10 Great Ways to Avoid Overspending During Christmas
Posted by Jamie Jin
Hey guys, it's December, the most wonderful time of the year! How are you celebrating Christmas this year? Christmas is the season of giving, and possibly the time when you’ll most likely burn a hole through your wallet if you’re not careful. But that doesn’t mean you have to come out of it flat-out broke!
If you’re looking for ways to save, look no further. Our team members have tried this list ourselves and it definitely works! Here are 10 money-saving tips from us here at PanelPlace!
10 Great Ways To Avoid Overspending During Christmas!
1.Budgeting
It is extremely easy to overspend when it comes to Christmas. Nobody likes coming out of Christmas season flat-out broke but we make that mistake too often. However, with a little bit of budgeting, that can be easily avoided!
Create a budget, stick to it, and your wallet might just come out of Christmas season alive and well! A small tip here, maybe you could set aside your online paid survey earnings, just for Christmas!
2.Track spending
With Christmas deals out in full force, it can be so easy to lose control and go on an all-out shopping spree. Of course, no one likes to find out that they’ve spent all their money on the first day of Christmas. Solution? Track your spending! It’ll do wonders in helping you to curb unnecessary spending.
Spent too much today? Maybe you should cut yourself off so that you ensure that you will have enough funds left to enjoy the rest of Christmas with.
3.Prioritization is key
Giving gifts is the easiest way to show your appreciation to your loved ones this coming Christmas. Yet, we’re not all made of gold! The last thing you want to do is to skimp on gifts and end up with everyone less than satisfied. Thus, it might be for the best if you prioritized who to gift.
Create a list of the names of people you would like to gift. Next, organize them based who you would like to gift most. That way, you’ll be able to satisfy those closest to you, and no one will be offended by half-hearted gifts!
4.Do-it-yourself
Sometimes, it is really the effort behind the gift that makes it shine! Handmade gifts can often be more meaningful than anything you buy in stores.
They also tend to cost less! Sure, it takes time to make them, but nothing beats showing your loved ones how much they mean to you. Remember, it’s the thoughts that count!
5.Shop Early
Prices during the Christmas are often sky-high so never start your shopping then. Instead, start well before. November’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday often feature the best deals you will ever find! If those aren’t observed where you live, online retailers have also begun to use the internet to sell their products, often offering free-shipping to make them seem more appealing than their competitors.
Most Christmas goods are sold dirt-cheap during clearance sales. This is the time for you to stock up on wrapping papers and decorations for next Christmas. It may sound too early but trust me, it will save you quite some money!
Got some free time? Use it to do paid surveys and earn rewards. Let's Do it!
6. Pre-shopping Research
Your nearby department store may be the most convenient place to shop but that doesn’t mean it always has the best prices. That’s where the Internet comes in! We often rely on the Internet for paid surveys, paid news and gossips, but it can also be used to learn about the latest prices and deals!
It’s always a good idea do your research online before shopping to ensure that you buy at the lowest prices! Besides, online research barely takes any effort and considering the money you can potentially save, it’s totally worth it!
7.Suggest Gift Exchanges
Christmas is coming and your office is holding a party! The catch? You’re going to have to buy gifts for everyone who attending! Oh no, that’s going to put a serious dent into your wallet! Suggest having a Secret Santa - you will only have to buy one gift.
Furthermore, the Secret Santa can add a mysterious twist to the party, making it even more fun-filled! Your colleagues, especially your boss, will love you for the idea (and for helping them save money too!)
8.Make Your Own Meals
Lavish Christmas dinners in extravagant restaurants may sound lovely, but that share of the bill you’ll have to pay? Not so much. Yet, there is a cheaper way to enjoy delicious roast turkey and ham. Make them yourself! Of course, no one wants to go through all that prep work after a hard week at work but think about the money you’ll be saving!
There are also hundreds of easy recipes available online and the food prep can be a brilliant opportunity for bonding time! To top it all off, you can enjoy all that delicious food from within the cozy confines of your home! Sure beats having to deal with those dinner crowds, doesn’t it?
9.Low-cost activities
Christmas celebrations often involve parties with alcohol, and alcohol can end up really costing you! Fortunately, parties aren’t the only ways to celebrate the occasion. Why not go out into the city or town and mingle with the Christmas festivities?
Those can often turn out to be more fun that those lavish parties you’re used to and who knows, you might even meet some really cool new people in the process!
10.Don’t Buy For Yourself
It’s tempting to grab a gift or two for yourself while you are looking out at gifts for others. But you’re gonna end up checking off nothing from your buying list. Therefore, prioritise your list and resist the temptation. You should be the last on the list.
Wait till the end of the season for the clearance sales because that's when you can start shopping for yourself at a fraction of the original price!
And that is all the money-saving tips we have for you here! Before we end this post, the PanelPlace Team would like to share a quote by Bill Hurton, “The best of all gifts around a Christmas tree is the presence of a loved ones all wrapped up in each other”.
Don't forget to participate the December Promotion and share your precious Christmas moments with us !
We hope you have a wonderful Christmas ahead and all the best in achieving your money saving goals!
Till the next time,
The PanelPlace Team