like the Super Saver Shipping from Amazon and the free shipping from the daily deals sites. You can usually save $5 or more on each order that you place if you can score free shipping.

Wrapping paper can be another “small stuff” budget-buster if you’re not careful. But who says you have to use traditional Christmas wrapping paper? We’ve used Emma’s artwork (on large sheets of paper) and solid-colored tissue paper. Even lunch bags can be decorated with ribbon, rubber stamps, or stickers. If you have a newspaper nearby, ask for the endroll of newsprint. They’re usually free or super-inexpensive. Then turn the kids loose (or you if you’re crafty!) and decorate your own wrapping paper.

:: Limit Your List

This one is the hardest for me. I LOVE to give gifts! Our list of recipients seems to grow longer each year. I have to reign myself in and re-evaluate who’s on that list.

I also like to get creative with the gifts that we give to people outside of our immediate family. Rather than spending big bucks, some thoughtful planning can result in a creative, much-appreciated gift. For example, teachers don’t need another apple mug. (Really… I was a classroom teacher for years, and we don’t decorate in apples at home.)  One of the most useful gifts I ever got came from a parent collecting a few dollars from each student (probably less than they would’ve spent individually) and using that money to get me a mall gift card. A heartfelt note from a student would seriously make ANY teacher’s day!

If you have a large extended family, it might be worth discussing a gift-giving name swap with them. Instead of getting small gifts for many people, you might be able to spend less and get a very nice gift for whoever you were assigned for that year. It’s also less likely that the nice gift will end up in their donation box next year! We’ve done this for the past 2 years with my dad’s side of the family and have really had fun getting to know what everyone likes.

:: Christmas Cards

This one is near and dear to my heart, because my mom and I used to operate a home-based stationery and invitation business. We made personalized Christmas cards for customers each year. In fact, I’ve paid for Christmas using Christmas card money in the past! But cards can get VERY expensive.

Many people are opting to send photo cards in lieu of traditional folded greeting cards. I love to see how families have grown over the past year, and Emma loves to keep the cards from year to year. Lots of companies offer great photo card deals on a regular basis. It might be worthwhile to pick out (or take) your Christmas picture this summer. Then, when the photo card deals start to pop up in the fall, you’ll be ready to take advantage of them. You might even order smaller batches of cards from several different companies. By doing this, you might get each set of 25 cards free and just pay for shipping (or maybe even score free shipping!). It doesn’t matter that you have a variety of designs. What matters is that you didn’t break the bank to buy them.

You can also save money on cards by opting for postcards. Postage is cheaper, and that can really add up if you’re sending a lot of cards.

Did I miss any great tips for working toward a more affordable Christmas now? Feel free to share your tips in the comments. Let’s all work together to not over-spend this year!

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