Ten money savings tips for women this festive season - Women's Agenda

Ten money savings tips for women this festive season

Do you find that every year come Christmas time, your bank account is drained? Here are the top 10 money saving tips to help you.

1.Plan it. Before you can step out for shopping, make sure that you spend 10 minutes at home planning the list of people who you need to buy presents for and how much you will spend for each of them.

2. Avoid the “buy 2 to save 20%” offers. Many stores tempt you to buy more than what you need by offering discounts. If you end up spending on things that are just going to go to waste, it is not a good deal. So although we LOVE a great deal, always think carefully before you bag that bargain.

3. Use discounted gift cards. How would you like $60 worth of goodies for $50 – that is a saving of $10. You can acquire discounted gift cards from various sites (e.g. www.giftcardsonsale.com.au). Getting gift cards at a discount is a great way to make birthdays and holidays more affordable and to cut costs any time you shop.

4. See what decorations you have left: Before you go out and buy new decorations, check the garage/cupboard to see what you’ve still got stashed away from last year. There are bound to be a few things you’ve forgotten about and it’ll save you from buying anything you don’t need.

5.Try potluck for parties: Get your friends or family to bring a dish each for your parties. It will help you save time, spread the cost and your guests won’t mind. If you have to cook everything yourself, make sure you apportion the right amount for the number of guests so that food is not wasted.

6.Buy some presents after Christmas: Do you have some family members you won’t see until after Christmas? Be cheeky and buy gifts at the Boxing Day sale and you can save some money.

7.Use social media: Before you start shopping, follow your favourite retailers on Facebook and Twitter. Many companies offer discounts exclusively to their Twitter followers and Facebook friends. A quick search of their recent posts may reveal money-saving discount codes.

8. Avoid credit cards: It is best to avoid credit cards for shopping and use cash instead. But if you’ve got no way around it, then pick a credit card with a longer interest free term and pay off the debt before the end of the interest free period.

9.Use last year’s party dress: Instead of spending a fortune on party dresses, bring out last year’s party dress and see if you can update it. Adding a belt or new jewellery can make it look different. Or try swapping clothes with friends!

10.Use eBay: I don’t mean to buy presents! When you’ve received your gifts, go on eBay to sell items that you will never use or need. You can earn a bit of cash and put some $$ back into your pocket. You can also do this pre-shopping to dispose goodies around the house that you don’t need anymore.

Follow these tips, save some money and try not to spend beyond your budget. Come January, you don’t want to feel the pain of overspending.

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