Christmas on a Budget

These last few months have thrown many obstacles at our family. From an abandoned rental property after it was turned into a drug house, a loss in sales at our restaurant due to the horrible weathers to many other issues that come up with owning rental properties and a franchise with employees. And it all couldn’t have come at a worse time, Christmas!!!!! But the worst part…we found out about our rental property after booking our mini vacation to Idaho for the holidays.

I know our family isn’t the only family that goes through these type of setbacks right before a holiday. And I know we won’t be the last. And for that reason alone I’ve decided to write a blog.

We’ve always done Christmas on a budget but with all this we have had to tighten that budget down some! And even on a budget this Christmas is going to be good this year.

In our family I, as the mother of the house, am responsible for all the gifts for the kids, family and my husband. While my husband is only responsible for me. Some may find this weird, but for us it works. My husband works full time, runs our Subway, deals with everything to do with the rental property, so in comparison he has a lot more on his plate and a lot less free time. So I get to shop and send pictures so he knows what we are getting people.

Another reason why I’m in charge of the shopping, I’m better at finding the deals! I am our family’s “couponer.” I try to utilize all kinds of deals for getting cash back or discounts of some sort or another. And now I’d like to pass my favorites onto all of you.

First and the most important option out there is Amazon! Ninety percent of our gifts this year came from Amazon. After searching other sites and stores for the items on my kids Christmas list, Amazon had the cheapest prices. So, I utilize Amazon for almost everything!

Another great source for finding deals are the numerous apps that give cash back or discount codes. They will even send you notifications when a deal is to be had.

I have found the best deals come from Rakuten. Especially when you are looking for a specific item or already know what you are looking for. This app will give you a code to use at checkout if you are shopping online. The only downfall I have found from using it is that you have to search for deals first then shop.

But on the flip side is another great app, Ibotta. It allows you to scan your receipts from certain stores and receive a percentage back. Great for groceries, clothes and even some home items. The only downfall for this one is that you have a limited time to scan the receipts into the app to get the refunds. Depending on the store, it’s usually only ten days after the purchase date on the receipt.

The last app I use is Coupons. With this one you can search almost any store and get coupons to use on different items. And the best part, the coupons found on this app can be used multiple times on different visits before they expire. For instance, I used a 40% off deal three times at Michaels during one week.

There are so many apps and deals out there. You just have to look and shop at the right time. I absolutely hate Black Friday. I worked retail for three years so I know they mark up the prices a few months before then mark them back down to the regular price for Black Friday to make people think they are getting a deal. And I also hate dealing with the crowds of people that are out fighting for that one toy or that one electronic. So, I only utilize deals after Black Friday and those on cyber Monday.

This year I found all my deals and I hope you do too, but always remember Christmas is more than the gifts.