It’s the holiday season, and with that, it has us thinking about all the types of activities that come along with the season.
There are Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, and New Year’s celebrations and activities all around town to explore and enjoy, some may cost a little bit, and others may be free of charge.
Take a little time to research what is out there for the season and what free activities are available to celebrate.
You can find plenty to do around town with a bit of time. There is a whole calendar of events for activities and celebrations for the entire family from local restaurants, bars, and hotels like the Loews in Santa Monica.
For example, around Culver City, events include:
- Tree lighting ceremonies
- Jazz concerts
- Holiday gift-giving days
- Outdoor acapella concerts
- The 35th Annual Holiday Crafts with Santa
- Holiday Brunches and much, much more
The holiday season is a great time to get together and enjoy each of your loved ones in a festive way.
That’s one of the main points of the holiday season.
What the holidays don’t require is spending a ton on gifts for all the loved ones you have in your life, and in that vein, below is a list of some ideas on how to save money while shopping for holiday gifts this year.
The truth is, those holiday sales aren’t great. They are designed to look like you’re saving more when in reality, that is the price that the item may cost anyway.
The trick that retailers use is to inflate the item’s price artificially, so it appears like a considerable saving when it gets discounted.
For example, a sweater that is priced at $100 before the sale and then is marked down during the holidays 40-50% looks like a great deal.
But you can find that sweaters are priced much lower during different times of the year at the same price, or even lower like a post-Christmas inventory sale.
Also, often online retailers can offer prices below traditional retailers on all types of items from TVs and electronics, cheap sex toys, clothing, toys, and household items.
These retailers can offer steep discounts because their overhead is much lower than traditional brick-and-mortar shops that have to account for inventory, retail space, labor, and more.
Don’t Wait
Too often, people wait until the last minute to shop. While that may seem like a good idea, to find the best deals, shopping earlier in the year and holding on to them will help lessen the impact on your budget and be sure that the item may be in stock.
This idea is especially prescient this year with all the supply chain issues and inventory that retailers are struggling with right now.
Shop During Black Friday And Cyber Monday
A great way to save money as you get closer to the holidays is to shop during Black Friday and the following Cyber Monday.
Often items that were offered at a discount for Black Friday can see even more price breaks during Cyber Monday.
Amazon actually has two different Cyber Monday deals and their Prime Day deals in the summer. Shopping early will help you be sure the item is in stock and allow you to price it out before you try to buy it competitively.
As mentioned above, those holiday price deals may not be that great in the big picture. But by shopping during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, you can find those hot-ticket items and hard-to-find items at steep discounts, especially if you’re willing to do a little research.
Use Credit Card Points
If you use your credit card throughout the year, you’re probably accruing points for each purchase. Think about putting those points to use this holiday season and shop around for deals on items that accept those credit card points.
You’ve already paid for them, so why not let your credit card purchases work for you.
Make A Personalized Gift
Making a personal gift from arts and crafts is a great way to show your feelings toward your loved ones. As a bonus, kids love to do crafts and you can make it an interactive project for you and your little ones.
