With Thanksgiving now just a memory and a couple extra pounds around the midsection, it’s officially the season for joy -- the joy of long lines, gift receipts, and scrambling to complete your holiday gift list.
Credit cards, wrapping paper, mall Santas, stocking stuffers… and a partridge in a pear tree!
Don’t fret. Patch is playing Santa’s little helper this year as we bring you some money-saving tips for the holiday gift season.
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1. Make a “Secret Santa” gift exchange with friends or family. Every year the Secret Santa saves my bank account. Rather than have each person get something for everyone in my family, we draw names and set a spending limit. This way everyone buys for just one person, and no one goes broke.
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2. Tell friends not to bother. It never fails: Each Christmas a couple of friends from whom I wasn't expecting anything buy me a gift. And since I can’t leave the exchange uneven, I then have to get them something. It turns into a messy guessing game.
Although this may seem a little forward, every year I tell my friends outright to save their money and don’t buy me anything. Instead, throw a holiday party and have everyone bring something to share.
But just in case…
3. Pick up some non-specific gift items. Even if you attempt tip #2, chances are someone will unexpectedly buy for you. So pick up a couple of nonspecific gifts -- a bottle of wine, a few scratch-off lottery tickets, a bag of flavored coffee, a neat Christmas tree ornament.
Make sure it’s stuff that you would use, just in case you end up not giving it up.
4. Stock up on coupons and gift cards. Holiday sales are great, but a lot of stores -- especially -- will let you tack on extra discounts by using coupons (which you can often find online and print out).
Case in point: my sister picked up a Dyson vacuum recently for $179 -- original retail $499 -- by doubling up on coupons and shopping on a sale day.
And if you have any unused gift cards lying around, now’s a great time to use them up. Or even re-gift them. As long as your name’s not on it, no one will ever know!
5. Shop online. This is my personal favorite money-saving tip. Every year I manage to find great sales online. That new video game that retails for $65? Found it for $39. Will my brother know that I saved on it? Of course not!
And many online retailers will throw in free shipping around the holidays, or if you spend a certain amount. Free shipping = saved money, saved gas, saved headache!