Tag archives for Shopping

How to enjoy an inexpensive Christmas

Christmas is a time for giving but it can be expensive. Instead of being a simple holiday it sometimes turns into a shopping nightmare. When choosing presents for a family, it can be difficult to know what to buy without a budget being exceeded. Finding gift ideas for men or women of all ages needn’t be difficult whatsoever because there are many ways that can help with reducing how much is spent overall at Christmas, such as coupons.

Coupons can help to stay within budget

A coupon can be used for buying gifts at Christmas, such as those that are issued by grocery stores. Many grocery stores offer their customers the opportunity to earn a coupon throughout the year that can be redeemed in-store. By using a card that is swiped at the tills, a coupon can be sent to their customers. As a coupon can be valid for several months, a family can save many of them so that a Christmas budget isn’t exceeded.

Shop around

As the cost of Christmas continues to rise, shoppers should visit many shops in order to find the most cost effective presents. When looking for gift ideas for men or women, lots of presents shouldn’t be bought from one particular shop. By visiting many shops, gifts can be compared against each other. Although it can take longer to look at several shops, the cost of buying gifts and other items that are needed at Christmas i.e. food, will probably be much lower.

Why not make jewelry?

As jewelry can be very expensive, making it is an alternative. By purchasing raw materials from a craft shop, stunning jewelry can be made at a discounted price. Creating jewelry can even be a family activity. Young children can help their parents with making jewelry that can then be given to friends and loved ones.

Consider how much food is actually needed

Although it is very tempting to purchase large quantities of food when a discount is applied, it can be much cheaper to buy less food. Christmas is a time to have fun but many families across the world purchase too much food and wine. As a result, more money is spent on doing so than intended. By writing a list of the food that’s actually required, there won’t be any temptations to buy other items that aren’t needed. In fact, a percentage of the money that’s saved could be donated to a charity.

Saving on Christmas shopping

Here a pound, there a pound, here a new dress, there a new jacket, gifts for the family, festive dinner, Christmas embellishment… And you wake up one bright morning worrying about the Christmas evening and how on earth are you going to meet these costs…

Don’t worry. We will offer you some crafty ways to save on shopping over Christmas. It makes perfect sense to cut costs on food and drinks so that you save money for more meaningful purposes. But how do you do it smart?

Special offers and sales
First, it’s a public secret that one can save only on keeping an eye on the prices and promotions in the big supermarkets and shops. Special offers are a good way to buy expensive stuff that you’ve always abstained from. Ultimately, you might prove to be paying from 20 to 30% less for the basic goods and products.

Lets go shopping! Sensibly though
Second, when you do your shopping, be wise. When you do your Christmas shopping (dinner, presents, a Christmas fancy dress for a perfect look, and what not…), don’t buy things you will hardly ever use or even worse – thrown away. Don’t cook too much as if you’ve gathered with the family to celebrate the end of the world. You’ve come together to enjoy this magical time of the year, talk, dance and have fun, right?

Loyalty programmes
Some grocery chains offer loyalty programmes, such as Tesco clubcards, Sainsbury’s Nectar points and so on. Don’t hesitate to benefit from the reward systems, as using them you are entitled to either a discount or to an allotment of points that you can use in the future. If you’ve used the card over the past year, Christmas time you might turn up to be doing your shopping practically for free.

You might ask yourself is it worth spending so much time and efforts on finding the best discounts, sales and special offers. The thing is that if you go shopping with a plan, you will find the time for this. Most shops are open from very early till late in the evening. Some are open round the clock. Besides, some specialists say that looking for the best buys is a good brain activity, which boosts your imagination and brain power. A shopping tour might also help us lose a kilo or two 😉

So, get ready for the Christmas holidays and enjoy being with your loved ones. When you draw the line, you’ll see that you’re much happier, healthier and perhaps slightly richer…