How To Save Money This Season

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! While it is mainly the festive and fun aspects of Christmas that we like to talk and get excited about, the inner scrooge in all of us positively dread this time of year; so much so that a human being saving up money for Christmas shopping is really like a bear going into hibernation. If you do not fatten up your bank account in time for the year – end sales run, you are in for a sad, sad Christmas indeed.

However, if you do manage to stack up enough financial calories in time for Christmas, then you can think about doing one better for yourself – saving some of that hard-earned cash instead of spending it all in a few short weeks. Listed below are some of the cost-cutting methods smart bears do at Christmas.

Go online for a change

Now this may not be how many Sri Lankans typically do things and indeed, it is not a particularly cultural thing to do. After all, how can one bargain with a browser? But the fact is shopping online can save you a whole heap of cash by the end of the month as opposed to purchasing from shops directly and there are some good reasons why. First off, shopping online immediately increases the variety of gifts you can buy and presents them to you at prices that are considerably cheaper than they would be at the physical stores. Agreed, your Christmas shopping will feel a bit dull compared to walking into a decked-out mall with carols playing in the background but remember, the smart shopper prefers cost cutting over a visual feast any day.  

Not everyone deserves a Christmas gift from you

It’s true. You are not Santa nor are you Mother Teresa. Not everyone deserves a gift from you. There are bound to be at least a few peeps who have been nothing but trouble makers for you this whole year. Don’t feel like getting any gifts for them? Don’t bother. Life is hard, and your wallet is soft in its emptiness.

Try not to eat so much!

Christmas is the kind of season that many people come out of looking completely different to what they were going in. The culprit behind this phenomenon is seasonal food, pure and simple. After all that Breudher, Cake, and Pudding later, your gym instructor may just notice how generously proportionate you’ve become and go “Oy vey!” As enjoyable as this Christmas may be when it comes to ingesting things listed as illegal under the universal code for healthy living, you may want to control your fun just so that your body can recover in time to do it all over again next year. Why can’t bank accounts could store cash like our bodies store fat? *sigh*

Try not to buy yourself anything… at all

This is only being suggested to you because, in actual fact, it is NEVER going to happen. The real idea here is to really, really think twice before buying something. Even if it is Christmas and the price tag is ridiculously cheap, just think, is this something you really want or do you see it getting tossed somewhere in a couple of months never to be used again? Smart shoppers do not make vain purchases. Treat yourself this Christmas with stuff that is actually worth paying for.

Hunt for discounts

You say it’s Christmas time and you are looking forward to the decor, the food, and the carolling. But let’s be real here. What you are really, really looking forward to is all the discounts, promotions, and sales – right? And who can blame you? It is nice to know that for at least a month or so every year, businesses get into the spirit of giving and serve up handsome discounts to make your Christmas shopping sprees so much more stress free. Ah, but wait there’s more! Be sure to research and get yourself the right credit card, which could make you eligible for an even wider range of discounts and cost cutting than the average shopper.

So, with these little Christmas saving tips in mind, you are all set to be a super smart Christmas shopper having a super fun time! Merry Christmas!