Holidays on an Economic Downturn

Do not wait for Halloween to plan for the holidays! Definitely DO NOT wait until after Thanksgiving! Prices on gifts and holiday decor, etc. will start to increase every day closer to the big Holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. They know you’re desperate so FOOL them! Also, surprise yourself as early holiday shopping helps to spread out the damage to the pocket-book over months. The flip side is one frenzied weekend two weeks prior! Here are some HUGE tips for HUGE savings that I’ve gathered from others and my own experience over the years!

TIP 1:

Companies usually pull out last year’s holiday decor and gifts that did not sell in efforts to unload at a discounted price in two months before the holiday. That means NOW! Find the clearance aisles in stores or get the BEST deals online. Always go to the “clearance” or “sale” tab if looking online. For example, check out the fall and Thanksgiving decor currently on sale at Pier 1.

Most often you can have gifts shipped to you cheaper than driving to the store! Free shipping on-line as opposed to gas money! You do the math!

TIP 2:

Go to online price monitoring websites. Some of them are VERY efficient at getting your lowest price on any item. Some are just not! One of my favorites BY FAR is ShopWiki.

This site has an awesome slide bar feature where you can slide the bar to any price range and color. Be patient however, with these awesome features the pictures are a little slow to load. Go to the bathroom, let them load, in the end it’s worth the savings!!!

TIP 3:

You do not have to be an artist or even “creative” to make these SIMPLE gifts. Homemade gifts are from the heart and inexpensive! Start now and have plenty of time to give meaningful gifts that people will really appreciate! Some ideas include:

1. Make a music CD, or CD Set from your music library. If you have a friend that travels a lot from work, make them a driving or travel CD. Or, make a whole set complete with a Vol.1 party, Vol.2 slow-songs or Emo, 3) throw-backs, 4) one-hit wonders, etc.!  
2. Make your homemade salsa, sauce, dip, or chilli. Make up your own signature brand name, put on a white mailing label, apply to Ball jar. Buy a bag of tortilla chips or crackers to accompany and Wha-La!
3. Give a comfy movie night! Buy a big bowl. Put the following in the bowl:  a DVD, bag of microwave or home-made popcorn, and their favorite drink!

TIP 4: 

This one is obvious. If you spend $500 in December in ONE paycheck, it hurts. BUT, If you spend $83.00 per paycheck starting NOW, it is much easier to swallow! Buy ONE gift each pay check (or gift and the decor you “need”) and see how easy it is to move into the holidays!