8 Tips for Cutting Back Your Christmas Shopping List

Holiday shopping can cause quite a bit of anxiety when you’re short on money. These 8 Tips for Cutting Back Your Christmas Shopping List will help you come up with a plan in order to save money and reduce stress.
Are you approaching the holiday season on a tight budget? Is it looking like you may need to make cuts to your Christmas shopping list to make ends meet? The truth is, this happens. Many families find themselves in this situation each year. The great news is there are simple tips for cutting back your Christmas shopping list, saving money, and pulling the holidays off pain and debt free. Take a look below at 8 Tips for Cutting Back Your Christmas Shopping List, so you can get through the holidays even on the tightest of budgets.

8 Tips for Cutting Back Your Christmas Shopping List

1. Make a list and check it twice. Or three times. Craft the first draft of your shopping list then go back and check it to see which recipients can be eliminated. This sounds harsh, but it doesn’t have to be. Do you still send gifts to the old neighbor you never talk to? Do you spend big bucks on gifts for friends who you could easily have a nice holiday dinner at home with instead? See which of the recipients can be eliminated. Even if you trim back 10%, you are off to a running start.

2. Which gifts can you swap out for less expensive gifts?
Take a long hard look at your gift list. Can you swap out any of the gifts for less expensive gifts? For example, maybe you give the mailman a $25 gift card each year. Could you lower it to $15? Or, could you find him a nice pair of winter gloves for $10? See which gifts you can swap out and save on.

3. Can you make “no gift” rules with any family members on your list? When budgets are tight, family members understand. If you can implement no gift rules amongst family members, do it! With this arrangement you decide amongst yourselves that you won’t give gifts to each other this year and will instead do something fun together like go ice skating.

4. Enjoy group activities instead of giving gifts. Do you have another family you often exchange gifts with? Instead, why not enjoy a free activity together such as a free holiday concert? It is a great way to still spend time together without the expense of buying gifts or the stress of coming up with the cash for them.

5. Swap out store bought gifts for handmade gifts. Can you swap any of the gifts on your list for handmade ones? Try swapping out pricey gifts for some homemade cookies or holiday bread. It is a nice way to show you care without spending a ton of cash on gifts.

6. Reconfigure your budget. You most likely set a holiday budget each year, so now may be a good time to reconfigure it. Take an honest look at your finances and see what your allotment for this year will be. This tends to force you to make necessary cuts and trims to your shopping list.

7. See if any of the gifts can wait. Do you like to buy your aunt a nice sweater each year but don’t see her until after the first of the year? Then wait! Buy her gift at the after holiday sales and score it for less. Way less. See which gifts on your list can wait and if so, put them off to buy later.

8. Try gift swaps. For large families, why not implement the gift swap idea? This way each person draws one name to buy for and you don’t have to buy for every single person in the family.

Cutting back your holiday shopping list may not seem like a fun thing to do, but the truth is it can be easy. Give these 8 tips for cutting back your holiday shopping list and see what a difference it can make.