3. Introduction
We all know how hard it is save money, especially when the
majority of American live from paycheck to paycheck.
However, saving for Christmas is not impossible. You only
have to learn how to create a budget, use resources
available to help you stick to your budget, and have will
power to change a few habits.
This guide should help you throughout the entire year save
money for the upcoming Christmas and can be used to help
you save money for any event you desire.
The guide will help you:
create a budget
show you ways you can cut back on spending without
starving
give you a few ideas on how to make some extra money
show you how to keep your Christmas fund intake
provide ways to save throughout the entire year ahead as
well as a few tips and tricks to help with that Christmas
fund
what to do when all else fails
If you truly want to save for Christmas without being
strapped for other things you need, you will be able to do
just that once you use the tips and tricks found in this guide.
3
4. Plan A Budget
You more than likely have heard it before but planning a
budget is the best way to save for Christmas. The problem
with most that tell you to plan a budget, never explain the
best way to go about the plan or give you any ideas where
the money will come from when you just don’t have any
money left over after the bills. With our budget ideas, you
will be able to go farther as after we help you plan the
budget we give you alternative ideas of cutting back and
even how to make extra money in the next chapter. So, do
not run away with the thought of making a budget. You can
create a budget that will not leave your family in distress or
starving.
The very first thing you must do is take control of your
finances. The only way in which to do this is by first learning
how much money is coming into your household and how
much is going out as well.
The first question many people ask is why they need to write
down a budget. The answer is simple. You may know how
much money you receive every week on your paycheck and
how much the bills are costing you each month. The
problem is there are more than likely many other expenses
that you never consider and this could be the reason you are
short of money and can never save money for Christmas.
Since we are talking about saving for Christmas, the budget
you prepare needs to be for the entire year. Of course, there
may need to be adjustments along with way due to missed
days at work which would lower your income for a given
month or an emergency that made you spend more money
one week, however, when you have an idea of the basics
you will be ready to save for Christmas without the worry of
these small setbacks.
4
5. The first step is to get a pen and paper; you need to see the
budget. If you only do it in your head, you will forget things
that really need to be added to the budget.
Add up all the money that comes into your household. This
can be from your employer, your spouse’s employer,
pensions, government benefits, investments, child support
payments, or any other money that you receive regularly.
On a separate piece of paper at the top, place this figure and
call it incoming.
Next, now you must add up your bills for the year. Start with
weekly or monthly bills such as your rent or mortgage,
utility bills, gas for your vehicle, credit card bills, groceries,
cable, internet, school lunches for the kids and any other
bills that you pay on weekly or monthly. Other bills may only
come around every few months or yearly such as
homeowner’s dues, car insurance, renter’s insurance,
medical insurance, or home insurance. Do not forget to add
these other bills into the total amount.
On the piece of paper, where you placed the amount of
incoming money, now place the figure from the second step
and subtract it from the incoming money. This is how much
money you have left over after you pay the necessities
every year. Since we are trying to save for Christmas, how
much did you spend last Christmas? Use this figure or one
you would like to spend on Christmas and place that figure
under the number you have after taking away the bills. Now,
comes the hard part, how do you save that money so it does
not have to come out in one lump sum at Christmas.
You can see how much money you have left over every year
and more than likely you are wondering, where does money
go?
5
6. This is where the tricky part comes in. Did you remember to
put in the kid’s allowance, trips to the corner convenient
store, eating out, entertainment, or other times you stop for
a soda or a snack? If not, then you can easily see just how
fast your money you can go.
Now, that you know how much money you have to work
with and how much you would like to save for Christmas it is
time to budget that money. Break down the amount you
have left over in a year into the months you have left before
Christmas. Now, divide the amount you want for Christmas
by the number of months that are left. This is how much you
must save each month in order to reach your goal. That this
amount from the money you have to spend each month and
you will know exactly what you left for things that you want
but do not necessarily need.
This may be a very small amount of money and you may be
wondering how you can make it when you must eat out from
time to time while on the road for work. In addition, you
want to take the family out to eat once in awhile or even to
a movie, but now you are trying to figure out how you can
make it all work.
Remember, no one said it was going to a breeze, but that
you can actually save for Christmas without giving up
everything you do as a family.
The next chapter should help you with this by showing you
ways you can cut back without giving up all those fun things
your family want to do and without cutting out your meals
while at work.
6
7. Cutting Back
You may think it is hard to cut back or that you or your
family will suffer in the process. This is far from the truth, as
a matter of fact, you may even have more money to spend
once you learn these little tricks.
Saving on Groceries
We all know that prices at the grocery store are going up
and up, but there are a few ways you can still save a few
bucks.
Save on Groceries
Write a list before heading out to the store and only buy the
items on your list.
Keep the money to buy groceries in an envelope and only
take the amount you have to spend for the week to the
store. This will help you not spend more than you have. Do
not use your debit card or credit card - always take cash.
Buy for at least a week a time. Buying larger packages will
save you in the long run as you can divide up the meat and
freeze it until you are ready to use. Use coupons. Many
stores today will double the coupons and you will amazed at
just how much you can save.
Save on Utility Bills
Every household can save a few bucks on their electricity
bills just by changing a few habits.
The ideas below can help you save on your utility bills:
Turn off lights in a room when not in use
Close the drapes at night to ensure the heat stays indoors
Be sure you have good insulation around doors or
windows or use a towel at the bottom of the door.
7
8. Turn your heat down and wear a sweatshirt in winter
When you are not using appliances, unplug them. This
includes can openers, curling irons, toasters, etc...
Turn off the computer when not in use
Turn off the television when no one is watching it
Change to energy efficient light bulbs
Take shorter showers
Use cold water for washing clothing
Other ways to cut back
A few of these changes may be hard for a few of us, but
they can save you money so you can have extra for other
things and to put in the Christmas fund.
Instead of eating out for lunch, take your lunch
Stop buying all those Red Bulls or other energy drinks
Quit or cut back on smoking. With the price of cigarettes
today, just cutting back can save hundreds of dollars per
year.
Instead of going to Starbucks for coffee, make your own at
home
Instead of taking friends out for lunch or dinner, have them
over for a barbeque and ask everyone to bring a dish.
Do not use your credit cards, only pay for things with cash
Set a limit on gifts you purchase throughout the year such
as birthday, anniversary, etc...
Lower your internet speed; this will save you a few extra
dollars
Lower the amount of movie channels you subscribe to on
your cable bill. No one can watch all those channels,
anyway.
Instead of taking the family to the movies, rent the movie
and watch it at home. You can even pop popcorn at home,
the kids will love making their own popcorn and you will not
have to spend the money for movie tickets or the high prices
for popcorn at the theater.
8
9. Ways to make extra money
There are several different ways you can make extra money
if you just think about what you have and what you know.
Ask your employer if you can work overtime.
Take a part time job such as delivering pizza, as a waiter or
waitress, or even get a paper route.
Go through all those things in the attic, garage, and in your
closet. I bet you can find several items you no longer use.
Have a garage sale and sell all of these items.
If you do not want to spend the time having a garage sale,
you can sell your unwanted items at a pawn shop; only
remember they will not give you what the items are worth.
Have a virtual garage sale. This is pretty easy especially if
you are on Facebook. You can easily put up photos of the
items you wish to sale and your friends can purchase the
items you no longer use.
Want to make it more interesting. Place your items up for
auction on eBay. Just remember to put in the starting bid,
so you actually make money instead of losing money.
If you have several items such as collectibles that you just
have stored away and are not interested in keeping, you can
put up an online store at Amazon or eBay and sell these
items without any hassles at all, expect for shipping.
Do you have a skill? This can be anything from writing a
resume to learning history. You can easily find others that
need help with just about anything in the world and are
9
10. willing to pay someone to teach them. Parents often look for
tutors for their children. If you are great a subject, offer
your services as a tutor in your spare time. If you know how
to crochet or knit, put up an ad offering lessons. The same
goes for the guitar, piano, or even helping someone learn
English.
Other services you can offer in your spare include driving
people to the airport, to the grocery store, or even the mall.
You may not make a large profit, but a few extra bucks will
help your goals.
Do you have a lawn mower? Put up ads to mow lawns, weed
flower beds, and trim bushes or trees. In the autumn, you
can rake leaves and in the winter shovel snow. A great way
to make some extra money and even get some exercise.
Do you know anyone in your neighborhood that owns a dog
or even more than one dog? Put up a flyer to walk dogs in
the neighborhood. This will give you some extra money and
also once again give you some exercise.
If you love pets, then you enjoy pet sitting. This is a huge
business for families that own pets and cannot or do not
want to take their pets along on vacation. In most cases, all
you will need to do is visit their home to ensure their pets
have food, water, take them on walks, or clean out a litter
box.
Do you know how to rid computers of viruses? This could be
a great way to make some extra money. Many individuals
that have computers do not know how to get rid of a virus
once it attacks their computer, think of how much you could
make just ridding computers of viruses.
There are so many different ways you can make a bit of
extra money that may not take as much effort as you might
10
11. think and may be even be beneficial, such as walking dogs,
which will give you, exercise.
Do not touch your Christmas fund
This may be one of the most important chapters in this
guide and also the most controversial. When I say, do not
touch your Christmas fund that is exactly what I mean.
Once you start putting money away for Christmas, hopefully
in a savings account, you must forget the money is there
altogether. No matter what the circumstances, do not touch
the money.
If you must have extra money for an emergency, it would be
best to find another way to get the money you need instead
of touching your Christmas fund. Why? You may ask. The
answer is simple, once you start taking money from the
fund, you will keep taking money until you will not be able to
meet your goal of the amount of money you wish to save for
Christmas.
If an emergency arises, you can easily use one of the above
ways to make extra money. On the other hand, if it is an
emergency, the best thing to do is obtain a payday loan.
Yes, you will have to pay the loan back, but you will be able
to pay the loan by your next paycheck. This may mean that
you will not be able to put as much in the Christmas fund as
you would like, but you will still have your money put away
for Christmas and the emergency situation will be resolved.
Along with that, you will be building good credit, as payday
lenders report your transactions to the credit bureau, so it is
a win-win situation. The best place to visit for a cash
advance or payday loan is 99cash.com. You can find top
lenders here that will provide you with the money you need
until payday so you can keep your Christmas fund safe and
sound.
11
12. Throughout the year
Now, that you know you cannot touch your Christmas fund,
you are probably wondering what you do throughout the
year when things come up that need the extra money. The
answer once again is simple. We will go through a few
scenarios to show you just how easy it is never to touch that
money and still be able to put money away to save for
Christmas.
Let’s say, you see a toy that you desperately want to buy for
your grandson for Christmas and it is on sale. Christmas is
another 5 months away and you know the rule of not
touching the Christmas money. What should you do? The
answer is apply for a payday loan. At 99cash.com, you can
apply for a small loan that will cover the toy and pay it back
with your next paycheck.
It is the first of the month, you have paid all the bills and
put away your Christmas money for the month. You and
your spouse are looking over the sale bill from Sears and
you notice that jeans are on sale. You both need new jeans,
but now you do not have any extra money as it is the first of
the month and that is when all your bills come due. Figure
out how much need to purchase the jeans and then obtain a
cash advance from 99cash.com. The money can be paid
back on your paycheck when your money is not as tight and
you will get the jeans you need.
The same goes for anything you need throughout the year.
Most sales often happen at the first of the month when
money is tight. If you use a cash advance or payday loan,
12
13. you will not have to touch your Christmas fund and will be
able to pay the loan back with your next paycheck since
there are no other bills to pay.
Payday loans can help you in so many ways throughout the
year so you can actually save money and still meet all the
obligations you have from dinner parties to birthdays to car
repair.
A small loan from 99cash.com, will certainly give you peace
of mind and will not break the bank. You will still be able to
stay on your budget, just figure in the payday loan for the
week or the month, excluding the week when all the bills
come due. If you take your Christmas money out of the
budget at the first of the month with the rest of the bills,
then you have nothing to worry about, paying back the
payday loan will be easy and simple.
Any time there is a sale and you really need the items, use a
payday loan. This is the best way to build your credit,
rebuild your credit, and still save for Christmas at the same
time. Payday loans and cash advance loans are not what
most people believe. As long as watch your budget, add in
the loan, and pay the loan back in a timely manner, you will
not get in trouble.
Remember, you can always use other options along with a
payday loan such as ways to save money and ways to make
extra money. When you use all these methods together, it is
very easy to save for Christmas or for any big purchase, you
may have in mind.
When you apply at 99cash.com, be sure to read all the
agreements and learn which lender will give you the
repayment you can live with that is in your budget. Some
will want the money repaid with your next paycheck while
others will work with installments so you do not have to pay
13
14. the entire amount back in one lump sum. Reap the benefits
of payday loans and you can still save for Christmas.
When All Else Fails
Here it is the middle of November and no matter what you
did the last few months, you could save any money to put
into your Christmas. You may have forgotten all the other
holidays that demand money throughout the year. Even
though you may have added in your budget a miscellaneous
amount for birthdays and other things, you may have
forgotten such things as how much it costs to throw a
birthday for an 8 year old when you take them to the pizza
joint. You may have not factored in Halloween costumes,
Thanksgiving dinner, or your in-laws coming to town for a
week. All of these small things when not added to your
budget can really destroy all your hard efforts in saving for
Christmas.
Other things that may have come up that destroyed all your
efforts may have been catching the flu and missing work for
two weeks, an automobile accident that landed you in the
hospital, or even one of the kids coming down with the
measles and one of you had to stay at home with your child
and were unable to work.
There are so many reasons that you can be thrown off
course especially when money is tight already and you only
a few dollars you could spare to put back for your Christmas
fund.
You may have done very well saving for Christmas but
realize that the amount you decided to put back is not quite
enough for the gifts on everyone’s list. You may have just
put a figure out there without considering just how far the
money would go such as deciding to spend only $20 per
14
15. person. This could be very disastrous situation, especially if
you have children that are into electronics.
Twenty dollars per person will not stretch as far as it once
did when you consider that a video game today can cost up
to $100 according to the game your child has his or heart
set on. Then there are iPods, cell phones, iPads, digital
cameras, computers, laptops, Xboxes, and so many other
things that certainly cannot be purchased for $20.
The good news is that when all else fails, you can turn to
99cash.com. You still have time. Sit down and write down
the items you need to purchase on everyone’s list. Now,
take away the money you saved in your Christmas fund.
This is what you need, of course.
Now, go online to 99cash.com and apply for a payday loan.
The form is simple, only takes around ten minutes and when
approved the money will be electronically sent to your bank
account. You do not need good credit, as a matter of fact,
you do not need any credit. All you need is a job, a bank
account, and be at least 18 years of age. As soon as you are
approved for a payday loan in the amount of $50 to $1500,
the money will be sent to your bank within 24 hours.
Now you can enjoy going Christmas shopping and know you
did a great job of saving for Christmas. Once you get use to
using the tips and tricks in this guide and rely on
99cash.com for all your emergencies you will be able to
easily have a wonderful Christmas every year.
No matter the reason you need extra cash, by using our
Saving for Christmas guide, you should be able to relax and
have the money you need at hand when you really need
whether for an emergency or to provide the rest of the
money you need for Christmas.
15