Five Money Saving Tips for the Holidays

Happy Sunday, y’all! We’re only a few days into Blogmas 2026, and I thought this would be a great time to share some tips I’ve used to help make the holidays less financially draining. While they all take some planning, these tips aren’t painful ones to use. I will openly admit, I am no money wizard! But these are five money-saving tips for the holidays that I use every year.

What’s my background in finance? I don’t have one, other than trying to make my dollar stretch further, especially in the current state of the global economy. The five money-saving tips I’m sharing here are ones I have used over the years and continue to use.

So let’s check out my five money-saving tips for the holidays!

Tip 1: Buy Wrapping Supplies and Decor After the Holiday

I know it’s hard to use this tip now if you are starting fresh. But it’s a great one to keep in mind. Retailers don’t like to carry seasonal merchandise past the season. And as such, you’ll often find wrapping supplies, decorations, and even holiday gift sets marked down on December 26. And these markdowns are often significant, starting at 50% and often reaching 75%. Some retailers have even started marking these items down in the days leading up to the holiday.

Tip 2: Spread Gift Buying Throughout the Year

Remember those cute gift sets that are only available during the holiday gift-giving season? You can pick them up after the holiday for a fraction of the price. One gift that is a staple in my family every year is socks, and we all get at least one pair of fun socks for Christmas. In past years, my husband has gotten Looney Tunes and Pepsi socks. My youngest daughter has gotten Friday the 13th and Halloween socks. These items were often bought on sale, post-holiday. My daughter-in-law doesn’t like the fun pop-culture socks and prefers a specific brand and cut. So for her, we tend to shop the back-to-school sales.

I remember when I worked in a children’s store years ago, someone scooped up a bunch of swimsuits at the end of the season for holiday gifts for nieces and nephews. Why? Because they were going on a tropical vacation right after Christmas. And we all know how hard it is to find swimsuits in December.

Tip 3: Shop Thrift and Second Hand

Obviously, this takes time and patience. You need a clear idea of what your gift recipients like and want. This past year, I was fortunate to score a Jurassic Park printed Hawaiian shirt for my husband in his size. Brand new, that shirt was around $50. I paid less than $10. Guess what? It was his favorite gift. And he has gotten a lot of compliments on it over the few short months he’s been able to wear it.

Gifting second-hand takes time. You need to inspect the item to ensure there are no flaws or damage. If there are any flaws or damage, can they be easily fixed? Or are the flaws due to the item’s age and don’t affect use? One thing I love to get for Christmas is books. A few years ago, my husband gifted me a bunch of Agatha Christie books to add to my collection. The majority of the books were second-hand, and as such, the pages were slightly yellowed, and the covers had some wear and tear. But that makes sense for a book that is over 50 years old.

Tip 4: Use Gift Cards to Help Set a Budget

These gift cards can be used in a couple of ways. You can use them for the gifts, especially for the hard-to-shop-for person. Or, you can use those gift cards to buy your gifts.

How does this help you save money? If you’ve got a bit of extra money at the end of the week or month, you can use it to buy a gift card for a store you know you’ll be shopping at. If you know you’re going to buy some toys around Christmas, why not buy a gift card to your local toy store? Buying books? Then get a bookstore gift card. While you may spend more than the gift card at the store, you’ve already set aside money ahead of time, so it’s not quite as stressful during the holidays.

Tip 5: Use Those Store and Credit Card Rewards

Almost every store and credit card has some rewards program. Use those rewards to help offset the cost of your holidays. I’m fortunate that my credit card gives me rewards I can use at a few different stores. Throughout the year, one of the stores offers bonus redemption days. A few years ago, I used those rewards to surprise my husband with a Nintendo Switch. I have also used those same rewards to offset the cost of our holiday meals.

There are also times throughout the year when my credit card gives me bonus points if I buy a certain dollar amount of certain gift cards. Currently, they give 15,000 points for every $100 spent on gift cards for a handful of stores (including the bookstore, sporting goods store, and toy store). For me, spending $100 on gift cards earns me $15 in points I can use later for something else. While it may not be a great return on investment, if the cards are for places I’m going to spend the money anyway, it’s almost like losing $15 by not doing this.

My husband’s credit card had a points “store” where he could redeem points for various things. One year, he used those points to buy a few stocking stuffers and a new video game.

Those are my five money-saving tips for the holidays. Do you use something similar? What are some of your money-saving tips for the holidays?

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