It’s only October but Christmas is right around the corner and you don’t want to break the bank while you get presents for all of your loved ones. Money can get a little tight around the holidays, so here are five frugal tips that will help you get through Christmas with your bank account still intact.
1. Get Everyone Something Special to Eat
If you are really good in the kitchen then Christmas is the best time of the year to share your gift with the world. If you can make something special like homemade soda pop or the best salsa anyone has ever tasted, all you have to do is a make a big batch of your specialty, bottle it up, and give it away. It’s unique, it’s (hopefully) delicious, it’s fun, and best of all it’s cheap!
2. Use a Savings Account to Start Saving Now
If you haven’t already starting saving for Christmas it’s time to start saving now. And if you want a few extra bucks in your pocket then it’s important to get the right bank account for all your savings. You have a lot of options and you can compare best savings accounts online to make sure you use the right account.
3. Earn Interest on Your Checking Account
Finding the right savings account can take some work, and it can also be hard to remember to put money into the savings account so you can earn interest. If you want to earn interest but don’t want the hassle of a second account, you may want to consider bank accounts with savings attached to them. This way you can earn interest without the hassle of moving your money from one account to another.
4. Buy Presents Used
What’s the difference between a brand new video game and a used video game? Aside from the price, there usually isn’t any difference at all. Video games, DVDs and BluRays, musical instruments and more can be purchased second-hand and are usually just as good as they would be brand new.
5. Take Out a Loan
If all else fails and you still don’t have quite enough money for the Christmas season you might consider taking out a loan. The smartest financial decision is to just use money you have for your Christmas shopping, but if you decide to take out a loan then you should use a loan calculator just in case. This way you can model out the terms and figure out how much it will cost and how quickly you can repay the loan.
Kevin McKee is an entrepreneur, IT guru, and personal finance leader. In addition to his writing, Kevin is the head of IT at Buildingstars, Co-Founder of Padmission, and organizer of Laravel STL. He is also the creator of www.contributetoopensource.com. When he’s not working, Kevin enjoys podcasting about movies and spending time with his wife and four children.
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I’ve been hunting saving tips for Christmas all over the web and this is the most satisfactory!
I’ve been hunting saving tips for Christmas all over the web and this is the most satisfactory!