[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/moneydoneright.com\/personal-finance\/saving-and-budgeting\/how-to-save-money-for-christmas\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/moneydoneright.com\/personal-finance\/saving-and-budgeting\/how-to-save-money-for-christmas\/","headline":"Keep the Holidays Cheerful: 15 Useful Tips on Saving Money for Christmas","name":"Keep the Holidays Cheerful: 15 Useful Tips on Saving Money for Christmas","description":"Christmas is a wonderful time of the year, but sadly also one of the...","datePublished":"2018-12-06","dateModified":"2025-05-11","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/moneydoneright.com\/author\/logan-allec\/#Person","name":"Logan Allec, CPA","url":"https:\/\/moneydoneright.com\/author\/logan-allec\/","identifier":4,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6e74dd0453a5871d1dcfde6d40d9494765ca8bfdb01927cefee4564d4bee9075?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6e74dd0453a5871d1dcfde6d40d9494765ca8bfdb01927cefee4564d4bee9075?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Money Done Right","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/moneydoneright.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Money-Done-Right-Personal-Finance-and-Investing-Blog.png","url":"https:\/\/moneydoneright.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Money-Done-Right-Personal-Finance-and-Investing-Blog.png","width":488,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/moneydoneright.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/saving-money-for-christmas.jpg","url":"https:\/\/moneydoneright.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/saving-money-for-christmas.jpg","height":667,"width":1000},"url":"https:\/\/moneydoneright.com\/personal-finance\/saving-and-budgeting\/how-to-save-money-for-christmas\/","about":["Saving Money"],"wordCount":2288,"articleBody":"Christmas is a wonderful time of the year, but sadly also one of the most expensive. For working parents it can be tough spending so much money on gifts, decorations, in addition to a possible Christmas party or vacation.If you\u2019re feeling overwhelmed and wondering about saving money for Christmas gifts and anything else a truly cheerful holiday celebration entails, we\u2019re here to help!Here are a few easy tips to help you have the Christmas your family deserves in the most financially sound way to do so.Table of ContentsToggle#1 Play a Game of Secret Santa#2 Get Emotional#3 Gift Cards Are Yours for the Taking#4 Don\u2019t Procrastinate#5 Find Better Deals#6 Get Organized#7 Four-Gift Rule#8 Buy Decorations after Christmas#9 Buy in Bulk#10 Do It Yourself#11 Nature Is Here for You#12 Exchange with Neighbors#13 UberEATS#14 Make Some Sales#15 Drive for Lyft or UberStart Saving Money for Christmas Early#1 Play a Game of Secret SantaInstead of buying more than four gifts on your own, try playing a game where you may end up buying a single gift.This Christmas, try something different and get your family to join in a game of Secret Santa where each family member will only have to buy and receive one single gift.It\u2019s probably a better idea to play this if your children are a little older, or else you and your spouse will end up buying all the gifts anyway.This would also be a great idea if you celebrate Christmas with your extended family. Even if money was not an issue it wouldn\u2019t make much sense to get 15 presents from 15 people.#2 Get EmotionalReceiving a brand-new iPhone for Christmas seems too good to be true, but the truth is that there are much better gifts out there.Nowadays, we tend to put too much emphasis on money and how much a present costs rather than what it means. As a result, meaningful gifts are slowly fading away.If you have an emotional connection with someone and get them a Christmas present based on something they said or an inside joke between the two of you, it\u2019ll definitely make them much happier than receiving a $200 gift.Anyone can get them an expensive gift, but a meaningful one based on your relationship is something only you can get them and a gesture they\u2019ll cherish for a very long time.Besides helping you save money for Christmas, such a gift would be a great way to reconnect with a friend or acquaintance.#3 Gift Cards Are Yours for the TakingGetting a gift card by being a regular at your local coffeehouse isn\u2019t the only way. The Internet is full of websites, tools, and apps that\u2019ll give you gift cards in exchange for a few tasks or simply for signing up.SwagbucksIf you\u2019d like to put in some effort and earn a little money you can always register for Swagbucks.Through Swagbucks you\u2019ll get money for watching videos, taking surveys, and playing games online.The rewards you collect via Swagbucks can be substituted for Amazon gift cards later on.It\u2019s always a great idea to save money on Amazon since it\u2019s very likely you\u2019ll at least use it for some of your holiday shopping.IbottaYou could also simply sign up for Ibotta and use the $10 bonus you get on registering for the service. It\u2019s like getting free Christmas money.Even if you don\u2019t have time to use Ibotta and the holiday season is too close, you can take the $10 gift card now to aid you in your shopping.RakutenRakuten (formerly Ebates) is another wonderful service that gives you plenty for your Amazon money back.It\u2019s like having a permanent discount where you get back about 5% of the money you spend.These services are definitely what you\u2019re looking for if you\u2019re trying to find out how to save money on Christmas without simply buying cheap Christmas presents.#4 Don\u2019t ProcrastinateYou don\u2019t need to tell us how busy life can get because trust us, we know.Nonetheless you should always try to make time for buying gifts, and preferably as early as possible.First of all, you can do some of your holiday shopping during the mid-year sales. Don\u2019t worry, the gifts will still be good to go at the end of the year.Secondly, if you\u2019re fairly certain about what presents and decorations you want to get, you can try buying them in stages, every few weeks or every month.You might still be spending $500 or so, but would you rather spend it all in December or would it be better to spread it out over 3-4 months?Plus, there\u2019s always the risk of not finding what you\u2019re looking for right before the holidays, because there are thousands of other people out there buying presents and odds are that some of them will want to buy the same things you want.If you find any convenient deals for Christmas in November then go ahead and take advantage, there\u2019s no reason you shouldn\u2019t.#5 Find Better DealsOne of the best ways of saving money for Christmas is to not buy an item the first time you see it. There\u2019s almost always someone out there selling it for a cheaper price.Apps like RedLaser let you find places and people who are selling the item you desire at a better deal.All you have to do is scan the item\u2019s barcode using your phone and RedLaser will do the rest.What we love about this app is that it doesn\u2019t just go through online sellers, but also looks for better deals at offline retailers.#6 Get OrganizedThings can get hectic and every few years it might happen that someone gets forgotten. Let\u2019s say that in the midst of all the shopping madness you forgot to bring your brother in-law a present.Santa\u2019s Bag is a handy app you can use to keep all of your shopping ideas in the same place.Use it to create a list of people you want to buy gifts for, gift ideas, and even set a total budget.#7 Four-Gift RuleYour kids don\u2019t need four toys each Christmas despite how hard they try to convince you otherwise.If you\u2019ve already got them used to receiving this amount of gifts then it might be a little hard to change that now because they\u2019ll feel disappointed.Generally, you should apply the four-gift rule when shopping for your children during the holiday season.The four-gift rule goes something like this:Something they wantSomething to wearSomething they needSomething to readAt the end of the day, your kid is still getting four presents, but at least some them will be practical and valuable in the long run.#8 Buy Decorations after ChristmasNo, we\u2019re not postponing Christmas or suggesting you celebrate it after the rest of the world.If you\u2019re planning on saving money for Christmas next year, a great way would be to start preparing as early as 26th of December of this year.Prices of Christmas decorations start to drop significantly once Christmas is over. Take advantage and buy the decorations you like, to store them for next year\u2019s holiday.Take care to store them in a clean location away from dust and temperature extremes so they remain in perfect condition until next Christmas.Oh, and you don\u2019t have to worry about them seeming outdated because Christmas decorations never go out of style.#9 Buy in BulkYou can always find great Amazon deals on things you can bundle together. It\u2019s often how retailers get you to buy more, but you can definitely take advantage of that to save a few extra bucks.This is a great option for buying Christmas tree decorations.You probably already have a perfect mental image of what you would like your tree to look like, but keep in mind that buying individual ornaments can be pretty expensive.Why not try to buy them in bulk instead?You can find 100-piece sets available for as little as $10 on Amazon or even at Walmart. Any large retailer most likely offers plenty of choices and variations that you can choose from.If you\u2019re still attached to the idea of having a very unique tree then perhaps it would be a good idea to ask for these individual ornaments as presents from your loved ones.They\u2019ll be happy to oblige since ornaments will probably be cheaper than most gifts they can get you anyway.#10 Do It YourselfThis ties back to one of our previous tips, \u201cGet Emotional,\u201d but in this case it applies to Christmas decorations.There are tons of materials and colors that you can use to make the prettiest Christmas decorations you can think of.Get creative, look up videos on YouTube, and put some love into it. We bet you\u2019ll get plenty of compliments from guests on your lovely and unique decorations.Disclaimer: To be honest this isn\u2019t something I tried or would try because my art skills are non-existent.#11 Nature Is Here for YouWe\u2019re always too busy staring at our phones to notice the beauty around us.Take a few minutes to walk outside and enjoy the scenery. You\u2019ll find plenty of alternative, cheaper Christmas decoration ideas out there.During winter you\u2019ll find tree logs, fallen leaves, interesting looking rocks, and more. Why not use them to add a woodsy feeling to your home and Christmas decorations?Adding these to your home will undoubtedly make your Christmas feel and look more authentic. In addition, you\u2019d be saving quite a few bucks that would otherwise go on expensive store-bought decorations.As a bonus tip: If you don\u2019t like how something looks 100% you can always tie a ribbon around it or spray paint it a different color.#12 Exchange with NeighborsNo, we can\u2019t say we recommend walking up to a neighbor\u2019s house, knocking on their door, and seeing if they want to swap ornaments.There are apps available like letgo or OfferUp that allow you to buy and sell items locally.These apps can help you find sellers or buyers in your neighborhood or community, which is a lot more convenient than shopping online. It also cuts down on shipping time plus costs.It might even be a neat way of getting to connect and meet with new neighbors.#13 UberEATSOrdering food while trying to save money seems counterproductive, doesn\u2019t it? Well, not if you\u2019re not the one doing the ordering.You can apply to be an UberEATS driver to deliver food whenever you\u2019re free and make some extra money during the holiday season.It\u2019s cold and people won\u2019t get up from under their blankets if they can help it, which means services like UberEATS will be in high demand.Swoop in and save the day by delivering what they need, on your own time, whenever you\u2019re available.#14 Make Some SalesIf you\u2019re trying to find new ways of saving money for Christmas presents, maybe you should try selling them yourself.For extra money this holiday season, you can always get a part-time job at a retail store.It\u2019s a clever way to make more money and take advantage of any Christmas deals they have for employees.For those who don\u2019t have time for a part-time job you can make some Christmas cash by selling some of your old stuff on Gazelle.Gazelle is a great e-commerce platform to buy or sell used electronics.The company purchases used tablets, smartphones, laptops, and desktop computers, even if they are slightly damaged.After inspecting them and certifying them, the items are then resold for a convenient price.#15 Drive for Lyft or UberIn this modern day and age we all have Lyft or Uber apps on our phones. To many people, they\u2019ve become their favorite mode of transport.Demand for these services during the holiday season is particularly high, so a good option for rounding up your income and saving money for Christmas would be to work as an Uber or Lyft driver.You can turn off the app or become \u201cunavailable\u201d whenever you don\u2019t want to work.Both companies allow you to drive whenever you want so you can spend as much time as possible with your family.It\u2019s also worth knowing that Lyft gives new drivers a $300 bonus if they complete 100 trips within the first 30 days of their employment.For more information about driving for Lyft and Uber, including pros and cons of each service, check out this article.Start Saving Money for Christmas EarlyWe can\u2019t deny that saving money for Christmas and looking for the best deals requires a lot of effort.Ideally, you should start at least a few months before the holiday season begins.This will allow you to stay on the lookout for the best Christmas deals and the most effective ways to buy cheap Christmas presents that will still put a smile on your loved ones\u2019 faces.Our Christmas tips focus not just on saving money on presents and decorations, but also on making some extra cash.Not all of these will work for everyone, but surely you can all take advantage of at least 3-5 ideas in order to make your Christmas one worth remembering without breaking the bank.Do you have any other useful Christmas money saving tips? 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