6 Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season

Holiday season (one of my favorite times of the year) is upon us! We have Halloween, Christmas, New Years and Thanksgiving all in the next coming months. I absolutely love how tradition-packed this time of year is, and all the family memories that are made. What I do NOT love is the effect it has on my bank account… With parties, presents, costumes and more, there is always something to spend money on. Last week I shared some tips for saving money for vacations, today I am sharing even more of my money saving secrets so you can enjoy the holidays without ever worrying about how much you are spending.

6 Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess

6 Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season

Keep reading for six simple ways to save money during the high spending holiday season! From practical savings on things like diapers, to funny family traditions that save money on gifting, and make everyone laugh, there are definitely a few dollar savers in my list!

1. Set a budget.

I am all for spending money on things that serve no purpose other than to make you happy, but it has to be within reason! Set a reasonable budget for your holiday spending and stick to it. If your budget is $40 and you already have a ton of fall decor, put that adorable decorative pumpkin back on the shelf! Another thing I do that goes along with budgeting is I keep a mental tally in my head as I put things into my shopping cart. It is amazing how that growing total helps me really analyze whether or not I want something before I put it in the cart.

6 Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess

2. Save on the boring, splurge on the fun.

Small savings here and there can make a big difference. When you are buying the boring essentials, forget the brand name and just grab whatever is cheapest. I’m a huge fan of buying the cheapest toilet paper, socks, baking supplies, dishes, etc. Anything that isn’t going to be on display doesn’t need to be ‘pretty’, in my opinion.

3. Buy in bulk.

One great way to save is to buy things you use all the time in bulk. For example, milk, snacks, shampoo – and if you’re a parent – definitely diapers. I did the math the other day and a baby uses about 2700 diapers in the first year of life. TWENTY SEVEN HUNDRED! If you use an average of 3 wipes per change, that is lots of wipes too. You can save on diapers and other items by buying in bulk at Sam’s Club.

6 Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess

 

 

6 Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess

4. Make homemade Halloween goodies.

Homemade is a classic way to save. I hate making homemade Christmas gifts. Love receiving them, just don’t like making them. However, homemade Halloween treats are fun, tasty and inexpensive to make. Candied apples, ghost marshmallows from scratch, gravestone cookies, etc. are all fun things to make and share at your Halloween parties and events. They save you money and can be a fun family Halloween activity.

Shop for gifts early and shop sales.

Don’t wait till December to start buying Christmas gifts, start shopping now. Most stores mark prices up during the month of December. Gifts are cheaper now than they will be in a few months. The other reason it is better to start Christmas shopping now is because you spread your spendings out over a few paychecks, rather than blowing it all in one month. You can take this tip the extra mile and purchase all your Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations and supplies the day after each holiday. Every thing is marked down by about 50% the day after, and it can be easily stored and used next year.

6 Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess

Set up a Christmas gift exchange.

If you have a large family, set up a gift exchange. Rather than buying a gift for everyone in your family, have everyone draw one or two names from a hat. Set a budget so everyone’s gifts are the same value. In our family we like to do a serious gift exchange and a funny gift exchange every year. We each get assigned one person to get a nice gift for, and then everyone buys a practical joke or novelty type gift as well. Christmas Eve we do a white elephant exchange with the funny gifts. The nice ones are saved for Christmas morning. It is a super fun tradition and saves us lots of money.

With two kids, lots of holiday travel plans and many holiday parties to host, Halloween, Christmas and New years are getting expensive for us. But we never feel worried or stressed about the extra spending. A little planning and foresight can go a long way! My money saving tips help me enjoy all the beauty of the holidays, without breaking the bank.

Do you tend to spend more during the holidays? What money saving tricks do you use? Do you buy anything in bulk at Sam’s Club to save money?

Keep scrolling for more pictures or…

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Play Mat: Soft Tiles | Clothes: Peekaboo Beans (striped dress, black wolf tee) | Moccasins: Freshly Picked


6 Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess6 Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess

▲best candid moment of the day▲

6 Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess6 Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess

▲he is determined to feed himself and drink out of a cup… so spills and crumbs follow him▲

6 Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess 6 Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess

▲what I thought i could do▲▼what actually happens▼

6 Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess 6 Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess6 Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess6 Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess6 Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess6 Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess 6 Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess 6 Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess6 Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess6 Ways to Save Money this Holiday Season | Rachael Burgess

8 Responses

  1. Wow, Rachael, I wish I’d had you as my Chief Financial Officer when my family was all growing up around me. Your ideas for savings could have stretched our $$$s even more than Gramps already did. You and your mom follow in his footsteps more than I ever did.

    1. Haha well I have some great spending tips too – but didn’t think those would be as practical to share haha, I do think of grandpa when I am being thrifty though!

  2. Rachael, I love your blogs, this on is also really good, full of great ideas. The only thing I’m sad about is that we don’t have a Sam’s store up here, I would love to roam around and check it all out, and I love seeing the pictures of Zoey and Zander, so I can follow them

  3. You have great money saving ideas Rachael! Thank you for posting these. I also love the photos of your sweet children!🎶🎶🎶💜💜💜🌺🌺🌺

  4. On one side of my family, we decided not to give gifts last year and just do a nice meal. It turned out great!

    1. We have done that before when I was a kid and it was actually really nice! I think we valued the things we did give and enjoy that season a lot more.

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