By this point in the year, I am almost done with Christmas preparations. There are so many ways that I have saved this year, but I will start with the ones that are most applicable to this point in the year.
For our Christmas cards this year, I was able to redeem points from Huggies rewards to get 25 4x8 photo cards for only the cost of shipping. Since we need more than 25, I went with 2 different designs from 2 different companies. The 25 from Shutterfly only cost me $5 for shipping - that is a savings of just over $20. Then I went with Walmart for the other 25. Their cards are a little less expensive and I was able to get free shipping. 50 cards for $15 was the total which breaks down to 30 cents a card.
I definitely take advantage of the rewards programs. Huggies will have toys every once in a while. We use our disney movie rewards, swagbucks, and shopkicks as well.
Then there are coupons. I love my coupons. Coupons combined with sales are even better. I try to use coupons from swagbucks.com first because you earn 10 swagbucks for every coupon you use. Earning points toward gift cards by using coupons - even better! Stores like target run their own coupons that you can combine with manufacturers coupons. Combined with a sale I saved $20 on one of Buddy's gifts. Occasionally there is a coupon that will cover the full price of something such as the $1 off of ecotools. This has allowed me to get numerous bath scrubbies for gift baskets I'm putting together.
Store promotions have also helped us this Christmas. Our grocery store is running a promotion on dishes. So we have been able to put together a nice Christmas gift for another family member that we couldn't otherwise afford.
The last way I save money is by making the gift. This is one of my favorite ways to stretch the budget. Not only do I save money but more importantly it is more personal and has more meaning. I usually use Pinterest to get ideas. Here are two of my boards that are related to this: Gift Ideas & DIY
How do you stretch your Christmas budget?
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