I enjoy Christmas shopping. It’s a little overwhelming, but I love it. And every year I am trying to be thriftier and more budget-conscious, as well as time-conscious so I can be basically done with the shopping part by the time Advent begins so I can focus on enjoying the season with my family. I think this year will be my best year yet. I started earlier, made a spending plan with my husband (who is the Ultimate Budget Master), and have tried to be creative with my purchasing while still getting family members really nice items from their lists.
My methods aren’t for everyone, I know. Some will probably be appalled that I’m giving secondhand items to my children, or might not have the luxury of using weekly coupons in-store, but I hope this at least gives you some ideas or saves you a few bucks.
The first trick I’ve used this year is coupons. I’m not a big couponer, but if I find a coupon for an item I’m already planning to buy, you bet I’ll use it. Every week Michaels and JoAnn puts out new coupons and there is almost always one for 40% or 50% off one regular priced item. I happen to have both stores within a mile or so of my home, and both carry art supplies, doll clothes, puzzles, and other things my kids love. Those items are rarely on sale, but with a 50% off coupon, a floor puzzle is suddenly $9 or a doll dress $4. The big trick here is to discipline yourself to only buy one item at a time. It’s tempting to buy several, even though you can only use the coupon on one. It requires more trips to the store, but to me it’s worth it. This year I made a small list for each store of the items I wanted to buy for the kids, then went in once a week with my coupon and checked one item off the list each week until I was done.
My second trick is a favorite of mine: Craigslist. I love Craigslist. My house is furnished with Craigslist finds and I’ve sold a lot through the site as well. A lot of friends have told me, “I can never find what I’m looking for on Craigslist.” The keys are knowing what you’re looking for, and being patient. When we had just moved into our house and were looking for a formal dining set, I spent weeks checking Craigslist before I found the right set for the right price. Be picky. Know what you’re looking for. If you want a train table for your son, research brands on other sites first (like Amazon) and figure out what exactly you want. Then keep checking Craigslist daily with key words (i.e. imaginarium train table) until you find it in good condition at the price you can afford. Unless you’re very rural, you’ll usually find it eventually.
And this year Craigslist worked both ways for my Christmas shopping. I sold a few items first, and used the cash from those items for some of my other shopping. It stretches your budget and helps you clean out the closets (something we usually want to do this time of year anyway).
As always, though, be careful on Craigslist. There are a lot of creeps and scammers. Only deal in cash and only deal in public places. I can usually tell by someone’s email or text whether they’re a reasonable human being to deal with, and if I ever get even a creepy vibe or ask for personal information, I walk away. Fast. But I have dealt with a lot of really nice people on Craigslist. It’s a happy little frugal community. Just yesterday I found a listing in Minnesota for a brand new tool that’s on my brother in-law’s Christmas list for a fraction of the price. I sent the info to my sister (who lives in the area) and she met the nice old man who was selling it that same afternoon. And just like that we saved almost $100 and are still giving him a brand-new (in the box) gift that he really wants.
This year I added another trick to my arsenal: garage sales. I know it sounds totally cheap and weird and maybe a little gross, but again: be picky. I’m not big garage saler, but when I do go, I find a lot of amazing deals. It’s amazing what people accumulate and then sell. Brand new clothes and toys especially. This weekend I spent $15 at garage sales and walked away with an OshKosh sweater and new pair of Gap jeans for my son, a brand new hardcover Cars storybook with 5 stories, two brand new wooden puzzles (still shrink wrapped) a tub of craft items (like googly eyes, pipe cleaners, and foam stickers) for my daughter, and a bag of vintage Barbie clothes. The book alone cost more than $15 new (not to mention the jeans!). All the items were nice, and everything but the sweater and Barbie clothes were new. And I found it all at two sales that were advertised on Craigslist so I knew there would be nice kids’ stuff there and I didn’t have to drive around for hours or wade through a bunch of junk (although that does happen sometimes). And I knew what I was looking for so I didn’t drive home with a bunch of extra stuff that I didn’t really need.
Now, after all my raving about money saving and thriftiness, I will say this: sometimes you have to splurge. The thing my daughter wants most this year is a FurReal Friends kitty that meows and purrs. It’s probably the first toy she’s been vocal about wanting. She even cried one time when she saw it advertised on TV (in a sweet way, not annoying like it sounds). It’s not the kind of thing I would buy secondhand, but it costs $50 full price. Ouch. I didn’t pay $50 — I compared prices and and found it for $33 on Amazon — still more than I’d prefer to spend on a battery-operated cat, but I know she’ll love it and sometimes you just have to find the best price and go for it. Saving money on other things lets you do that without breaking the bank.
Stay At Home Mayhem 