11 Ways to Avoid Holiday Debt During the Gift-Giving Season

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7. Give Homemade Gifts or Food

If you’d like to receive homemade cookies, a pie, or some fudge, chances are your family and friends would too. One of the best parts of the holidays is the food, and the ingredients for baked goods are far cheaper than other gifts, and still show that you care.

Can’t cook or bake? Not to worry, you can make something instead. Personal and homemade gifts are great for Christmas and can be even better received than store-bought gifts. Aside from that, you can offer favors or services – like cleaning your parent’s house after the annual Christmas party.

8. Price Shop Now

Black Friday is already over, but there are still many deals throughout December. Lots of retailers will hold Christmas sales all month which can help you get a better price when you’re buying gifts. To save as much as you can, use apps and websites to your advantage. CamelCamelCamel tracks fluctuating Amazon prices and alerts you when they decrease, and Slickdeals.net shows you the best deal in stores.

9. Use the Right Credit Card

If you are going to be holiday shopping using a credit card make the most of your rewards. There are a handful of cards that offer 5% cash back at retailers like Target and Walmart during the Christmas season. However, only use a credit card if you can afford to pay off the full balance.

To get cash back rewards with committing to using a credit card, use a cash back site instead. With Ebates, you can make money just for shopping online.

10. Use Browser Extensions

There are various browser extensions that can help you save extra money when you are shopping online.

• Honey automatically finds and applies coupons to your purchase at the checkout page.
• Pricescout, just as its name suggests, will find the website with the cheapest price for the product you want to buy.
• If you are shopping with a credit card, Walla.by will tell you which rewards credit card will offer you the most for your purchase.

11. Book Your Travel Plans Well in Advance

You’ve probably already made your travel plans for this year, but for next year you can save lots by planning your trip even earlier. If you fly early, around 5 am, you can get a ticket for roughly $100 less. Flying on a weekday is cheaper too, as fewer people can fit this into their work schedule. Also, never fly on the holiday itself. Lastly, make sure you get travel insurance for your trip. Sometimes, Christmas brings snow, and that means delayed and canceled flights.

Like this article? You should check out our Christmas Gift-Guide for Hard-to-Shop For People.