Are you ready for this year's holiday shopping season? Did you know that the average person buys around $900 worth of gifts over the holidays?

It's December, so you may have some spending to do still.

But, you don't need to spend that much!

There are plenty of ways to save money over the holidays, and even get cash back for your spending.

The holidays can be expensive, but they don't have to be if you are mindful of how you spend and save for the holidays.

The first step I recommend taking is setting a budget for your holiday shopping.

Completing this important step will allow you to analyze your holiday spending so that you can spend less money and not go into any unnecessary holiday debt.

This will enable you to make more informed decisions when it comes to your spending.

I advice seeing how much money you already have set aside for the holidays, think about how much you want to spend, and calculate what you need to do so that you don't go over your holiday budget.

The things that you will want to think about and maybe include in your holiday spending budget are:

• Presents
• Transportation and travel costs (do you need to fly home?)
  
• Food for parties and get togethers
• Postage for any gifts and/or holiday cards
• Seasonal cards
• Wrapping paper, tape, and so on.
• Decorations.

And the list may even go on further for you.

My next tip is to get cash back on your shopping this holiday season.

One thing I do to try to squeeze some more money back into my pocket is by using Rakuten (used to be called Ebates). Sometimes I forget to use this website, and I hate when I miss getting free cash back!

I have been using Rakuten for many years now and for me it is a no-brainer.

Whenever I shop online, I see if Rakuten will give me cash back on my purchase.

Rakuten gives you FREE money for shopping.

Also, you can even get cash back on travel. Holiday Inn, Travelocity, Expedia, and a bunch of other great travel companies are on Rakuten!

You are probably asking the question “What is Rakuten?” Below is a quick quote taken from their website:

“Since our founding in 1997, Rakuten has helped shape the way people shop online, offering Cash Back, deals and shopping rewards on the world’s largest selection of products and services. To date, our 12 million members in the U.S. have earned over $1 billion in Cash Back at their favorite stores.”

And, it's actually that easy!

To figure out what percentage you will be earning for the cash back from your shopping, all you do is look at the percentage number next to the store name while you are on Rakuten's website. They tell you the exact amount right there.

To earn money back from Rakuten stores, all you have to do is:

• Sign up for your free Rakuten account
• Click on whatever brand you are interested in shopping at. There are over 2,500 stores where you can earn cash back, so there are plenty of options (some of the Rakuten stores include Amazon.com, Walmart, Macy's, Kohl's, J.Crew, Nike, and Target).
• Then, all you do is shop just like you normally would and you will earn cash back.

Yes, it is that easy.

There is no monthly fee, no fee that you have to pay to Rakuten, or anything like that. It is absolutely free to you to use Rakuten.

You’ll also get a $10 Welcome Bonus after you join for free with my referral link and place your first purchase of $25 or more.

Rakuten is co-sponsoring a $100 giveaway with me. Sign up for Rakuten using my referral link, and click here to enter my giveaway. Good luck!

How do you save money over the holiday season?

Making Sense of Cents' $100 Visa Giveaway

The post The Best Ways To Save Money This Holiday Season appeared first on Making Sense Of Cents.

from Making Sense Of Cents


via Finance Xpress