How to save money on gifts at Christmas
While there are some affiliate links in here, this is not a sponsored post. I really just wanted to pass on info I found helpful this year!
After the tough year we have had, I'm trying to give the girls an amazing Christmas this year. Lots of traditions, warm memories, and hopefully everything on their Christmas lists.
However, we are also planning a trip to Disney for a week in June, so there's not a ton of extra money in the budget these days. So if I wanted to get them everything they wanted {plus some awesome gifts for my family and friends}, I was going to have to get creative. I also was not prepared to go Black Friday shopping, which is a huge money saver sometimes, so I had to find other sales and savings.
The first thing I did was get a list early. Charlie is really too little for a list still, but Emmy has very strong feelings on what she wants from Santa. So I had her write down what she wanted about a week or two before Thanksgiving. This would give me lots of time to scour the best sales. Emmy's list was also limited to three things. This year she asked for a horse farm, princess castle, and a yellow transformers robot. Though Charlie is too little to express her exact present requests, I knew something Little Einsteins would blow her mind.
Next, I made sure to take my time. If I saw something they wanted, I didn't just jump right up and buy it. Often times you can find a better price somewhere else. Yes, it takes a little more time, but the reward is normally worth it.
Stalk Craigslist. I am constantly checking on there for cheap toys. Spending just a few minutes browsing every day helped me score this amazing princess castle for only $30. Just a quick trip out for Skip and we had it!
Enlist family and friends. My aunt found this wooden dollhouse on the side of the road and snatched it up for us. Looks like Charlie is going to get her own big toy this year as well! And nothing beats free! I am never opposed to grabbing something I see on the side of the road if it's in good condition or I can spruce it up.
That brings me to my next point. Don't be afraid to put in a little elbow grease. The plastic castle needs a good scrubbing, and the house could use some touch-up paint. Don't over look something just because it needs a little love first.
Always check Amazon...especially if you are a Prime member. That free shipping is worth its weight in gold. Plus they almost always had the lowest price on things, compared to other stores.
Use gift cards. With a gift card to Best Buy, I was able to buy 4 DVD's for the girls for only $5. I was able to use them for things for my family as well.
Credit Card points. I have always loved racking up the points on my credit cards. Gift cards, merchandise, I never say no to free stuff! This only works for Skip and I since we treat credit cards like debit cards, and pay off the balance every single month. The points don't end up saving you money if you're also paying interest at the same time.
With all of these things, I was able to get most of Emmy's gifts...but Charlie's were taking a little while. Mainly because they don't sell Little Einsteins things anywhere anymore. So I took to Ebay. I have been staying away from Ebay a lot more recently, as people have been charging as much, if not more, than stores that sell the item for new. But this was a special case. Now, I was shocked by most of the prices. I know they are impossible to find in stores, but come on people...$100 for a piece of plastic was not going to happen. So I made sure to get on there and check constantly. I was then finally able to snag a few things people were selling at a more reasonable price!
Want another way to get gift cards or free merchandise? Check out Play 2 Shop, which I've talked about before on here. Just by playing games I was able to get a few Christmas gift for free! They also have cash back at tons of stores.
Speaking of cash back, my favorite way to get it is through Ebates. On Black Friday, most of their stores had double the rewards! I check almost every day to see what percentage I'll get.
Check out Zulily. I know there are some people that have had problems on here, but I never have. Just makes sure you order things well in advance, as shipping does take a long time. Oh, and here's a tip. If there are a few items you want to order, just order one at first. You will then get an email about free shipping the rest of the day. Order the rest with that!
There are also lots of other deal websites such as Groupon and Living Social. I used to just use them to get deals on restaurants and beauty trips, but they have some great products as well!
In terms of saving money for the girls stockings, I first went to Michaels and stocked up on some things they have on their $1 and $2 aisle. Lots of kids toys and art supplies there! I rounded out there stockings at Dollar Tree from there. Don't hate on the dollar store, you can get SO much there! Puzzles, coloring books, small plastic toys, etc. They're stockings will be stuffed without taking too much out of the bank.
So those are my tips for making sure to please every one on your Christmas list, while not breaking the bank in the process.
What are your tips for saving money at the holidays?
After the tough year we have had, I'm trying to give the girls an amazing Christmas this year. Lots of traditions, warm memories, and hopefully everything on their Christmas lists.
However, we are also planning a trip to Disney for a week in June, so there's not a ton of extra money in the budget these days. So if I wanted to get them everything they wanted {plus some awesome gifts for my family and friends}, I was going to have to get creative. I also was not prepared to go Black Friday shopping, which is a huge money saver sometimes, so I had to find other sales and savings.
The first thing I did was get a list early. Charlie is really too little for a list still, but Emmy has very strong feelings on what she wants from Santa. So I had her write down what she wanted about a week or two before Thanksgiving. This would give me lots of time to scour the best sales. Emmy's list was also limited to three things. This year she asked for a horse farm, princess castle, and a yellow transformers robot. Though Charlie is too little to express her exact present requests, I knew something Little Einsteins would blow her mind.
Next, I made sure to take my time. If I saw something they wanted, I didn't just jump right up and buy it. Often times you can find a better price somewhere else. Yes, it takes a little more time, but the reward is normally worth it.
Stalk Craigslist. I am constantly checking on there for cheap toys. Spending just a few minutes browsing every day helped me score this amazing princess castle for only $30. Just a quick trip out for Skip and we had it!
Enlist family and friends. My aunt found this wooden dollhouse on the side of the road and snatched it up for us. Looks like Charlie is going to get her own big toy this year as well! And nothing beats free! I am never opposed to grabbing something I see on the side of the road if it's in good condition or I can spruce it up.
That brings me to my next point. Don't be afraid to put in a little elbow grease. The plastic castle needs a good scrubbing, and the house could use some touch-up paint. Don't over look something just because it needs a little love first.
Always check Amazon...especially if you are a Prime member. That free shipping is worth its weight in gold. Plus they almost always had the lowest price on things, compared to other stores.
Use gift cards. With a gift card to Best Buy, I was able to buy 4 DVD's for the girls for only $5. I was able to use them for things for my family as well.
Credit Card points. I have always loved racking up the points on my credit cards. Gift cards, merchandise, I never say no to free stuff! This only works for Skip and I since we treat credit cards like debit cards, and pay off the balance every single month. The points don't end up saving you money if you're also paying interest at the same time.
With all of these things, I was able to get most of Emmy's gifts...but Charlie's were taking a little while. Mainly because they don't sell Little Einsteins things anywhere anymore. So I took to Ebay. I have been staying away from Ebay a lot more recently, as people have been charging as much, if not more, than stores that sell the item for new. But this was a special case. Now, I was shocked by most of the prices. I know they are impossible to find in stores, but come on people...$100 for a piece of plastic was not going to happen. So I made sure to get on there and check constantly. I was then finally able to snag a few things people were selling at a more reasonable price!
Want another way to get gift cards or free merchandise? Check out Play 2 Shop, which I've talked about before on here. Just by playing games I was able to get a few Christmas gift for free! They also have cash back at tons of stores.
Speaking of cash back, my favorite way to get it is through Ebates. On Black Friday, most of their stores had double the rewards! I check almost every day to see what percentage I'll get.
Check out Zulily. I know there are some people that have had problems on here, but I never have. Just makes sure you order things well in advance, as shipping does take a long time. Oh, and here's a tip. If there are a few items you want to order, just order one at first. You will then get an email about free shipping the rest of the day. Order the rest with that!
There are also lots of other deal websites such as Groupon and Living Social. I used to just use them to get deals on restaurants and beauty trips, but they have some great products as well!
In terms of saving money for the girls stockings, I first went to Michaels and stocked up on some things they have on their $1 and $2 aisle. Lots of kids toys and art supplies there! I rounded out there stockings at Dollar Tree from there. Don't hate on the dollar store, you can get SO much there! Puzzles, coloring books, small plastic toys, etc. They're stockings will be stuffed without taking too much out of the bank.
So those are my tips for making sure to please every one on your Christmas list, while not breaking the bank in the process.
What are your tips for saving money at the holidays?
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