If you are on any type of budget Christmas can be a challenge, and it can be stressful. Planning your out Christmas budget does not mean that you can’t have a great Christmas, that you can’t give your family everything that you want. You need to be smart about it and plan ahead.
Keeping to a Christmas Budget
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I shop all year long. I have a large tote that I store as much as possible in. I keep everything to together so I don’t lose anything, and it keeps little eyes out of it.
Plan Ahead
What do you put in Christmas stockings? Do you put the same thing in every year? These are items that you can pick up throughout the year. A bottle of shampoo or body wash isn’t going to add much to your weekly shopping list and will save you that larger payout before Christmas.
Shop Sales
I know the type of toys that my kids love – Monster High, Lego, and Paw Patrol – so I can keep an eye out in stores for clearance items or great sales. Amazon and Walmart are my go-to. If I can see something in-store shopping with my kids I either have Hubby pick it up after work or snag it online.
Using Swagbucks
I use Swagbucks when I shop online as much as possible. I use it to earn cash back on things I’m already buying and then turn them into Amazon gift cards (my choice of reward) that I can turn into more shopping.
Limit What You Buy
It can be so hard to limit how many presents you buy for your kids, I know because every year I seem to go overboard. Look at what your kids already have, what they play with, what they might need.
So far this year I have bought some books, some (gymnastics) clothes, and the one thing that my daughter has asked for from Santa. I have bought some craft supplies too, super cheap from Walmart’s clearance section – I mean like 90% off cheap! But they’ll have no idea how much or how little was spent, they’ll just see a great gift.