It is the season of giving, which often means it is also the season of spending.
Shopping for the new year doesn't have to be a budget-buster. There are plenty of ways you can reduce holiday costs, and trim off a few shillings.
One of the best things you can do to help make the holidays a lot less stressful is to create and stick to a holiday budget.
Here are some tips to help you enjoy the holiday on a budget.
List your holiday expenses
You should make a list of all the holiday expenses that you will have.
This will give you a basic idea of things that you will need covered.
Decide on Your Spending Limit
When you are considering this amount be sure that you only use money that you have set aside for festivities or extra money that you can find in your budget.
Track Your Spending
As you purchase each item cross it off from your shopping list and subtract it from your running holiday budget total.
This will help you track your budget at all times and make it easier to make adjustments between categories if needed.
Buy online
When it comes to the holiday season there is a ton of online stores that have offers and discounts.
You should however make sure of the legitimacy of the store before you order and if it is a local online store it is advisable to use the pay on delivery option to ensure the security of your money.
And on the plus side, they deliver to your doorstep saving you gas money.
Buy early
This tip may be a little late but well there’s always next year and the one after. Before the holiday month of December, we are blessed with Black Friday in November when prices drop to up to 70% off.
Take advantage of black November to purchase gifts and materials to be used over the holiday season.
Bargain
When buying items that don’t have fixed prices, negotiate with the seller to get the price that suits your pocket.
Pack food and water for the trip
This is cheap because it saves you from the unnecessary purchase of food items as you travel.
Plan ahead
Mapping out where you plan to go in advance will not only help you avoid unnecessary spending but also eliminate the chance of costly cross-town taxi rides when you all get bored of a place.
Be a designated driver
If drinking is secondary to the pleasure of socializing with loved ones, volunteer as the designated driver.
It’ll save on cab fare and alcohol, plus your friends will probably want to buy food as a thank you gesture.
