5 Cash Saving Tips to Help You Survive the Post-Christmas Crush
It doesn’t take long to go over budget during the holiday season. Getting caught up in the spirit of gift-giving is a great part of the Christmas season, but can leave you with an empty wallet coming into the New Year. January can be tight for many people, and the post-Christmas crush is a reality that can keep you feeling the financial strain of making ends meet. No one likes to start the year off in the red, so when the holidays are over, it’s time to make some simple slashes to your spending.
For emergencies, you can check out your options at paydayloanspro.com, and for everyday savings, you can try some of these simple cash savings tips. From packing your own lunch to catching a ride with a coworker, you can slim down your post-Christmas budget and get back on track towards a prosperous New Year.
Use Your Gift Cards
Gift cards are a popular holiday gift that can really help save you some money when January starts. Generalized gift cards like Visa or Amazon are great tools to help you save money. Don’t throw your gift cards in a drawer and forget about them. You can use them for anything that you want including paying for gas, groceries, and other essential items. Let your Christmas gift cards give your wallet a break in the New Year.
Bagged Lunch
You may be wasting a huge chunk of cash on takeout meals. Just your morning coffee, your stop at your favorite fast-food chain for lunch, and the pizza that you pick up on your way home, you can be racking up an unnecessarily high food bill. To save some money in the New Year, you can blend your own coffee at home and pour it into a travel cup to take to work. Create all your favorite foods and snacks in a bagged lunch from home and you can save up to $100 a week on food costs.
Put On a Sweater
Reducing your household bills can help you to save money during the post-Christmas crush. The temperatures may be dropping during the winter, but using your utilities in a more efficient way can help drop your electricity bills. Install a Smart Thermostat that can be programmed to only turn up the temperature when you are at home instead of wasting energy with a constant temperature. You may be surprised at how much you can save on your heating costs by just turning down your thermostat by one to two degrees and putting on a sweater.
Carpool
With gas prices continuing to rise, a great way to save money on gas is to join a carpool group. Share the driving responsibilities with a few other coworkers and you can save on gas prices at the pump. If you switch over to full-time carpooling, you can even reduce the coverage on your car to save on your insurance premiums.
Skip the Gym
Less than 20% of gym membership owners actually go to the gym. If you have a membership that you rarely if ever use, it’s time to cut the cord. Save money on fees for a service that you aren’t even using. During the pandemic, most gyms are either closed or highly restricted so you won’t be missing out on any workouts.
We all feel the budget crush after Christmas but, there is no reason that you can’t get back on track with some effort. Try some of these easy cash-saving tips to help you survive and thrive financially into the New Year.