During the holidays, most of us frugal peeps have our eyes peeled for great deals and ways to save money during the holidays, but if you really want to be savvy, take notice of all the things you can do during the holiday season to save money next year.
No, I’m not talking about buying next year’s presents right now. Rather, look for practical ways you can leverage holiday sales to kick off the new year under budget.
I know you may be thinking you’re far too busy to think beyond Christmas right now, but oftentimes, it’s as simple as adding an extra item to your grocery cart, and others save you so much money, they’re worth the effort.
6 Holiday Hacks to Save Money In The New Year
- Stock up on great baking supplies sales. Stores are competing for your business right now, and many will have amazing sales, especially on baking supplies. Stock up on cocoa powder, brown sugar, flour, vanilla, and always remember – when you find a great deal on butter, you can store it in the freezer almost indefinitely! Last year, our nearby Aldi ran several $1.99 sales on butter, and they already done one this fall, and it’s not even Thanksgiving yet!
- Stock up on freezable seasonal items too. We use whole cranberries throughout the year, so I make sure to buy them while they’re on sale during the holidays and freeze them. You can do the same with turkey, ham, and anything else you use frequently and pay more for other times of year.
- Look for Black Friday or Christmas deals on utilities, and call your company to re-negotiate. Many internet/entertainment, cell service, and even gas or electricity companies run sales during the holidays to get new customers. If you’re an existing customer, be sure to call your provider and talk them down! Also, don’t be afraid to switch if another provider can give you a better ongoing deal, and your company won’t match it. (Also, if you haven’t already, be sure to look into Ting Wireless to save money on phone plans! I have my phone with them, and love it!)
- Look for Holiday/Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals for tickets to events you know you’re going to want to attend next year. For instance, I know that my 8 year old and I want to run a Spartan/Spartan Kids race next may, and I’m hoping they have a great holiday sale we can get in on.
- Get shoes for the next year during Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Last year, I got my Reebok gym shoes (this model, which I absolutely adore) for 50% off on Cyber Monday. This year, I’m hoping to do the same, and also hoping to see Hoka One One have an awesome deal (I go through a lot of shoes!), as well as order shoes for my kids, ordering a size, and two sizes up for them while they’re growing so fast.
A note on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. I know a lot of us get a bad taste in our mouth for the rank consumerism of the Black Friday weekend, and we talk about how you save money by NOT shopping Black Friday. But these deals do serve you if you were already going to buy the item anyway, and I am definitely going to be buying shoes for my kids over the next year, so if I can order them steeply discounted on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, that’s a great deal! - Make sure you do your online shopping through Ratuken. You may know it better by its former name Ebates, but Ratuken is a rewards site where when you shop online through their affiliate link (clicking the button on their website), they split the affiliate commission they earn through it with you. It’s a great way to earn back some of the money you spend this holiday season to use next year!
Shopping for next year during the holidays isn’t hard, it just takes a little forethought. And isn’t that the real key to getting ahead in any aspect of life? Whatever you’re spending money on, or working at, always remember to ask yourself, “what can I do right now to benefit our future”.
This is why I’m such a big fan of planning for Christmas even during the summer, and planning next year during Thanksgiving and Christmas.
You can help your future self in a big way with just a little effort in the now.
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