Daily Idea

How to Save and Give More This Holiday Season

Holiday shopping can be fun, but expensive. Giving is still better than receiving, but you don’t have to give until it hurts. These helpful tips allow you shower everyone with gifts and still let your inner Scrooge come out.

Link Resource: The Digerati Life

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Hi, I’m Nikki Key and you’re watching the Daily Idea. Time for the completely useless stat of the day: According to Families.com, Christmas generates about $435 billion dollars in economic activity each year in the United States alone. That means the average adult spends about $750 on gifts each year, or a whopping $1,500 by families with two adults.

Note to self: get richer friends this Christmas.

If you’re below the average like me, in this case it’s ok to embrace your inner Scrooge. Daily Idea is here to help you save a couple of bucks during the holiday season. Maybe even have some leftover to buy yourself a little something. Hey, we can all dream.

Prepare for the holiday shopping season this year by asking people for a wish list. Sure, everyone likes a surprise, but only when it’s a good one. No one wants to be enrolled in the Jelly of the Month Club. Look, if you have to buy a gift, you might as well get some satisfaction knowing that your gift is going to be put to good use. Once you have your list, decide how much you are willing to spend on each person. Start your shopping at one of the product cost comparison websites to help you find your best deal. Sometimes it’s cheaper to buy online. Other times it’s cheaper to buy in store to save the shipping cost.

If you have a large family or group of friends and you can’t afford to buy for everyone, suggest a Secret Santa or a gift exchange. Most people are familiar with the White Elephant exchange or, as I like to call it, “2 good gifts and a whole bunch of junk.” If you have friends and family with good taste, the gift exchange is a great way to give a nice gift, get a nice gift and save a couple of bucks in the process. And, by buying one large gift instead of a long list of small ones, you’re more likely to get someone a gift they’ll truly use and appreciate.

Here’s one my mom’s been working on for years: recycle gift wrappers, ribbons and gift tissue paper. This sounds cheap only because…well… it kinda is. But hey, if you’re celebrating with relatives and friends who already know you’re kinda cheap, you won’t mind asking for your boxes and containers back. You can always use decorative gift bags and boxes, even tin cans.

If you can find a gift that should suit a few people on your list, buy in bulk. You might consider Sam’s Club or Costco that reward buyers who need several of a particular item. If you’re already there for a gallon of shampoo or 50 pounds of paprika, might as well see if you can track down the perfect Christmas gift for that special someone, especially if that someone is about five people. If you can’t find two of the perfect gift for one low cost, consider buying from Craigslist, Marshalls, TJ Maxx or other places with deep discounts.

Instead of buying an item for every member of a family, buy a gift basket everyone can enjoy. Harry and David dot com offers spectacular fruit and flower baskets, but also lots of chocolate options in case your buying for families with children. After all, when’s the last time you saw an eight year old get excited about a grapefruit? Most of your local department stores offer baskets, too, and you’ll get points for both presentation and variety.

And finally, here’s one of my favorites: buy next year’s gifts right after the shopping season this year. Everything is on sale right after Christmas, usually at 50 to 75 percent off! Wait until early January and check out some of your favorite stores on a weekday. You won’t have to deal with the crowds and you’ll find incredible deals on those items the retailers are trying to get rid of to make room for the spring merchandise.

Best of luck this year with your Christmas shopping and here’s hoping they bring Orange Julius back to your mall just in time for Black Friday!

And that’s another Daily Idea.

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