Looking for new ways to save money this festive season? You’re not alone. Buying gifts can be a long and expensive process, especially if you’ve got members of your extended family coming around for Christmas this year.
In a bid to be more gentle on your pockets, we’ve got some of the best Christmas shopping savings tips right here. Start by correctly timing your shop this year. This includes capitalising on Black Friday deals in late November. We’ve even got you covered with some advice to help you save money on Black Friday parking too.
Affordable Christmas Shopping Solutions
Whether you’re single, a family man or someone planning to have children in the near future, every bit of extra money can go a long way towards achieving financial freedom. By saving on your Christmas shopping, it might even be possible to put a little bit extra into your investment portfolio at the end of the year. The following tips will help make that possible.
Start with a budget and know your limits
Efficient Christmas shopping requires you to have a fixed budget in mind. Try to be as detailed as possible, even if you’re not sure about what to buy Great Aunt Muriel (who you probably haven’t seen in a decade). A set price range is useful, especially if stores tend to run out of stock of the items on your Christmas list. That way, you can quickly pivot to plan B without spending more than you’ve intended to.
It’s important to know your limits and to spend within your means. Rather than swiping a credit card blindly and hoping for the best, a realistic outlook on what you are able to spend will make a world of difference to the state of your finances going into the new year.
Prioritise research and price tracking
By not shopping the day before Christmas, you’ll have enough time to research a range of gift options. Carve out some time to get quotes to compare from different stores and don’t be shy to ask salespeople about what festive season discounts that are in the cards this year.
Price tracking is a good idea and is easier than ever thanks to the range of online platforms and apps that can help do so. Searching for the specific product you’re after and seeing whether it’s on an upward or downward price trend can indicate popularity and whether you should hold off on buying in order to wait for it to drop even more.
Capitalise on Black Friday deals
It’s no secret that Black Friday can be more adrenaline-inducing than any other shopping day in the year. November is usually filled with ads and promotions encouraging consumers to grab hold of quite literally the best deals of the year. If your Christmas shopping list is done at least five weeks before Christmas, you’ll be able to save a lot of money by buying everything on Black Friday.
Aside from the obvious savings, doing so also gives you a bit of breathing room and takes the pressure off having to run around right before Santa comes to town. Plan ahead to be able to skip the clearance racks. All you have to worry about then is how much turkey you’ll need to prepare for the family on the day.
Save on Parking Too!
Black Friday and Christmas mania generally bring about a massive influx of people (and cars) to shopping centres all over the country. If you’re going to take our advice and do your shopping on the 26th of November, eight hours in a shopping centre parking lot can end up being quite pricey.
Renting a parking space from a nearby homeowner is an easy way to avoid the stress of car parks and to save a bit of money on the day. Sharing economy platforms like Stashbee have a reputation for instant bookings and decent prices. You’ve got nothing to lose by exploring a few listings near the shopping centre while you’re researching gift prices to begin with.
Whether you’re out to maximise your year-end investments or you’d just like to get through the holiday season with less stress than usual, the tips we’ve outlined will go a long way to get you there. Starting early and making the most of Black Friday deals could cut out a large chunk of your budget and free up room for you to spend your hard fought earnings on other things that are important to you and your future. You’ll also end up going into the new year with a sense of pride, actively managing your money in a way that can eventually lead to financial freedom.
