The Ultimate Holiday Money Saving Guide

Can you believe Christmas is only 59 days away?!

But fear not that just means we get 59 more chances to save that Christmas money. Everyone could use a little extra cash, especially come Christmas time. Here are some practical money saving tips you can use to gather that Christmas stash quickly.

1.Skip the Starbucks

This doesn’t mean you can never have those fancy beverages ever again. However, for now, let’s just make it at home! There are a lot of easy copycat recipes we can do. Not to mention it will also save time not having to stop by that long drive through, or line. (And let’s forget the app and that we can order ahead as that is just too tempting). Also, when we make it at home we can add all the flavors that we love, and even new ones, at a fraction of the cost. The average person spends 5-7 dollars a day on Starbucks. Meanwhile, making the same drink at home will cost us about 1 dollar per drink. Suddenly that ribbon crunch frappuccino is looking a lot less tempting. So be your own barista and save the big bucks! I will include a fun (or painful) calculator in the resources at the end of this post so that we can see just how much this habit is costing us. We can then take this money and add it to our holiday savings.

2. Cut down your grocery bills

I know things are crazy right now with inflation, but we can still save money on groceries. I wrote a whole post about how we can save more money on groceries (tips that my family and I have personally used). These tips have saved us around 1200 per month, and that’s a nice lump sum that we can throw into our holiday savings. Some of these tips include meal planning, shopping online and more. So be sure to check that blog post out here http://bit.ly/3faZhg9 for all of those grocery specific money saving tips.

3. Scan those receipts

Speaking of groceries, one easy way to save up that Holiday money is to scan those receipts. It’s too easy to toss those receipts and forget about them, but its just as easy to scan them and earn some money back for the things we are already buying. I repeat, for the things we are already buying. If we start buying the extra things some of these cash-back apps recommend, then we really aren’t saving any money at all are we? So let’s resist temptation and stick to our list and this is a sure fire way to get that money up quickly. There are so many apps like this out there but I personally use Fetch rewards. This is not sponsored at all (Fetch rewards if you are reading this I am interested lol!) This app is super easy to use, just scan the receipt and that’s it. Instant points and it hardly takes 2 seconds. You can get many different rewards, including Amazon gift cards and even VISA gift cards which is pretty much cash. If you wish to try them out use my code DUFCY to get 2000 points. They take every receipt not just groceries so check them out here: https://www.fetchrewards.com/ .

4. Take surveys online

But not just any surveys; user testing surveys. Websites like https://www.usertesting.com/ , pay real money to real people to help companies test their websites. You have to take a test test first (ha! test test), but after that you can take as many test as you wish. They are like 10 minutes long and they pay 10 dollars per test to your PayPal account within 1 week. We can then take this money and save it for that holiday fund. A couple of tips for getting approved (I’m sharing with you since no one told me this so you don’t get caught off guard), be sure it’s super quiet when you are taking the test test (ha, again!).

Also, when filling out the information about yourself put as much work history or experience as you have, it helps to get more relevant test. They get to know you as time goes by and give you more test opportunities that are right for you, but just so you can get the most out of it from the very beginning. After that first initial test test (OK, that’s enough lol) you won’t be able to take any test until that one is reviewed. You will get paid for that one so don’t worry, but again be sure is super quiet and speak all of you thoughts out loud to ensure you get an excellent rating.

Lastly, ( I know all of you will) be honest. If someone tries to lie just to get approved for a test they will absolutely get caught, not get paid and possibly even get kicked out of the program. Or at the very least get a terrible rating, which we do not want. There are test for every one, just keep doing the screeners until you get some that are perfect for you.

5. Turn off the lights, lower the heat

Be sure to turn off unused lights and slightly lower the heat. When we leave a room, let’s not leave the light on. But also, if there is daylight out let’s try to use this instead of our indoor lights to save money fast. Also, if we have them, let’s not forget those motion sensor outdoor lights, they can be turned off during the day to save a massive amount of cash. These lights are triggered day or night , but if we only use them at night, we will be increasing our use by at least 50 percent or more. Just set an alarm to turn them back on in the evening.

Another thing we can do if we can control it, is turn down our heat slightly. The home temperature as well as the water temperature, not so much that we are freezing but even a few degrees will make a big difference. As far as the water goes most water heaters are set to 120 degrees but we can lower it to even 100 degrees or less. If you don’t mind cooler showers you might be able to get away with a bit more but let’s be mindful of our family as well. We will see results as early as the next billing cycle with these tips.

With these tips we will be able to significantly increase our savings. Combining all of these tips will get us more than enough money to enjoy Christmas with our families and not go into debt. Although, let us always remember the reason for the season and focus on making wonderful memories and doing kind deeds rather than material things.

As a treat for reading to the end Here’s a bonus tip : Today decide how much money your ideal Christmas will cost, decoration, gifts, food, activities, everything. Let’s make sure we are dreaming big but at the same time beign reasonable. Take that number and divide it by 12. Every month from January you will save that amount. And once December comes rolling around again. You and your family will be all set for Christmas without breaking the bank or going into debt. Win-win!

Resources:

Coffee cost calculator : https://www.hughcalc.org/coffee.cgi

How much does it cost to drink Starbucks: https://drinkstack.com/coffee/cost-starbucks/

Here's how much money you could save by making coffee at home: https://www.businessinsider.com/heres-how-much-money-you-could-save-by-making-coffee-at-home-2015-10