Christmas Shopping on a Strict Budget Tips

Last year, I found a lot of great Christmas shopping deals. Personally, I was very lucky because I was on a strict Christmas budget. I had about $200 less to spend than the previous year. Just in case, I am planning ahead this year. If you suspect you may be on a strict budget this upcoming holiday season, start planning now. Yes, it is only May, but why not get a jump on things?

What I did this month was make a list of those who I need to buy for. This is pretty easy (although you may have a few last minutes changes if your work decides to do a gift exchange, and so forth).

So, I have a list that includes my daughter, my boyfriend, his parents, my parents, my brother, and my two grandmas. I also participate in two gift exchanges each year, so there is another two people.

Next, I estimated how many gifts I want to buy for each person (like two small gifts for my mom) and how much I want to spend (like $20 for both).

As for what I am doing with that list, mostly just saving money. I have an idea of how much I need for Christmas and have already started setting some of that money aside. Christmas shopping deals are best right before the holiday, so I will likely wait to buy my gifts. However, you can start buying a few gifts now and store them in your home. With this approach, you get the budget worries out of the way, as all your gifts are bought and paid for.