Christmas is on its way, with it’s jolly socializing and cheer. Of course, this time can strike both equal amounts of fear and worry into someone trying to craft a beautiful time for their family. We might be confident about how the day is to proceed, and we might have had many wonderful Christmases in our homes. But it only takes a little financial hardship, an unexpected bill or another blow to your finances to truly make you worry about gift purchasing. While Black Friday and Cyber Monday have now passed, there are many methods of saving money and ensuring you have enough purchasing power for your gifting this Christmas.
Of course, this holiday isn’t all about the gifts. It’s about having time off work to spend with your families, to relax around the tree, and to eat wonderful food, no matter how simple or humble. Raising that much-needed extra cash for Christmas can be achieved in a brilliant manner, but only if we’re careful about planning in advance. We’d recommend the following:
Selling Items
It can be that selling your belongings beforehand can help you save money for Christmas. For example, it could be that if you hope to purchase an updated wedding band for the holiday, that selling some of your old underused jewelry could help fund that cost, especially when using reputable pawnbrokers such as this company. Another example might be selling a video game console ahead of time to make money for a new, up to date one, or even renting out certain assets you have in order to generate cash for this period.
Selling items is perhaps the most direct manner of earning capital, and you might be making someone else’s Christmas by doing so. Be sure to sell using auction houses, and if you feel inclined listed on local stores. This can help you find the widest range of potential buyers, and you can be sure there are many of those at this time of year.
Rustling Through The Attic
It might be that rustling through the attic yield a great choice of finding items to sell. This can be a great excuse for Christmas while you’re also trying to find your stored Christmas decorations. Sometimes you may come across a valuable item you had forgotten about for some time. It might even save you money by finding some of these items, even without selling them. For example, old furniture passed down by your spouses late grandparents might be used as a gift for them if you head to a reputable reupholstering service and have the item maintained. They’re sure to appreciate it. Have a rummage through your attic or storage space. It won’t take much time to do, and could potentially net you hundreds in saved funds this Christmas.
Amazon Wishlists
If you already know what it is you’d like to purchase for your family, it can be worthwhile to craft a family Amazon wish list for all members, and allow access to this via your larger family network. Instead of giving you money or items you don’t know what to do with, you might be able to ensure that the smaller implements are purchased, saving you from buying them all. If you return the favor, perhaps even helping family members set up their own, you have a beautiful precedent set. Be sure to outfit the entire list with a range of prices from high to low. This can also help a family member budget with their finances by buying a less expensive gift, while also feeling as though they’ve gotten you something you’ve really wanted.
Prioritizing Money
Of course, prioritizing your spending now is important. It might be that you eat relatively simple meals until Christmas to splash out on the Christmas dinner, or perhaps spending the next month searching for the best deals online can be a great option. Time is on your side as we have just under a month until Christmas. This means that if you find something cheaper abroad, or listed on a different regions website, international shipping has its time to get to you. However, perhaps one of the most important parts of prioritizing all of this spending is that you can focus on that which really matters.
It also means you can forgo the impulse buying, and tailor the expectations of your family. After all, a family that doesn’t expect high-end gifts or deep spending on each family member can ensure that everyone feels connected and together. The gifts occupy maybe the first forty-five minutes to an hour of the day, while Christmas spirit, mutual activities and wholesome love lasts forever. As such, be sure to prioritize your actual daily activities as you would your money. You don’t need to spend over the odds for everything to have a wonderful Christmas season, no matter what the marketers tell you.
Overtime
It can be extremely worthwhile to work overtime shifts if your final pay for the year is before the Christmas period. This can help you make use of the post-Christmas sales and also potentially book a beautiful time with your family, perhaps to a pantomime or a theatrical show. You might decide to have a secondary Christmas dinner with your family out at a local restaurant. Of course, the more you work the more you earn, and sometimes even just one week of overtime can help you plenty with the small memories you hope to craft. Just be sure to get a great sleep and rest during the holiday period. You deserve to recharge the same as anyone else does.
Dipping Into Savings
If the holiday periods are truly draining your wallet, it can be worthwhile to dip into savings, even if it’s just a couple of hundred of dollars. Doing so to thicken the joy of your Christmas period can be more than worth it, because these are the moments that matter. Just be sure to budget that into your spend over the next few weeks or months, and you’ll be right as rain.
With these simple tips, raising that much-needed extra cash for Christmas is sure to be a worthwhile effort.
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