November 27, 2019 - Amber Johnson
As the semester comes to a close, students are finishing up projects, practicing presentations, and studying for finals. With all these things to get done for school, the last thing you want to be worrying about is shopping for the holidays. You can help take the stress out of the holiday season by starting early and making a holiday spending plan. Here are a few tips on how to plan for the upcoming shopping season!
First, decide who you need to get a gift for. Write down all the names of people you plan to shop for and determine how much you want to spend on each person. Create a budget for how much in total you plan to spend and be sure to track your purchases throughout shopping (keep in mind your holiday shopping should only be about 10% of your total budget!) Writing this all down in a list can help to cut down on overspending on gifts. Another alternative to buying a gift for each person that you’re close with is to do a gift exchange. Suggest doing a white elephant gift exchange with your family, or secret Santa with a group of friends. This can help cut down on your holiday spending and makes for a fun way to give gifts with a group of people.
Make sure to take advantage of holiday deals, there are a lot of deals that can help you save money. Also, make sure to look into Black Friday deals, and don’t forget about Cyber Monday as well. Stores like Walmart, Target, Amazon, Kohls, and Sam’s Club tend to have good deals, but do some researching to find the best sales. If you’re shopping online, try to look for free shipping codes or websites that are offering free shipping. This will help to cut down on unnecessary costs. Even try planning for next year’s holiday season by taking advantage of the post-holiday deals that usually have a lot of gift items on clearance.
Although it can be hard, try to resist overspending. I know that sometimes during holiday shopping you might see something that you just know your friend/family/partner would love, but the item could be pretty expensive. Just remember that the most expensive gifts aren’t necessarily the most meaningful and that you don’t have to (nor would the gift recipient want you to) stretch your budget in order to buy a gift. Also, try to shop for the holidays on a cash-only basis to avoid spending more than you intended. This way you don’t rack up credit card debt over the holiday season.
Another thing to consider would be to think about making or baking something as a gift. Get creative and give someone a do-it-yourself gift. A homemade and personalized gift can be so meaningful. A plate full of cookies, a painting, and a framed picture, are all ideas of a homemade gift you could give to someone. You could also plan to come to the Holiday Crafts on a Budget event on Thursday, December 5th from 6-8 pm in the Hall of Nations in Centennial hosted by It Make$ Cents. At this event, we’ll be making a bunch of different free fun DIY gifts and cards for the holidays!
Remember that the holidays are more than just gift-giving, and your gift recipient is going to be more than happy with whatever you give them, after all, it is the thought that counts!
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