Its Green, Its Paper, and You Spend It Every Christmas

With the holidays having arrived, higher shopping expenses have too. And for a teen without a job (or a low paying one) buying presents or going to the movies without blowing all your savings is even harder. So I started thinking of ways to spend less and get more for your money. Here's what I came up with.


1. Always, always, alwaysss check out the clearance section.Whenever I shop I always look in  the clearance area because you never know what you may find. Most of my presents have been from the clearance rack which saves me quite a bit of money when you add it all up. Don't avoid something just because its on sale. 


  2. Shop thrift. Thrift stores are gold mines. Sometimes it takes a few searches, but eventually your hands strike it rich. Probably about 80% of my clothes are from the thrift store and no wonder, its pretty cheap. And i'm all about cheap. With thrift stores, you never know what your gonna find. They sell everything from jewelry to exercise machines to other random trinkets. I recommend Goodwill or CHKD.   



 3. Check online. Seriously, even with shipping it might be cheaper. Just the other day I went shopping for some black heels and of course I fell in love with the $50 pair. (A word of advice: always check the price before you try on) But alas, alas, I cannot afford $50 shoes so I had to put them back. But luckily for me my dad checked online and found the exact pair for $32 with free shipping! Now it wasn't as  low as I like but it was almost $20 off and relatively inexpensive so I ordered them. Without a doubt it's always good to check online and compare. 




4. Plan you shopping around [huge] sales. If you see a tv commercial advertising 50% off on items you need or think would be good gifts, get your butt in gear and go! Sales are THE BEST times to buy, especially if it's 50% off or more. 



5. Think coupons. Have you seen that TLC show extreme couponing? Well it's a great tv show to get you motivated to spend less by...you guessed it...couponing! This is a really great idea. Some of the people on there pay less than $20 for more than $200 worth of grocery's!  While you probably won't save as much they do ( that's why it says extreme!), its a good idea to try and find some coupons of your own online. Every little bit helps, even a 10% off one.



6. Double up. If you're like me and have a sister or brother close to your age, then it's possible you two could double up and buy the gifts together, splitting the money. This makes it easier on both of you. Instead of each of you buying your own separate gift for your family, you both split and pay for one gift for each of your family members. This can also work if you share some of the same friends. "Here you go. It's from both of us." Seriously, this is what me and my sis do. 



7. Have a budget and stick with it. It's soooooo easy to overspend during this season, which is why, more than ever, you need to pay attention to how much your spending. It's a good idea to estimate how many people you have to buy gifts for and how much you want to spend on each. Then, try to stick with your plan. Obviously you want to be a little flexible, but try to stay close to the amount you want to spend. 



8. Deny yourself. I know that sounds unpleasant, but its something you need to think about when spending money. Don't buy unnecessary stuff, especially if its for you. Say you've been out all day and it's almost dinner. You really want that $2 hamburger from Wendy's. Its only two dollars" you think. And that's true, but if combine it with that $4 Starbucks drink from that morning plus the same drink from last week, it adds up to $10. Now that's not a whole bunch either, but it's at least enough to buy a gift card for someone. You see what I'm saying? It all adds up. Besides, Christmas is partly about our love for others and part of love is denying yourself for them. 



9. Have a DIY thrown in. Ok so you bought a slightly pricier gift and you want to give a little something else but you can't afford it. Well, throw in some of her favorite, freshly made cookies. Or some of your homemade chap stick you know she loves. Or maybe that chic new headband you made. Or that crocheted scarf. Or that drawing of her and her boyfriend. Or Or..... and the list goes on. If your not really sure of a good DIY to put with her gift, check out Pinterest. That place is UH-MAZING and its chock full of ideas.   

 

I hope these suggestions helped you or at least sparked some thoughts!