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Insights on money, career and trading

Staying Thrifty During the Holidays

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Daniel at 8:17 pm

It is nearly Thanksgiving and Christmas will soon follow. Now is the time to think about staying thrifty since the holidays are upon us. In this article, we discuss four easy ways to get into the holiday spirit without breaking the bank. 

1. Feed the Masses without the High Costs

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Image via Flickr by SocialAlex

A thrifty place to buy high-quality food at ridiculously low prices is a discount food store. These stores buy damaged crates of products. The food is not damaged — just the crate. That is why they can sell name brand food like you find at your favorite grocery store for a lower cost. The food choice is good, and these are not food products close to expiring, but instead are perfectly normal. Dollar stores offer amazing value, so consider shopping there for year-round savings.

2. Make Budget for Each Holiday

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Image via Flickr by frankieleon

Chances are you already have a budget that helps your household run. Make a budget for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. In so doing, you can see exactly how much each holiday will cost you, and then it becomes easy to stay on budget and still have happy holidays.  A good way to fund your holiday budget is to visit Avant.com. Sites like Avant allow people to take advantage of money that they have earned, but for which they are awaiting payment. Services like this allow you experience holiday cheer without racking up credit card debt.

3. Don’t Be Shy about Coupons and Promo Codes

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Image via Flickr by StockMonkeys.com

There is plenty of holiday savings available via coupon. While most of us are familiar with coupons, a newer trend is the promo code that offers discounts in many ways. Sometimes the savings occur if you spend a certain amount. Sometimes those special savings codes bundle products together to get you to buy more. Keep in mind that they do not always mean savings. The trick is to make sure to buy what you need. A good tip for coupons is to visit the manufacturer’s site for specific products.

4. Have a Green Holiday Season

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Image via Flickr by Nicholas Eckhart

Green is the color for the reduction, reuse, and recycle mantra. When it comes to gifts, challenge your friends and family to adopt a thrifty attitude. Make a rule about exchanging quality gifts that diminish consumerism by recycling or reusing a product. A good example would be to give a brand name food processor from a thrift store instead buying a new one. The benefit, cost reduction, is a plus for the environment. Have each person make a wish list. Then the process of finding an item on that list becomes fun and rewarding.

These four easy tricks help keep your holidays on budget and full of merriment. With some thought, people can conquer the holidays in style without spending a fortune. Thrifty spending is less about being cheap and more about spending money wisely. Have the happiest of holidays!

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Insights on money, career and trading