6 Wonderful Christmas Saving Tips For a Debt Free New Years

Do you want to owe money on your credit cards in January from going overboard this holiday season? Of course, you don’t! Here are 6 Christmas saving tips that help you look for bargains and save money on everything on your list.

Some years I just can’t get that special item on my child’s list and dread seeing the disappointment in their face. Avoid overpaying at the last minute for gifts and get your shopping done before stores begin to run out of essentials for your celebration.

Smart shopping and knowing when is the best time to buy certain items will ensure that you don’t rack up huge debt this year.

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#1 Look for sales at grocery stores

You are going to need groceries anyway and Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away. Right now at WinCo grocery stores, you can score a free turkey! All you have to do is spend $100 on groceries, and a Jennie-O young turkey is all yours.

The turkey is frozen anyway so getting it early is the smarter choice. Just be sure to read the directions on the turkey to find out how long it will take to thaw based on the weight. I got one that was over 20 pounds!

Keep in mind that WinCo does not accept credit cards, so be sure to bring cash or your debit card. A tricky way to get around this is to purchase a WinCo gift card online with a credit card, then you can use that in-store.

You can spend the $100 on anything you need like laundry detergent, toothpaste, and food items. Grab some of the essentials you need for turkey day now before stores begin running out. Not all WinCo stores may be participating in this promotion, so check with your local store before running out.

Don’t have a WinCo in your area? There are many stores offering a similar promotion including Fareway, Weis, Hy-Vee, and Acme. Don’t be a last-minute shopper, be an early bird this season!

Look at those grocery ads that are sent to your house. Usually, I think of them as junk mail or lining for my guinea pig cage, but when you are trying to save money during the holiday season, every little bit adds up.

Use This Free Money Saving App

If you see deals on things you need at more than one store and don’t want to visit more than one store, download an app called Ibotta. This app will show you offers for over 2,000 stores. Simply download the app and enter your location to get ads from stores in your area. You can search per store or search for the best price. This is one of the awesome Christmas saving tips we have.

Ibotta is completely free and this app to show all of the store deals eliminates the need to visit different stores and keep up with paper ads. You can “claim” each offer you are interested in and the app will save everything to a list. You can also use coupons along with this app for even more savings. Just scan your receipt after you have paid for a claimed offer to earn cashback. Check out our review on Ibotta!

Check with your local stores to make sure they do price matching before heading out to shop. Walmart is one grocery store that allows shoppers to price match items with this app from my experience.

#2 Ask friends and family to contribute to holiday meals

If you are planning a family celebration with 10 or more members, you may spend over $100 on food plus hours in the kitchen.

By the time you do all of that shopping and cooking, you’re not going to be all cute and sweet ready for hostess duties. Ask your friends and family members to bring a dish. Everyone is the best at making something so this is one of the most useful Christmas saving tips.

Compliments Save Money

Ask your aunt to make her special cornbread stuffing to bring and grandma to bring her famous pumpkin pie. Really talk it up to them and give them compliments about their cooking to get them to say yes. Call your cousin or mother in law and tell them how amazing their homemade mac and cheese is or their apple pie and tell them you simply cannot ever replicate their skill.

If you can get your guests on board to bring things to the dinner, you will cut your preparation and shopping costs in half if not more.

For example, I called my mother in law and told her how delicious the ham was that she made in a crockpot at a previous dinner. I told her that I had already bought the turkey, so can she please get a ham and bring it. She appreciated the compliment about her cooking and was thrilled to agree to bring the ham. That’s one thing marked off my shopping list and less time that I will have to prepare food that day.

#3 Plan for children being at home for the breaks from school

Thanksgiving break will keep your children home from school a whole week and Christmas break will keep them with you for 2 weeks. Think about all of the extra lunches and snacks they will need.

At school, it may cost less than $3 per day for their lunch but at home, it can be difficult to meet the same price point. Snacks are usually assigned on a calendar and every child brings enough for the whole class once per month. In order to prepare for the extra food that will be consumed at home, get some small reusable Tupperware containers and fill them with healthy snacks.

My Special Trail Mix Recipe

You can make your own trail mix with raisins, corn cereal, chocolate pieces, and dried fruit. You can also add your favorite nuts if you aren’t allergic to them. Mix all of your favorite ingredients thoroughly in a large bowl, then spoon enough to fill some containers.

Prepare Snack Containers

You can also fill some containers with other dry ingredients like pretzels, baked potato chips, veggie straws chips, tortilla chips, dried apple chips, and any other healthy items. Once you’ve made all of the dry ingredient containers, put them on a shelf in the pantry or on the counter and begin working on some containers to keep in the fridge.

You can fill the storage containers with cut cubes of cheese, washed grapes, cubed turkey, cut grilled chicken, baby carrots, celery spears, snap peas, salsa, ranch, apple slices, and other fun and healthy foods that your family enjoys. No matter where they search for food, they will have healthy things to choose from ready to eat.

If you have trouble getting your child to eat healthy snacks, having only these items available will take a while getting used to. If your child throws a fit about only having these healthy snacks to choose from, simply tell them they can wait until dinner to eat instead.

After a while, they will decide to try the healthy items instead of having to wait. You will save a ton of money by getting prepared for those hungry children ahead of time.

#4 Consider new stores for decorations

If it is time to add some new decorations to your home, think about the Dollar Tree. You can buy tons of crafting supplies for only $1 each. They have a massive selection right now. This is one of the coolest Christmas saving tips!

Low-Cost Crafts and Decorations

You can buy glass vases to fill with scented pinecones and wrap a festive ribbon to make an elegant centerpiece for only $3. Your guest will never guess that you got your decoration so cheap!

They have ornaments, garland, wreaths, and all kinds of things to glue on them. I made my sister, Becky Beach, a beautiful wreath years ago, and she still has it! Dollar Tree has everything you need: real plates, small gifts to make gift baskets, wrapping supplies, food storage containers, wooden signs, candy, stockings, stocking stuffers, the list goes on. Check out our trip to buy organizational containers at the Dollar Tree!

Save Money on Wrapping Paper

Wrapping paper at other stores could cost up to $8 per roll. Keep in mind that their wrapping paper may not be as thick and the length may not be the same as the more expensive paper.

There are many designs to choose from at the Dollar Tree including basic colors, Disney characters, Barbie, Hello Kitty, My Little Pony, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Wars, and more. They even have those giant plastic bags and bows to wrap bulky items easily.

Holiday Candy Savings

There is a large selection of holiday candy. They have candy canes for your tree, those tiny Santa chocolates, and even a bag of hard candy with “coal” written on it for those little mischievous children in your life.

Ross, Dirt Cheap, and Marshalls are also great places to score bargain prices on holiday décor. Don’t pay full price on your decorations.

#5 Wait till after December 25th sale for major decoration purchases

If you’ve had your tree a few years and are thinking of getting a new one this year, wait! After the holidays are over, everything is deeply discounted at large retailers like Walmart and Target. This is one of our great Christmas saving tips.

You can get a $200 artificial tree on sale for $50 like I did last year. Think about it this way: You’re not just going to all the sudden stop celebrating your holiday, so stock up on the things you need for next year when things go on sale.

If you’re simply tired of your current tree and want something new, consider painting it or using different decorations this year. You can check Pinterest for many creative ideas with keywords like “reuse tree” or “tree color spray” and will find thousands of awesome pictures.

Some people want those giant blow-up decorations for their lawns. They can cost $100 or more. Think about if you really need to make that item part of your decorations this year or if you can stand to wait until next year. You can find deep discounts as soon as the 26th of December.

#6 Buy the popular toys that your children will want before December

Last year, The “My Life as a Jojo Siwa doll” was so popular before Christmas, people were buying them for less than $30 and selling them on eBay or other online shopping sites for over $100.

As wrong as it sounds, people make a lot of money buying popular toys in bulk right now in November and saving them until two weeks before Christmas to make money off desperate parents.

This year, my child has her eye on the “L.O.L. Amazing Surprise” set. It has 14 exclusive dolls and 70+ surprises inside. It is currently for sale for $119.00 with free shipping from Amazon and Walmart also has it for sale for $119.00 right now. If this is something your child is interested in, consider buying it now before the price goes up.

Take Advantage of Black Friday Deals

You can also wait until Black Friday to buy everything on your child’s list or Cyber Monday. Since a lot of items will be deeply discounted, it will be difficult to get everything you want due to large crowds.

The safest choice to make sure you get what your children can’t live without, buy it now and keep it hidden and wrapped with the receipt. If it goes on sale and you are able to get it cheaper, buy it again and take the first one back!

It may seem silly but it is better to be prepared than to pay more or stress right before the holidays. These days, the after Thanksgiving sale starts on the actual Thanksgiving day at 4 pm or 6 pm. Don’t feel bad about running off to shop.

Sign Up For Store Emails

Sign up for store emails to get notifications when things go on sale. If you don’t want all of the marketing messages in the email account you use every day, create a new email account just for this purpose.

Gmail offers free email accounts and you are not limited to just one. Simply go to Gmail and create a new account. Be sure to sign out of your other email account before attempting to create a new one. Think of something you will remember and write the new email login down to keep in a safe place.

You may want to purchase our beautiful password tracker on sale for $1!

Once your new email is created, start visiting the websites for stores you like and sign up. One great trick about my idea is that you may get coupons to your new email that you did not get before. Be sure to check your new email in your free time every day to see when the sales are happening.

Plan Now to Succeed With Your Savings

By planning ahead now, you will save money that can go toward a vacation or more gifts for your family. Stress will also be reduced this holiday season because you have some ideas on how to get ready. Your friends and family will be impressed that you have it all together this year instead of procrastinating. The early bird gets the worm, right? Have a great holiday season with your family and make more lasting memories with your loved ones.

Do you have any money-saving ideas? Let us know in the comments!

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