I still remember my first Christmas with my husband. We didn’t really think about how to save for Christmas until it was time to go shopping. We ended up realizing that we didn’t have much money to do any shopping and didn’t get each other anything. It was a very depressing Christmas.
Since then we have learned so much on budgeting and saving. Although we have many ways we save for Christmas, this is by far the easiest way to save for Christmas. I don’t really have to think about it except for when I go to get the money.
The easiest way to help pay for Christmas is cash back programs. There are lots of great apps that you can use on your phone or when you are buying online. When you buy one of the specific items you can get cash back. The cash goes into accounts which you can redeem for Paypal money, iTunes gift cards, Starbucks gift cards and more. I save the money all year long and then cash out in November so I can use the money for Christmas shopping. Here is how it works.
There are lots of different money-saving apps. You can see a few of my favorites here. Ibotta is my favorite app and they often offer $.25 when you buy a gallon of milk. I know it’s not a lot, but if you buy milk every week it can add up to $13 a year. They offer cash back for buying all kinds of groceries.
Also, some of the apps offer money back on produce. Checkout 51 has deals for $.25-$.50 when you buy produce. Again it’s not that much, but it all adds up. Just scan your receipt when you get home and you save.
The money just builds up in my accounts until by November I have $100-$150 saved up in my cash back programs. I just have it moved to my paypal account and then I have the money to buy Christmas presents. The money doesn’t cover all of my Christmas presents, but it sure helps.
I think it is really one of the easiest ways to save for Christmas. I get money back for buying the things I was already going to buy. What about you, how do you save up to pay for Christmas?
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Kristen @ Joyfully Thriving says
I don’t have a Smart Phone so I’ve appreciated Snap that allows you to take a picture of the receipt now. I use Bing and Swagbucks to earn money for my Christmas shopping. I have a similar post coming next week on this same topic! It’s never too early to start thinking ahead for the next Christmas!
Julie says
There are so many great ways to start saving for Christmas. Can’t wait to read your post!
Bernie-Ann says
I have a Canadian Tire MasterCard and as I use it, I earn Canadian Tire “money”. I save it all year long and it helps with my husbands Christmas gifts 🙂
Julie says
That’s a great way to save! Thanks for sharing.