Start Planning for Christmas in January!

Start Planning for Christmas In January!


Most people know to go ahead and plan on buying Christmas stuff on clearance (50-75% off) now to save for next year. That is a great idea and can help with the little items you may need then… wrapping paper, small candles, ornaments, etc. But I have no idea what certain item my children or parents will want or even need next year! Right now, my son is really into Buzz Lightyear, but maybe next year he will love Cars. Would it do to buy a bunch of Buzz stuff now only to have him not like it next year? Or maybe I could buy a bunch of clothes for my daughter now, only to have her grow or not grow as I expected. What to do then? I have a bunch of gifts that I intended to save me money but only are wasted (or donated which would not waste, but not save as much as intended).

I came up with a plan last year, implemented it and saw it through. There are a few things I will tweak this year, but it seemed to work really well. Basically, it is just saving for Christmas. Simple as that.

One thing we have is our credit card. My husband and I go back and forth on the merits of a credit card. Does it cause us to spend more than we intend? I don’t think so; we use a budget for most things. We always pay the card off at the end of the month. That’s a rule. And our credit card gives us points that we can spend to get gift cards. (I know there are some credit cards that will pay you cash back too, like discover.) But instead of spending the points monthly, we save them up throughout the year. I trade them in November for visa gift cards! Last year I was able to get $175 in gift cards. Just by doing nothing, shopping like usual.

Second thing I started doing last year is online surveys. There are a lot of survey sites to get involved with, but be careful because many are scams. If you have to pay to join, it is a scam. You should never have to spend money to make money. Surveys are easy to do when the kids are watching Sesame Street or napping. Many will only take a half hour or less to complete. Companies want your opinions on things! I have done diaper surveys, where the companies will send me a pack of diapers to try out on my son, then pay me for trying them! Have you ever been paid to change your kid’s diaper? I’ve also been sent laundry detergent. People can do surveys for lots of different items. It’s crazy!

My favorite survey company is Opinion Outpost. This company sends me invitations for surveys most every day. These are all online surveys (I’ve not been sent items to try from this company.) The drawback is many times you will go through have the survey only to find you do not qualify for the survey (which I do have a problem with!) But they send you so many that you can sit down and for the half hour complete at least one survey. You will get paid anywhere from 1.50-3.00 a survey. This isn’t a lot of money but it adds up. You can then request a check when you get $5 or more. They send you a check in about 2 weeks. Last year I tried to request a check each time I reached $10. This ended up being at least once a month, usually twice.

After you get your checks, it would be really easy to just stick them in the bank and spend them. Which is ok, you could really lower your grocery budget that way. But I chose to save them in a high-interest earning account. (If you are interested in finding one, let me know, I have someone that can help) We have one with a bank that is not local, so we actually have to send the money in. This way it is harder to get the money out (and thus, easier to save for Christmas). Last year I saved $250, just from doing surveys alone. I could have done a lot more, but hey, it was my first year doing it. My goal this year is to set aside $30 a month in that account for Christmas next year.

A word of warning though: Surveys can become addicting. They also can get really frustrating at times. I found sometimes I was doing this when I should have been spending time with the kids. If this becomes the case, stop for a week or so. I took the whole month of December off. Remember it isn’t your most important job to do.

Other survey companies I used and received actual money from are: ipsos I say and my opinion. I recommend checking out nicole's nickels to get started. Again, never pay to get started with a company!

One other idea I have to save for Christmas next year is to do the coupon shopping thing. I will not get into the specifics of couponing, but if you do it for a bit, you will end up with a stockpile of “stuff”. Some of the “stuff” may include cleaning supplies, food, medicine, bath and body products and makeup. Now giving one person a bunch of cleaning supplies may not be the most awesomest present, but for another it would be great. Imagine giving your cousin who just got married in November a basket full of cleaning supplies. (that only cost you, maybe $5 to buy throughout the year!) How great would that be? Or, imagine filling a stocking for a teen with makeup? (that you bought on clearance for next to nothing.) Or, making a food basket for your grandmother? (with lots of non perishable goodies you got for free!) The possibilities are endless! (a white elephant gift of laxatives, geriatric vitamins, and depends!) I know from personal experience receiving a gift bag full of snack items my family will use (but I might not buy for ourselves) is so much better than getting a tacky sweater!

So yes, start now, in January, getting ready for Christmas next year. Start saving. Start that high interest earning account. Start doing a survey a day. Start the coupon shopping, and start your stockpile. You will hopefully find that next Christmas, instead of freaking out about where the money will come from, you will be able to relax and remember what it is really about: Christ coming down to earth to save us.