The 12 Money Saving Tips of Christmas
- Sell your junk - Look around your house and take inventory of the things you either don't need or don't use anymore and sell them on eBay, Craigslist, or your local classifieds. You will be surprised with what you can get for items like old clothes, furniture, appliances, CDs, DVDs, etc.
- Open a Christmas savings account - No, it's not too late as long as you contribute to it each week. When this Christmas is over, just continue saving for next Christmas. Just check out ING Direct for some of the most competitive high interest savings rates.
- Buy gifts in bulk - Look for opportunities to purchase gifts in bulk. Not only will you save on shipping, but it also allows you to use larger discount coupons because of the minimum purchase requirements. This doesn't mean just buy multiple quantities of the same item, but also applies to multiple items from the same online store.
- Buy gifts for hours of pleasure - Give a magazine or newspaper subscription. It doesn't cost much and provides hours of enjoyment each month. Check out Best Deal Magazines for a huge list of magazine subscriptions with discounts up to 85% off the newsstand price. A subscription to The Wall Street Journal makes a very nice present to a college student.
- Buy pre-owned or refurbished - Buying "new" really doesn't matter that much when buying items like books, movies, CDs, video games, etc. Check out stores like Alibris and SecondSpin. You'll save 50% or more without any loss of quality. For other items such as electronics and appliances, consider buying it refurbished. Practically all the factory direct retailers offer refurbished items now. Plus, they back these items with their own manufacturer's warranty. To name a few, check out Dell, HP Home, Apple, Abt Electronics, and RefurbDepot for these refurbished deals.
- Make your own gifts - Making your own gifts are not only cheaper, but can also be more meaningful. Some ideas are making your own Christmas ornaments (Michael's), recipe books (Shutterfly), calendars (Snapfish), scrapbooks (S&S Worldwide), fresh baked bread (Cooking.com), & personalized gifts (PersonalizationMall).
- Create your own Christmas cards - Create a photo card or design your own Christmas card for that extra touch. Save by printing in bulk from an online printer such as VistaPrint. Also, consider sending postcards this year instead of a folding card. Not only is it cheaper to print, but it's also cheaper to mail!
- Conserve energy - This is often the thing that gets overlooked when it comes to saving during the holidays. Everyday things such as turning off lights and lowering the temperature on the thermostat are obvious, but one thing that is not so obvious are the Christmas lights. Replacing your existing Christmas lights with LED lights provide as much as 80% in energy savings. Just check out Christmas Lights Etc for everything related to Christmas lights.
- Stay in this year - Don't go out. Entertain at home. Get out the cards and board games. Have a family movie night. Consider a Netflix subscription. With their new service you can instantly watch and rent movies right from your Tivo or computer.
- Check for double and triple coupons - The best way to find out is to visit your local grocery store's website and subscribe to their alerts. Once the promotion begins, just visit CouponShack.com to print out your grocery coupons.
- Plan ahead on your meals - Go ahead and decide on your Christmas menu. Make a list of all your ingredients and start stocking up now whenever you see a coupon for an item or a sale on the item. Stock up on pantry and freezer items now and perishables later.
- Early doorbusters - Doorbusters are not just for Black Friday. Retailers are offering these doorbuster deals early. Keep CouponShack.com bookmarked for updates on all the early doorbuster deals.
Posted by Sok on November 12, 2009 Tags: Black Friday Deals, Cyber Monday Deals, Twelve Days Of Christmas, Last Minute Christmas Shopping




























