7 Ways To Save Money This Christmas

“What’s your favorite holiday?” Ask a group of children (or adults), and the answer is often the same: “Christmas!” It’s mine, for sure! Because Christmas means so many things: warmth, love, family, faith, traditions …

And gifts.

Which leads to my next question. “What holiday do you find the most stressful?”

For many adults, the answer is the same. Because for all of the wonderful things Christmas can bring to our lives, it can also bring a lot of stress.

Now don’t get my wrong. I don’t like my Christmas to be all about huge piles of presents and what Santa will bring. I try to keep our shopping somewhat simple so we can stay focused on the true meaning of Christmas.

But I do like gifts!

I like receiving them, and I LOVE giving them. I love planning presents for others, I love wrapping the perfect gift, and I love the anticipation on my children’s faces as they speculate what’s under the tree. And although I greatly admire DIY mamas that can turn a few scraps of felt and a spool of thread into a fantastic creation, that’s just not me. So to stick to a Christmas budget, I love to find creative ways to earn more money. In fact, I love being able to “pay” for gifts without touching my budget at all!

So what do you do if you don’t have much cash but you’d like to buy a few things to put under your Christmas tree? Or if your budget isn’t super tight, but you’d maybe like to buy a few things for your husband that don’t come out of your joint checking account? Here are a few ideas to save money this Christmas season!

* If you haven’t signed up for Swagbucks (click here for details), now is a great time! By doing a few small activities a day, you can very easily have enough points to cash in for a $5 gift card in time for Christmas. (Remember that gift cards can take up to two weeks to post, so make sure to plan ahead.) Without too much effort, I can earn around $3 per week from Swagbucks, or enough to pay for my husband’s stocking stuffers. (Questions about Swagbucks? Please ask in the comments!)

* Remember when we talked about Shopkick (click here for details)? This is another great way to pay for Christmas! The offers vary from day to day and from store to store, but this is another good way to earn a few extra dollars per week. And Shopkick gift cards are available almost immediately. 500 points will buy a $2 gift card to Target, and it’s pretty easy to earn 500 points in one shopping trip most days. So you could go to Target, scan several items, cash in for a $2 gift card, and buy some Christmas candy. Or you could be like me – I save my points for larger gift cards. Last year I used my $25 e-gift card to buy an actual gift card to wrap up for my husband. This year I’ll probably do the same. I also love saving up my gift cards for service projects – in fact, I used my Shopkick referral points to buy enough toothbrushes to make 30 blessing bags (click here for details). A huge thank you to those who signed up through my referral link! If you’d like to give more generously this time of year (or ANY time of year), Shopkick is a great way to do it.

* Check out Recyclebank.com. It’s a program that rewards you for living a greener lifestyle. There are many little activities that you can do to earn points. If you have a magazine lover on your Christmas list, there are several magazine subscriptions that you can pretty quickly earn enough points to pay for. Or you can save up your points for a bigger item, like a gift card. This one isn’t one of the quicker earning programs, but I still enjoy it. I logged in recently after a few months of not using it, and was pleasantly surprised that I had enough points in my account to buy a $10 gift card. One more stocking stuffer off the list! (And I’ve taught my 6-year-old daughter how to do the activities with me. Next reward on the list: an Applebee’s gift card for a Mommy-daughter date!)

* If you’ve signed up for any of the programs listed above (or Ibotta click here for details), host a little class and teach your friends about them! Or even just share some helpful tips on Facebook. When other people sign up for these programs under your name, you get a referral credit. This is a great way to build your Christmas fund while blessing your friends!

* Did you know you can buy used gift cards? Weird, I know, but true – and it works! There are several companies that offer this service, but the one I have personally used is CardCash.com. Here’s how it works: People have gift cards they’re not going to use. They sell them to CardCash. CardCash verifies the value of the gift card. They mark them up a bit. You buy them, still saving money. It’s awesome! The first time I placed an order, I was a bit skeptical, but now I’m hooked. They are rated an A by the Better Business Bureau, and their cards are guaranteed for 45 days. And yes, I know I sound like an infomercial. No, I am not sponsored by CardCash. I have just saved a lot of money this way, and I’m excited to pass on the savings! You can either buy gift cards and give them away as gifts, or if you know where you’re going to be doing your Christmas shopping, buy gift cards for those stores at a discount and save! One final hint: sign up for their emails and “like” them on Facebook for additional savings. (Note: when the gift cards arrive, they usually do not look new, so keep that in mind when you’re giving them as a gift. My husband wouldn’t care at all – he’d be proud that I saved a few dollars! But if I was giving one to someone else, I’d probably go to the actual store and ask if I could use my old gift card to buy a new one. Most stores will let you do that.)

* Next up … you guessed it … SELL your used things! Have gift cards you won’t be using? Sell them to CardCash and get paid! Then take a look around your home. Do you have any furniture you don’t use? Consider selling it online. Clothes you won’t wear anymore? If they’re in good shape, you might have luck on ebay. I have a used bookstore near my home called Half Price Books. My son and I hauled in a box of old books the other day and left with $20. You might be able to turn some of your old stuff into Christmas cash!

* Do you use Pampers or Huggies, drink Coke products, eat Kellogg products, or own Disney movies? All of these companies have reward programs, and I’ve been able to use all of them to get free stuff! If you’ve already signed up for these programs, log on and see how many points you have! And if you haven’t, today’s the day to sign up. Although you might not have time to earn anything by this Christmas, it’s a great way to get a jump start on next year.

Photo from here

For further savings ideas, check out our earlier posts and see if you find any helpful money saving tips. If you’re able to free up a bit of space in your budget using other means (like coupons and price matching), you can use a bit of that money on Christmas! Here are our tips on saving money at Walmart, bargain shopping at Target, earning free gift cards by using Swagbucks, making money with your smartphone, and “not-your-mom’s-mail-in” rebates. I hope you’re able to find something to help you save a little more, and give a little more! Happy shopping!

Kimber is a wife and a mom of two beautiful kids. Her family and her faith are the most important things in her life. She loves Dairy Queen Blizzards, she gets really excited when she finds a good deal, and nothing soothes her soul quite like the ocean does. Check out her website Let’s Do Some Good Today. 

Don’t forget to share this with your friends and family to help them save money this holiday season!

Danielle is the owner of Today's the Best Day. She strives to provide creative and uplifting content in order to enrich the parenting experience for women everywhere. Danielle hopes to help you and your family to make every day the best day!

November 18, 2014 by Danielle Davis | 12 Comments