Valuable Saving Tips for the Holidays

It is perfectly possible to enjoy all that the holiday season has to offer without having to pay for it by way of a January financial hangover. Follow these simple tips to manage your spending and protect your finances.

• Create a budget

Holiday shopping, festive meals, going out with friends and family, ski trips: The holiday season presents numerous opportunities for unplanned impulse spending. Creating a budget can help you avoid overspending and financial stress. Your budget should account for all of the things you are likely to spend on, including groceries, gifts, going out, dining, travel, and transportation, among others.

Tip: It can be beneficial to include an envelope for Christmas spending in your regular monthly budget. That way you can build up your holiday season budget bit-by-bit throughout the year. 

• Optimize your Christmas present spending

Giving gifts at Christmas has a long tradition, but it can also become very expensive. One sensible way to reduce spending on Christmas presents without sacrificing on fun is to propose a secret Santa system to your friend and family group. In this system, each person gives a present to just one other appointed person in the group, instead of getting presents for everyone. You can find interesting ideas for low-cost gifts in the guide to saving on Christmas presents.

• Save on groceries

From cookie-baking to dinner gatherings – for most people, a festive season without small splurges on food and drink is hard to imagine. But enjoying more delicious food does not necessarily have to mean spending more money. Following these tips for cutting the cost of groceries can help you enjoy your holiday dining without blowing your budget.

• Make sure you are properly insured

Understanding how your various insurance contracts cover the various holiday season risks can keep unplanned incidents from spoiling your holiday fun. You can find out how your festivities and presents are insured in the guide to insurance in the Christmas holidays.

If you practice winter sports, take a moment to learn how your skiing or snowboarding is insured. If visiting concerts, theatrical performances, or other events is part of your holiday itinerary, then it is worth getting informed about ticket insurance.

• Save on winter sports

For many people in Switzerland, the holidays present the perfect occasion to head up the Alps for winter sports and hiking. The costs – including possible hotel stays, ski passes, and dining – can quickly add up to a big expense. The moneyland.ch saving tips for ski trips and hotel stays offer simple advice for minimizing the expense.

• Save at restaurants

Big family gatherings, evenings out with friends, and mid-excursion lunches are often part of the holiday season. While restaurants in Switzerland are generally costly, following these simple tips for saving at restaurants can help keep the cost within the realm of the feasible.

• Cut the cost of transportation and hotel stays

From visiting relatives to taking time away, the days between Christmas and New Year’s Day find many people on the move. The moneyland.ch tips for saving on public transportation and for getting more gas for less can help you stay within your budget without having to be stuck at home.

Many people also end up staying at hotels at some point during the holidays. Here too, there are simple tips and tricks that can greatly reduce the cost. You can find many of these in the moneyland.ch guide to saving on hotel stays in Switzerland.

• Use post-season sales

Many stores in Switzerland slash the prices of unsold holiday stock shortly after New Year’s Day. This gives you the perfect chance to buy needed items, birthday gifts, or even presents for next Christmas – all at discount prices. Acting fast can save you a lot of money compared to buying things at regular prices later on in the year.

More on this topic:
Christmas presents: How to give great gifts without breaking the bank
Insurance in the Christmas holidays: Questions and answers
Ticket insurance: How to insure the cost of concerts, sporting events, and other experiences