In today's tough economic climate, planning ahead for Christmas gift shopping is more important than ever! Saving money now will make the holiday shopping season less stressful. Here are five painless ways to save some cash:
Keep all of the change accumulated during the day. Use paper money for all purchases and keep the change. Toss the loose change into a jar every night.
Prepare a homemade lunch one day a week and carry it to work. Eating out for lunch everyday can really add up! By bringing lunch once a week, this can be an extra $5 - $10 that can be added to the Christmas savings!
Buying bottled water is a real budget buster! Buy a reusable water bottle and fill it up at home or on the go. If you typically buy one packaged bottle of water everyday and spend $1.00 - $2.00 on it, then you can easily save up to $14.00 a week to add to the Christmas fund!
Spending a fifty cents to $1.00 a day on a newspaper can easily add up to as much as $30.00 per month. Don't do it! Read local newspapers and national newspapers online. Sign up your e-mail address to favorite publications to receive instant news alerts as the news happens. Stash the savings in your Christmas fund.
If you have a cell phone, consider getting rid of the land line telephone. Most cell phone plans are unlimited and most phone calls are made wirelessly. A basic home phone usually costs @ $30.00 a month, which is extra money that could be added to the Christmas savings.
Saving money is more important than ever. Paying cash for purchases
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