There’s no doubt we spend a lot of money at Christmas time.  As a matter of fact, a quarter of all personal spending in the United States is done during the holiday season.  As families grow so does the gift list and our Christmas budget can get out of hand.  But, there are ways to save and cut back on your gift giving without looking like a scrooge.

Remember, it’s the thought that counts.  We should be celebrating the real meaning of the season.  Right?  Well, that’s a hard sell at times to children but with creative planning coupled with imagination, your gifts will be appreciated and you can avoid going into holiday debt.

Celebrate Christmas all year long especially where buying gifts is concerned.  Make a gift list early in the year and when you do your everyday shopping you’re sure to stumble onto the perfect gift for someone on your list.

It may even be on sale or on special.  Two for one clearance deals can double your shopping fun.  Huge savings can be found right after Christmas so constantly be on the lookout.  No last minute shopping for you.

Scan sales flyers and clip coupons.  You probably already do this but this year keep gift giving in mind too.  Try to use coupons in combination with sale prices and save even more.  Sign up for department stores newsletters through the mail or online to keep on top of sales.  Newsletters many times include special offers and discounts.

Shop the Internet.  Here you can compare prices not only online but how they compare with your local stores.  Usually, when you buy online you don’t pay sales tax and many times shipping is free.  The gas savings is another plus.

Carpool with a friend when you’re going shopping. This not only saves fuel but you can exchange ideas on what to give and where to go.  Make gift buying fun instead of a obligatory chore.  Don’t forget to shop the Dollar Stores and the 99 Cent Stores.  No one has to know what you spent on the gift.

Yard and garage sales are great places to find that perfect treasure for a fraction of the cost.  And, many items are new, in their original package and unopened.  But, the item doesn’t have to be new.  With a little clean up and fix up it can look new.  Or, maybe you’ll be lucky enough to find an antique that just needs a coat of polish.

Regifting is a practice that’s gaining in popularity.  Yes, many people do it and you can too.  No need leaving that gift you received years ago in the closet gathering dust.  Dust it off, gift wrap it, give it to someone who can use it and you save.

If you have frequent flyer miles that are going to waste give them as a gift.  Who wouldn’t enjoy a free plane ride?  Most mileage plans can also be traded for merchandise or even cash.  Don’t let them expire even if you have to give them away.

Many large families nowadays draw names to keep holiday expenses in line.  Some only give gifts to the children or exchange cards.  Of course, personal, obviously well thought out gifts are always most appreciated.  Enjoy the holiday season but stay within your budget.  It will be a happier new year if it starts debt free.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Want to be a bargain finder? Want to be the one that always finds the deals and has money left over? Start by learning the secrets of opportunism.

Do you know that you can eat a wider variety of fruit than your neighbor, and spend only half as much to do so? How? By buying fruit in season, when it is at the lowest price. As a bonus, it is also of the highest quality at these times. This is opportunism.

Notice that this means not always getting exactly what you want when you want it. You get more variety this way, and you spend much less, but you go with the flow. If oranges are cheap, you’ll be eating oranges. If apples are in season, you’ll be eating apples. Whatever the case, you’ll always be finding bargains.

You never have to eat things you don’t like or deny yourself pleasure. You just shop for those things that you like among those that are cheaper now. There will be other, different, great deals next week or next month. Unless you are extremely picky about what you eat, you’ll almost always find delicious foods that you like on sale.

That’s the premise of opportunism – that you get more by going with the flow. A true bargain finder gets more variety in the long run, and more for the money. This can be applied to many areas of life.

<b>Bargain Finder Examples</b>

When I went to Ecuador a few years ago, there were many interesting places I wanted to go. I chose Ecuador because it was a thousand dollars less to go there than to any other country. I had a fantastic time for a month for $1040 (including airfare). I also met the most wonderful woman I know there, and eventually married her, so you never know what riches you’ll find when you go with the flow.

We go to the movies here in Tucson on Tuesdays, when we can get in for $2.00 each. Others are paying $8.75 a couple miles away. What are they getting by paying four times as much? They get to see the movie six weeks earlier. The movies don’t change in those six weeks, by the way, and enough friends have seen them by then to let us know if they’re good or not.

Opportunism means not paying more unless you are getting more. It also means making honest choices. Will you actually enjoy that movie more by seeing it now? More than you’ll enjoy the FOUR movies you can see in it’s place? Do you have to take that fishing trip now? If you’re planning to take both a fishing trip and a gambling trip, why not do each when it’s cheapest?

When William Danko and Thomas Stanley wrote “The Millionaire Next Door,” they found that MOST millionaires bought used cars. They bought BMWs and Mercedes, not old Ford Pintos, but the lesson was clear: They understand opportunity. Cars often lose half of their value in the first three years, but they’re not half used-up, are they? Is it worth an extra $6,000 to say you have a new car (And you will have to tell people, since it’s hard to tell a three-year-old car from a new one)?

To be an opportunist doesn’t mean just settling for whatever is easy and cheap to get in life. We all have our areas that are more important to us. If you really love those $15 cigars, why not buy them? On the other hand, if you really can’t tell the difference between the $5 and $50 wine, why not buy the former? Opportunism is one of the keys to being a true bargain finder.

Popularity: 1% [?]