Times are tight right now, with the cost of living going up 7%, but not wages. So, with Christmas on the way, I thought I'd share how I'm saving some money this year. The holiday season is the perfect time to celebrate with family and friends, but the cost of gifts, decorations, and food can add up quickly. Here are some helpful tips on how to save money for Christmas without sacrificing the joy of the season.
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Use ShopBack
ShopBack is my new favourite website/app/Chrome extension. Basically, if you go through ShopBack you can get back a percentage of the money you spent at a specific outlet. For example, you might be shopping at The Iconic. So you head to ShopBack and then click through to The Iconic. Then, whatever you spend, you'll get 3% cash back into your account. Often specific stores will be doing big promos as well, equivalent to a sale, where you might get anywhere from 20-50% cash back.
It takes 90 days to clear in your account but it really can build up fast. I currently have nearly $500 in my account, which I'll use for Christmas shopping. I've booked all my flights (via SkyScanner), accommodation (through Booking.com) and my car hire (through Expedia) through ShopBack for my Europe trip next year. I'm getting back 2.5% on my flights, 5.5% on my accommodation, and 6% on my car. It all adds up! Plus, if you add the Chrome extension, it alerts you any time you're on a website you can get through ShopBack.
If you download the app and sign up via my link here, use the code aklzoY and add your bank account details in the withdrawal section it will also give you $20 into your ShopBack account, just to kick you off! If you start now you'll have plenty by next Christmas, or for birthdays next year.
Sign Up for Everyday Rewards
If you are a Woolworths shopper you can choose to have your Everyday Rewards bonuses accumulated for Christmas. Depending on how much you spend over the year, you can end up with $300+ waiting to be spent on Christmas groceries. To maximise the amount make sure you boost your savings every week and select options that have extra rewards points attached. I've managed to accumulate $400+ some years! If you haven's signed up yet, do it here.
Black Friday/ Cyber Monday Sales
Black Friday sales used to just be an American thing, linked in with Thanksgiving, but now they are here in Australia. This year the Black Friday Sales are on Friday 24th November, while Cyber Monday will be on Monday 27th November. These are equivalent to the Boxing Day sales, but they happen BEFORE Christmas. All the major retails, as well as a lot of smaller ones, take part, and it's a great way to score some excellent deals. Just remember to make a list of what you are looking for and not to get carried away!
Buy Gift Cards Throughout the Year
As you shop each week/fortnight or month, buy a Visa gift card. $20-30 a week will really add up by Christmas. If you spent $20 a week you'd have $1000 after 50 weeks. That's a good savings plan for Christmas presents.
Alternatively you could buy gift cards to shops your family likes, and then put them all together for Christmas. The kids will love it!
It may be controversial but... Afterpay!
When do you start getting organised? I like to start planning and shopping in early October, after my oldest daughter's birthday. I'll make a list of everyone I need to buy for, come up with ideas and then set to work finding what I'm looking for at the best price. I use Afterpay (although only use it if you can financially manage to do so!), but we get paid fortnightly so it really helps me buy things on sale and then pay them off as I go over the months leading up to Christmas. I've made the choice only use Afterpay rather than ZIP Pay because I like that it just comes out in four equal payments. Like a lay buy but you get the product first. For me, ZIP Pay feels more like a credit card that you can not pay off. So I don't use it.
If you want help planning - here is an easy Christmas shopping list for you. Just download the printable PDF version here!
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