Wrap Up Holiday Savings
Save money with deals as you buy gifts this year
By JENNISE VENTURA
It’s hard to believe that in a few months, Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here. This year has really flown by!
Here are some tips to help you save money and find deals during the holidays.
Look at your spending from the last few months. What can you cut down on? Maybe scale back on Amazon orders (can be addictive!) and those Door Dash and Uber Eats orders. If you are a social person who likes to go out, cut down on the alcohol and the cigarettes. You can celebrate during New Year’s Eve.
If you would rather not sacrifice any or some of it, find deals instead! Look at off-brand items, including Amazon brand items while shopping on Amazon. Instead of using the food ordering services, use the restaurant apps, which have lots of digital offers and pick it up yourself. You save on the delivery fees, tips and the inflated prices many delivery services charge.
Create a budget and create weekly meal plans. Buy potatoes, pasta, beans and rice, as they are staple items in many dishes. Buy apples. You can make applesauce, baked apples with a dash of cinnamon and sugar for desserts. Stretch out ground beef for two days. Make hamburgers one night. The next night, shred up the grilled burger to make sloppy joes with the leftover hamburger buns. Or even better, make chili. If you like chicken, you can make a similar dish. Make grilled chicken for the first night. For the second night, make shredded chicken and get some tortillas, which are relatively cheap and have chicken soft tacos. With any other leftover chicken, you can make chicken noodle soup with some cooked pasta.
Use rebate apps to save. The Ibotta app, Fetch Rewards and ReceiptHog are some of the apps that offer cash back on everyday items. If you have the Walmart app, it also has a rebate program. Any funds rewarded go toward your purchase made through the Walmart app or website. It would be great to save the rebate cash to put toward toys or gifts purchased for the holidays at Walmart. There’s also a rebate app for Amazon and Target.
Buy discounted gift cards. There are websites where you can buy gift cards at a reduced price. If you have rewards programs through various restaurants and businesses, most will offer deals such as “spend $50 in gift cards, get a $10 bonus gift card” during the holidays. Use the bonus gift card as another gift or save it for yourself.
Add to cart
When you are looking on websites for items, add them to your cart. For me, this simplifies my shopping when it comes to specific items. If I am looking for air fryers, I may find one on the Best Buy and Target websites. I will add them to my cart and I will check the websites every week or two to see the discounts.
Many companies offer better deals online than in stores so keep an eye out for discount codes to save money. There are several Facebook, TikTok and Instagram pages that focus on Black Friday and Christmas savings. Use keywords based on your interested stores to like and follow them.
Most stores offer price adjustments, but review policies because each store has different requirements. Some offer seven days and others 14 days from the time you purchase to get the difference refunded if an item’s cost is reduced.
Check out Facebook Marketplace and eBay for deals. Another person’s trash may be your treasure, especially if it’s in great condition. In some cases, items advertised are brand new! Make sure you review seller’s profile for feedback and NEVER give money until you actually receive an item. There are too many scammers out there.
Also request to meet at a public place, such as outside a police station. You can never be too safe.
DIY gifts
Look on Pinterest to make homemade gifts. Gifts made by you creates a meaningful gesture. Homemade vanilla has been a popular gift. I bought vanilla bean stalks on Amazon, had leftover vodka, added it together in a mason jar and it’s currently stored in my kitchen cabinet distilling. Once it’s ready, I have mini bottles with cork stoppers to fill with the vanilla and I’ll stick ribbon around it and give it as gift, especially to those who love to bake.
Fresh-baked cookies is another popular gift. Generally, I bake about six to seven different types of cookies. I buy the cookies tins from Hobby Lobby, when they were 90% off the previous year and stock them up and give as gifts. You cannot go wrong with homemade cookies.
