Saving for Christmas

What are you doing to save money for Christmas? I used to put $100 away each week throughout the year to help save for Christmas and putting everything I didn’t spend into savings. That plan worked alright but I tended to buy way too much stuff for Christmas. I now limit myself to spending around $100 per family member and around$25-50 per friend.

How do I save money for Christmas now? In my last post I explained how to use Ibotta, the money I get back from Ibotta I put towards Christmas gifts. I also buy potential gifts throughout the year so I don’t have to spend a ton of money all at once. I buy Christmas cards and wrapping paper after Christmas when they are 75%-90% off. That saves a ton of money in the long run, I also reuse all gift bags that I receive. You can check out my Ibotta blog post here: https://frugalfamilyweb.wordpress.com/2017/09/07/ibotta/

I am a couponer so I hunt for the best deals even for gifts and I will stock up on potential gifts when I find them cheap. A few weeks ago I found a pack of 5 candles for $7 at Walmart. I plan on taking the candles out of the packaging and giving them as individual gifts.

I do have a small stockpile of items that I could put together in a small gift basket. Items like Bath and Body Works body wash, body spray, hand soap, bath bombs, and candles are great to throw in a small basket for a gift. I try to only by Bath and Body works during the semi annual sales in January and June to save hundreds of dollars a year. The majority of the basket I but to keep on hand are from the dollar tree in the organization section.

The Dollar Tree is another great place to find cheap items that could be placed in a gift basket. The kids section at the dollar tree is wonderful especially if you need to buy for several kids. There are good sized coloring books, children’s books, and there have recently been some children’s Blu-ray movies spotted at the dollar tree.

The last way I will be saving money on Christmas gifts is using very dice to get a few gifts for family. You can check out my very dice blog post here: https://frugalfamilyweb.wordpress.com/2017/08/04/verydice/

I will do a few blog posts when I have time in the next few weeks on gifts that I make to save money. My schedule is pretty hectic right now so I will get some crafting done shortly so I can share a few great ideas with all of you.

Leave me a comment below to share ways that you save money on or for Christmas gifts. Have a wonderful week everybody!

 

Ibotta

Ibotta is my favorite rebate app that I have found. You can earn a bonus $10 when you redeem your first rebate using my referral code: genmojr when you sign up. There are times when you are able to get an item for free or a money-maker when redeeming on Ibotta.

There are tons of stores to choose from (the picture above are the stores I use the most on Ibotta). There are also tons of rebates available for name brands as well as some any brand rebates. You can also hit up to 4 level bonuses every month when you redeem 8-15 product rebates per level (the bonuses exclude any brand rebates). There are also random bonuses for certain products as well as some holiday weekend bonuses.

All you have to do is download the Ibotta app and add the rebates you want to use, go shopping and take a picture of your receipt and scan the barcodes of the items you are redeeming.

You can send the money you get back to your paypal or get a digital gift card (there are several different gift cards available including Walmart and Amazon).

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments down below and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you and have a wonderful day.

July Pinch Me Box

I received July’s pinch me box a few days ago. It seems like it is getting slower each month but I will take what samples I can get so I don’t have to pay full price just to try a product. 

These were the products I received this month. Although I only received four samples they were great! I love the Zzzquil tabs on nights I struggle to sleep. I threw this foil pack of Zzzquil tabs into my overnight bag for when I am out of town. I prefer the liquid Zzzquil over the pills but the pills are more convenient for trips. This was also the only product I got a coupon for but I may not use it as I usually get the off brand since it is just as good and much cheaper.

I was very surprised about how the Biore face scrub smelled. It had a citrus-y smell to it and felt amazing on my skin. I have fairly sensitive skin and this face wash didn’t make me break out in a rash or sting my skin. I will definitely be buying a full sample of this after I finish my current face wash.

The orbit white gum was good, it had good flavor and texture. The flavor lasted slightly longer than another brand I usually buy. I will pick this gum up in the future if I can find it on sale or cheap with couponing.

The last product I got was a sample of the slim fast mixed berry shake mix. This is a great product, it has a great taste and works well. I did the slim fast diet for about seven months and lost about forty pounds. It can get quite expensive but there are off brands of the premade shakes but there are less flavors than the powder which I have only found in the name brand. 

I also received another coupon for a free Shutterfly photo book and a coupon for $30 off of a Hello Fresh box.

 If you would like to sign up for pinch me go to http://www.pinchme.com/?referral_code=8L6ZF to sign up. Sample go live once a month and there is a countdown to the next sample day on their website. All you have to do to keep getting samples is write a review of each item you receive on their website.

If you have any questions or comments please leave a comment below. Thank you and have a wonderful weekend!

I am not sponsored by any of the companies our products I mentioned above. All of the opinions are completely my own.

PinchMe

Pinch me is a box of samples that you can request every month on PinchMe Tuesday. All you have to do is sign up on the website (http://www.pinchme.com/?referral_code=8L6ZF) and on sample day you will pick what samples you want sent to you. After you receive the samples you will have to give reviews of each of the products you get. If you don’t do the reviews you will not be allowed a new box the next month. So keep giving great reviews of all the products that are sent to you.

This is was the June PinchMe box that I received. Not only did I receive samples, but I also receive a couple coupons (unfortunately one was already expired). There was a $30 off of my first Hello Fresh box as well as a free 8×8 book from Shutterfly.

The next sample Tuesday is Tuesday, August 15, 2017. The samples go live at 12PM ET be sure to get on right away as the samples go very fast. The link to sign up is http://www.pinchme.com/?referral_code=8L6ZF

VeryDice

I have been using an app called VeryDice for the past couple months and I love it! VeryDice is an app where you roll dice and you are awarded tickets that can be redeemed for prizes.It is available in the app store on iTunes and in the Google Play store.

App store- https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/verydice-roll-dice-win-tickets-get-real-stuff/id1085907050?mt=8

Google Play- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.verydice&hl=en

The amount of tickets you earn will depend on the roll total and whether you get doubles. When you roll doubles you can play a bonus basketball round and every basket you make you get a bonus ticket. When you roll a full set of doubles (1s, 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s, and 6s) you will get 300 bonus tickets. You will get a chance to get the 300 bonus tickets every 24 hours.

Every 24 hours there will be a wheel that will appear when you open the app and you can win between 1 and 10 rolls. The application is through amazon and you can get prizes from all kinds of categories. Prizes costs tickets from 2,000 to 100,000 tickets. There are laundry products, kitchen necessities, camping supplies, toys, clothes, and so much more.

I have redeemed two prizes both worth 6,000 tickets. I got a Silicone Strainer Kitthat came with a silicone brush and garlic peeler )pictured above). I also just redeemed a 72 count box of Shout Color Catcher sheets (I should be getting them today or Monday)

When you sign up using my friend code, 375164, you will receive 30 free rolls and I will receive free rolls as well. If you have any questions or comments about the app let me know. Thank you, have a wonderful day!

This post is NOT sponsored by VeryDice in anyway. These are my true thoughts & opinions about the app and products received.
*This Post contains Amazon Affiliate Links*