Want to Save Money? Simple Changes that WILL Help your Holiday Budget

 Want to save money on the holidays this year? Sick of blowing your budget at the last minute? The holidays should not be a time when you get into debt or have to use a credit card to pay for gifts.Most people fall into these spending traps and it is not fun to still be paying for the holidays the following year. Take a look at these 3 simple budget changes for Christmas spending and stay out of debt this year.

Want to Save Money on Holiday Shopping?

1. Stop waiting till the last minute. When you are in a rush to finish your shopping you end up spending more because of high prices and not paying as much attention to sale prices. If you normally do not shop early, make a change this year and even start as early as October.  This will help you to be done way ahead of time and still not go overboard on your Christmas spending. I have spent a couple Christmas Eve's running around for last minute gifts and just grabbing things without even looking at the prices, just so I could get out of the mall and go home! Desperate times call for desperate measures. Do not put yourself in that situation.2. Add holiday shopping to your monthly budget. Set a certain amount to come out of every paycheck and put aside for Holiday Spending. Budgeting $10 every week will save you close to $500 by Christmas (or you can spend about $40 each month towards Christmas gifts, see #3). Just think, if you skip a few trips to the coffee shop each week, you can easily save $10 every week. Take a look at our post on how you can save $1 per day. You can open a Christmas Club account at your local bank and have the money direct deposited for the safest, easiest option. This way you will not be tempted to use the money on something else each month.3. When you budget Christmas spending into your monthly income all year long you can be a year round shopper. If it's March and you see a great blouse that your sister would love at an amazing price, buy it. Put it away in a closet that is designated for Christmas gifts and pat yourself on the back for scoring a great deal and knocking one gift off your list. If you do this all year, you will have the majority of your Christmas shopping complete before Halloween! It is always good to have a list of everyone you will be purchasing for so that you can be on the lookout throughout the year. Be sure to check out our 7 Ways to Save Money on the Holidays for more ideas and tips so that you do not break the bank this year.

So, do you want to save money? Then try not to overspend and get overwhelmed with holiday shopping this year. Plan ahead and be smart with your purchases. Use our 3 simple budget changes for holiday shopping.