Christmas Shopping on a Budget

When it comes to buying cool gifts, it is key to look for gifts on a budget so that you don’t overspend and overstress. Whether you need to buy Christmas gifts for a big family or just one or two, if you shop smart, you can save money on gifts!

Last year was our hardest Christmas we’ve had where money was super tight. We had to make a lot of decisions about who and what to buy for and I had to be very creative with our money.

At this point, my husband had been out of work for 5 months, we were on government assistance to cover food for our family and our unemployment had just run out.

But I knew that there were gifts that I wanted to get for my kids and family members and that there had to be a better way to still enjoy gift-giving (which I REALLY love) without breaking the bank!

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Best Rebate Apps to Use to Make Money

Rebate apps are one of my favorite ways to save money anytime I shop. I use so many rebate apps when I do my regular shopping so, why wouldn’t I do it with my holiday shopping?

If you’ve never used a rebate app, they are essentially apps that you can download on your phone for free and, before or after shopping, you can go to them and they’ll give you cashback on stuff you are buying anyway.

I like them a lot because they are super easy to use and often have great referral programs. Many of those apps give me cashback or even gift cards to some of my favorite places! Using the Fetch Rewards app (get it and use my code for $2! —> Q1XNB) I’ve gotten hundreds of dollars in Target gift cards just for referring other people to the app!

Some rebate apps like Shopkick will even have coupon codes, discounts, or dollar cashback for stores that you couldn’t find anywhere else. Whenever I am checking out at the store, I always make sure to do a quick scan to see if I can save even just 10% on something I was planning on buying anyway!

You can head over and read my favorite money-making apps and don’t shy away from using them! Even though you may only save a few dollars here or there, if you’re working to stick on your holiday budget, then those dollars matter!

Earn Money Shopping Online (and save on gifts!)

Let’s be real, we’re gonna do most of our shopping online this year. Going to the stores can be a real pain, particularly when you have little people in tow so, don’t feel guilty if Amazon Prime is your best friend! And if you don’t have Prime, head over and grab a free 30-day trial!

Before you impulse buy just because you get 2-day shipping, make sure you’re shopping smart! Always make sure you’ve logged into EBATES first. EBATES is another rebate site that will get you discount, shipping codes, AND cash back at most stores. Again, these sites and apps are a no brainer since you’re planning on spending the money anyway! You might as well just do one extra step to get the cashback!

If you’re planning on shopping Amazon, I really suggest utilizing Cyber Monday for your deals. You’ll be able to get the best cashback on your Ebates and Apps and catch some great deals! If you put items you know you want to buy in your cart, Amazon will alert you if the price drops. You can also use the Amazon app to create a watch list to know when they go on sale!

If you’re planning to shop off Amazon and know what stores you’d love to go to online, head over there RIGHT NOW and sign up for their email list. If you wait between 15-30 seconds, almost every website will have a pop up appear where you can put in your email and they’ll send you discount codes or shipping deals. They typically send them within the first 24 hours so if you sign up now, you’ll be able to get alerted of the deals before you checkout!

Good, Cheap Christmas Gifts

Besides just shopping online or in stores for gifts, this year I challenge you to be a bit more creative about what you’re buying and how you’re spending money.

We follow a 4 gift system where our kids get the gifts they want and need without us going overboard, wasting money, or getting them things they may never even open.

Once you come up with your Christmas Budget go ahead and make a list of who you are buying for so that you can start to pre-shop for them. You can always get great gifts at consignment sales or DIY things to save money.

Also, don’t underestimate personalized gifts! Grandparents especially love those types of things with the kids’ pictures or homemade by them! You can save a lot of money but DIYing gifts that people will love!

When buying gifts for more than one person, think about doing a couple or family gift. Maybe they need an appliance or you want to go to Groupon and get them tickets to a family experience. They’ll probably enjoy it more, it’ll actually get used and save you money!

Our family also has just started doing a secret Santa to save money. This is where you only get a gift for one person and get just one gift in return. This eliminates a TON of spending for us and a lot of unnecessary clutter coming into our home!

And make sure you go NOW and sign up for my Kick Your Debt to the Curb in 5 Days Challenge! This will guarantee you some extra cash to add to your holiday budget!