Everyone loves a good celebration. However, not everyone loves the expense that’s often associated with celebrating a special occasion or event with their family or friends. But luckily for those frugal-minded people out there, there are ways in which you can have your cake and eat it too when it comes to saving money while also celebrating that special day. To show you how, here are three tips for celebrating special occasions without breaking the bank.
Create a Budget
Most special occasions should come to you as no surprise. Birthdays, anniversaries and holidays fall on the same days each and every year. Because of this, there’s no reason to be shocked when it comes time to plan these celebrations. However, many people don’t take these things into account when planning their normal budget.
According to Erin M., a contributor to FrugalRules.com, special occasions should be budgeted just like all other recurring expenses in order to minimize their strain on your budget as much as possible. If you haven’t done this yet, see how including these expenses in your budget can help you save money when planning for celebrations. Be it the smallest of gestures, you should make a note of how much it is going to cost. You could be getting a cake, or getting flowers delivered to their doorstep in Williams Landing or any other place, but by adding it to your budget list, you can plan things better.
Purchase Gifts Ahead of Time and When on Sale
Another great way to plan ahead for saving money on recurring special events or occasions is to always be on the lookout for deals or sales on gifts ahead of time. If you wait until the last minute to buy your spouse an anniversary gift, even though you’ve known your anniversary has been coming since you first got married, you could end up spending a lot more on the gift than if you’d been on the lookout in advanced. Melissa Ezarik, a contributor to BankRate.com, suggests taking advantage of large sales like Black Friday to purchase all the gifts you’ll need for the entire year, not just for the upcoming holidays. This way you’ll never spend an obscene amount of money on a gift you need to have by tomorrow.
Take Advantage of Freebies and Coupons
Many businesses and companies love to help you make your special days even more special by offering freebies or coupons to help you celebrate. Especially on birthdays, it’s easy to find ways to get many items for free or at a discount simply by knowing where to look. You can begin taking advantage of these special offers by signing up for reward programs, email lists and newsletters that offer some kind of celebratory gift each year your birthday rolls around. If you’re able to tap into this stream of gifts enough, you may not even have to spend anything to feel like you’ve had a great birthday celebration.
Special occasions can be that much more special when celebrated with those you love. Use the tips mentioned above to celebrate the way you want without having to sacrifice your budget or stretch your wallet too far.
