10 Best Ways to Save Money on the Eve of the Holidays
You might think it’s too late to put aside a dollar or two for these last-minute gifts, or it might be too late to find money to pamper yourself while you’re shopping for everyone else. Well, here are some ways to find an extra scratch to make Yuletid that much brighter.
10. Use apps that save while you spend
If, in fact, the effort to set aside a certain amount of money is too much for you to handle all the other stress and madness of the holiday season, let technology do it for you. Apps like Digit, Acorns, and Tip Yourself save you the hassle , and many even save you money while you go out and spend it on your regular expenses.
Spending money on savings may seem counterproductive, but think of it this way: if you’re going to spend anyway, you can also do simple things like round your purchases to the nearest dollar and keep your change , or tip yourself for the hassle . By the end of the season, you will have some pocket money to give yourself something nice.
9. Create an automatic holiday savings account.
If you don’t trust the app to do this, most banks have automatic savings accounts where they will round for you and transfer the transfer to a savings account you also opened with them. Wells Fargo calls it, for example, “Save On The Go,” but your bank will have its own flamboyant name . Call and ask, usually they are free and no commission. Plus, it’s easy to forget about it, so you can just log into your account at your bank one day to see how much you’ve saved.
8. Get cashback and earn on the deals you find.
Speaking of money saving apps, other apps will actually give you money back for your purchases, depending on what you buy. Some of them are great ! There are not so many others. But if you use the good ones, you can get a little extra dough depending on the purchases you need to make anyway, without too much hassle.
This list is also not exhaustive – you guys had loads of suggestions in this great thread to help you find even more money, either hidden in your budget or in the form of rebates, rebates, and money back programs.
7. If possible, take coupon codes and discounts (and hide the extra money)
Part of saving money – especially in the last minute like this – is that whenever you do a small deal like a 10% discount or free shipping, you should also make a commitment to defer the difference you were willing to spend on anyway so that you get (or can spend on something special) later. If you do a lot of shopping online, consider this review of our favorite extensions for the browser , allowing to save money , such as Honey and Invisible the Hand . However, unlike some of the apps above, they don’t save that money for you, so you have to keep that in mind!
6. Find out how stores and ads manipulate you (even if you don’t think so)
We mentioned this last week when we talked about how to make holiday deals really good , but remember that stores love to manipulate you into spending – after all, that’s what they do when they make you spend. money. And that’s okay! This is their prerogative. But you also have a responsibility to learn and be a smart consumer.
First, find out how advertising affects you , even if you don’t think so. Then read how stores love to manipulate your senses – hearing, sight, and even smell – to get you to buy things you didn’t intend to do. Also keep in mind that even online stores are not insured . They use notifications and alerts to entice you to spend and lead you to a false sense of lack to open your wallet.
Armed with the right knowledge, you will take the other side of the holiday season by spending exactly what you planned and no more.
5. Don’t just buy things, sell them too
Everyone thinks of the holidays as the time of year when we all empty our bank accounts because we have to buy gifts, packaging and the like – but we just take it for granted that we are spending money ourselves. Don’t – also sell. For all the gifts and everything that ends up in your home, consider getting rid of the useless crap, making some money from it, and making some money from it.
At the end of the day, you will surely receive something in the form of gifts. Think of it as “freeing up space.” Plus, for every shopper who visits stores, there are likely to be tons of more online looking for deals – deals you can offer them on your carefully used products that you could live without. In fact, it was last month’s Lifehacker Money Challenge . Even if you haven’t participated, it’s not too late to do so.
4. Make some money in your spare time
I know, I know what free time is? Time is short, especially on holidays. However, if you do not have a thing, you can part with it, but you have some time, there are many things that you can do there .
Whether it’s joining the gig economy and renting out your car, parking space, or even your apartment on Airbnb, or doing a few errands for people on Fiverr, if you have a little downtime, you can make some money . However, focus on small things – you won’t get rich here.
3. Use the Right Credit Cards for Rewards and Refunds
There are many good reasons to use credit cards during the holidays if you feel you can use them responsibly. Rewards, points, cashback offers, the best bonus cards offer it all , and when you pay your bills in January, you have a ton of points to spend and cashback to use as you see fit.
If you’re super smart, use them to buy gift cards from stores and restaurants you shop at anyway and get double the bonus . and you can use them wisely to pamper yourself or fulfill some holiday promises you may have made to your loved one.
2. Turn saving money into a game
Holidays may not be the best time to add something else to your mental to-do list, but holiday shopping is not the most fun activity in the world for most of us, and if you want to spice it up a bit, consider adding in. this mixture is a bit of gamification .
Apps like the ones we mentioned above try to save you the trouble of saving, but others like SmartyPig and SaveUp make it a little more fun and help you set goals you can aim for. Maybe it’s rest after the holidays, or something special for yourself in the new year. Do what you want.
1. Use the holidays as a negotiating time to lower your bills.
The end of the year is a great time to negotiate bills and tariffs for the next. Some companies offer promotions at the end of the year, and in general most people feel compassionate, especially if you are kind and show them a little due respect when you call and ask for a lower credit card interest rate , a lower monthly magazine subscription, or a telegram plan. , a break in your medical bills, or whatever. After all, for some companies, all you have to do is ask .
Check out our complete guide to lowering your monthly bills for tips no matter what you’re trying to cut, and if you need a little help, try these scenarios .