5 Ways to Save Money on the Holidays All Year Long

You can save yourself money and stress by planning ahead for the holidays. Here are 5 ways to save money on the holidays all year long.

It used to be that every year, as the holidays were approaching and I was feeling overwhelmed, I would tell myself that I would plan for the holidays better next year. By the time January rolled around, I would breathe a sigh of relief and tell myself I had a whole year to plan this time. Still, every year I would forget that promise to myself and wait until Black Friday to start thinking about the holidays again. Finally, I decided that I really had to make my promise to myself come true. I came up with some ways to save money on the holidays all year long and I am sharing them with you!

5 Ways to Save Money on the Holidays All Year Long

Shop for the next year during the after Christmas sales – After the holidays, everything goes on clearance so make sure you shop for the next year. While it may be hard to tell what kids may want a year from now, you can buy general items for the adults in your family or clothing a couple sizes larger for kids. This is also a great time to stock up on discount wrapping paper and decorations as these items are sold at huge discounts after Christmas.

Make some of your gifts early – DIY Christmas gifts can be a good way to save money. However, some DIY gifts need to be made over a longer period of time. Start making these early in the year and you will have several gifts ready to go well before the holidays.

Set up an account to start saving now– As soon as January hits, set up a holiday savings account and put any extra money, even change in this account. You can even make money on apps such as iBotta and add your earnings to your holiday savings account. You will be surprised at how fast it adds up.

Know when things go on sale throughout the year – Did you know that different items go on sale in different seasons? For instance, TVs go on sale in January and school supplies/craft supplies are on sale in the summer. Shop seasonally and you will save money by buying things at the best prices of the year.

Create a gift closet– A gift closet is a great way to store gifts you have bought throughout the year. A gift closet allows you to keep generic gifts on hand for those times you need a last minute gift. It’s also is a good place to store all the gifts that you get on sale until Christmas.