How To Save Money This Christmas!

1  - Comparison Shop - find out who has the best price!

2  - Many stores price match, so find out about store policies & what you need to do to get the price match.

3  - Try to shop with cash, as it’s easier to visualize the cost of items and helps to keep tabs on exactly what you are spending.

4  - Redeem your reward miles for gifts (ie: Air Miles for movie tickets)

5  - Limit yourself to 1 gift per person. If finances are tight, think about buying one gift for a whole family instead for each person.

6  - Remember that last minute shopping often means spending more money.

7  - Start your shopping early in the year, giving you many options and chances to come across great deals that may not be on during the Christmas shopping season. 
 

8  - Don’t start your shopping until you’ve created/reviewed your budget.
 

9  - Think about doing Kris Kringle or Secret Santa.

10 - If any of your friends or family work in retail, find out if there are friend/family discount events.

11 - Consider shopping right after Christmas when many things are 50% off!

12 - Keep your eye out for coupons for stores and/or products you like.

13 - If you shop online, a lot of online stores will email you coupons or free shipping offers if you "leave" them in the cart overnight!

14 - When shopping online, keep an eye out for good prices, free shipping offers and other great deals.

15 - When shopping online, search the web for promotional codes to save even more!

16 - If there is a particularly great deal, get out early to make sure you get it before they're gone!  
 

17 - If there is a gift that’s expensive but you’d really like to get for someone, consider sharing the cost with someone, like a sibling or a friend.

18 - Open up a savings account to start saving a certain amount of money per week, so that you have discretionary cash for gift buying.

19 - Check clearance sections! Many great finds can be found there!

20 - If you have young ones, contemplate buying used toys/clothing, or even holding a swap with your friends.

21 - For older children who want gifts like video games, consider buying them used from your local video or video game store.

22 - Some websites like Craigs List & EBay sell brand new products for way better prices than you’d find in store.

23 - Buy gifts that have more than 1 use, and that grow with the child so you get more value for your dollar.

24 - Buy generic brands instead of brand name toys.

25 - Give the gift of quality time! Think of special activities you can do that the recipient would enjoy and plan on doing it soon after, or during the Christmas holidays! (A trip to the movies, going to an amusement park, going out for lunch or dinner together, skating, tobogganing, etc)