Last year, the average American household spent $1,536 during the holiday season. This year, things will likely look a bit different as we’ve all been affected in some way or another by the pandemic and subsequent dip in the economy.
While it’s always a good idea to optimize your Christmas shopping in terms of budgeting and spending, it’s especially important this year. And, the good news is that it’s actually quite easy to shop for gifts while on a budget. Here are a few Christmas shopping tips to get you through the 2020 holiday season.
Christmas Shopping Tips 2021
1. Find Extra Savings
Sites like RetailMeNot, Honey, and Dosh all allow you to earn cash back on your purchases. While doing your Christmas shopping this year, take the time to download a few of the best cashback apps and dig for deals. You don’t have to dig for long; Dosh will give you 10% cashback automatically deposited in your Dosh Wallet after purchase and Rakuten allows you to earn 40% off at select stores.
2. Gift Your Services
If money is truly tight this year, don’t stress. Instead, find creative ways that you can go “Christmas shopping” without ever leaving the house or logging onto the internet. Instead, ask your friends and family what they really need this year. Perhaps it’s a night off without kids, help fixing something around the house, or a nice homecooked meal. Chances are you’ll be able to provide them with the perfect Christmas gift without having to spend a dime.
3. Take Advantage of Seasonal Sales
Amazon Prime Day was October 13th and 14th, but if you didn’t snag a sweet deal in time, there’s still plenty of time left! Black Friday is a great time to shop for deals, especially online, and Cyber Monday and Small Business Saturday are both great days for discounted deals. This year, in an effort to stimulate the economy, it’s expected that retailers will hold bigger annual sales and offer larger discounts. Next year, try to plan ahead for the holiday season and purchase select clothing and gifts when they go on sale at the end of summer.
4. Make a List
Make a list...and check it twice. No, really! Making a list anytime you go shopping is a great way to reduce unnecessary spending. We suggest this in our guide to saving money while grocery shopping, but it applies to Christmas shopping as well. Make a list of the gifts, wrapping paper, or other items you need and don’t purchase anything else. This not only helps you avoid overspending, but it also ensures that you’ll be able to get in and out of the store quickly.
5. Budget & Save Early
Start now and download a budgeting tool to help you budget your finances. If you’re able to see where you’re money is going (like unnecessary spending on subscription services), you can shift it around to save more before the holidays truly start. We suggest a tool such as Mint, YNAB, or Goodbudget, which allows you to allocate a specific amount of your money towards one spending category. Reduce spending on entertainment, clothing, and perhaps even food delivery for the next six weeks and use that saved money for Christmas shopping.
6. Pay in Cash
It’s easy (and tempting) to put everything on a card and pay it back later. However, this Christmas season, you should avoid charging anything to a credit card if you can. And, unless you’re paying with a cashback-optimized debit card (we’ll get to that below), we’d suggest sticking with just cash. It’s another way to help you avoid overspending on Christmas gifts you don’t really need to buy. Head to the store with your list, the exact cash in hand, and nothing else. If you see something you really like, you’ll be forced to head home and think it over, therefore reducing impulse spending.
7. Shop with Cashback Cards
This Christmas shopping tip is our favorite! Spending this holiday season doesn’t have to drain your savings. If you have a cashback debit card like the Cheese Debit Card, you can earn money while you purchase Christmas gifts. You can even earn money when you refer friends and access early direct deposit features. And, that’s not even the tip of the iceberg in terms of perks. Check these out:
❌ No Monthly Fee 🧀️ $5 cash bonus
❌ No ATM Fee 🧀️ Up to 10% cashback with every purchase/transaction
❌ No Overdraft Fee 🧀️ Potential Double Cheese Cashback
❌ No Insufficient Fund Fee 🧀️ Up to 3% Deposit Bonus
❌ No Minimum Balance Requirement 🧀️ Early Paycheck
Sign up today for your Cheese Debit Card. Consider it an early Christmas gift from us to you!
