October, November and December are the most active months of the year. Between going back to work and back to school, and the holidays in December, these are the most in which we do the most, are the most sociable, and when we also spend the most. Here are a few tips to help you save a little during the season.
1. Your budget
Now’s the best time to check on your budget. You’ll be able to see what you can spare each month for shopping, know what you have through the end of the year, and steer yourself clear of overspending. It also gives you time to decide if you want to skip a payment on a debt to provide you extra cash for the holidays.
Now’s the best time to check on your budget. You’ll be able to see what you can spare each month for shopping, know what you have through the end of the year, and steer yourself clear of overspending. It also gives you time to decide if you want to skip a payment on a debt to provide you extra cash for the holidays.
2. Seasonal foods
In season fruits and vegetables are always cheaper. Start the chilly season by taking stock of what’s available and cook things that are good for this season, as it can save you quite a bit of cash. If you cook up larger batches of things you like that you can freeze, you can even extend the savings further. Here are 25 fall vegetable recipes to check out and try.
3. At the grocery store
Make a point of buying a few generic store name grocery items a week. Each one will add up to a tidy bit of savings by month’s end, and you’ll learn what store-brand items are just as good –or better- than name brand –saving you even more over time-.
4. Getting colder
These nippy, wet, and windy days are always a shock of the system after the summer’s warmth, and it’s natural to want to turn to the thermostat to keep it warm inside. But hold off using the heat, if you can. It’s perfectly acceptable to wear thicker clothing indoors and, according to Sleep.org the best temperature to help productive sleep is between 60- and 67-degrees Fahrenheit (15.5 to 19.5 Celsius). That toasty comforter will help you keep your heating bills lower one to two months, and help you sleep better.
5. Prepare your home for the cold
Winter’s a beautiful season, but it can be hard on your finances if you’re losing heat to an improperly insulated home. Check out our article on how to spend a little on fixing up your house for winter, since it'll save you more on long term expenses.
6. The gym
Like I said this season is, socially and work-wise, the busiest of the year. Consider pausing your gym membership till January. It will also give you an excuse to go outdoors and enjoy the lovely fall outdoors, too!
7. Pre-Christmas savings
While it is a bit too late this year to open a Christmas Club Account, I want to bring you up because it’s a great time to open this account for next year. This account, into which you make a monthly transfer or payroll deposit and promise not to touch it in exchange for an extra juicy interest rate, is the perfect way to set a bit of cash aside every month, forget about it, and have a nice sum of cash come the holidays of next year. For example, $75 a month barely make a dent now, but add them up and you get $900 plus interest next November, guilt-free. Unbeatable!
While it is a bit too late this year to open a Christmas Club Account, I want to bring you up because it’s a great time to open this account for next year. This account, into which you make a monthly transfer or payroll deposit and promise not to touch it in exchange for an extra juicy interest rate, is the perfect way to set a bit of cash aside every month, forget about it, and have a nice sum of cash come the holidays of next year. For example, $75 a month barely make a dent now, but add them up and you get $900 plus interest next November, guilt-free. Unbeatable!
8. Impulse management
If you’re the kind of shopper -I am, sometimes- who has sometimes bought more than one present for one person because you forgot you’d already bought one, now you have time to plan: make a list of people who you know you’ll gift before the end of the year. Go through the gifts you’ve already bought and add them to the list. Then you’ll know gifts you’re missing as well as the budget you’ll need.
Again, if you tend to go overboard, start thinking of leaving cards and checkbook at home, and taking one at a time with you when you go shopping. Alternatively, there’s an odd feeling of satisfaction in taking the credit card(s) you want to avoid using and freezing them (literally, if need be!) until the time you will be using them. They’ll make a great conversation piece if you have friends over who need to get ice, too!
9. Freezing your credit
10. Pre-Christmas sales
Late back-to-school sales pose great opportunities to stock up on supplies that you need through the year, even if you don’t have kids. And fall sales, can provide some discounts on early Christmas presents if you followed number 8.
11. Avoiding the Christmas spam
Speaking of Christmas, that season’s spam is about to start (yes, a bit earlier every year!). You will control your shopping -and spending- better if you take 20 minutes now to unsubscribe from all those stores where you seldom do any shopping.
Speaking of Christmas, that season’s spam is about to start (yes, a bit earlier every year!). You will control your shopping -and spending- better if you take 20 minutes now to unsubscribe from all those stores where you seldom do any shopping.
12. Giving need not mean buying
Even better, while there is still time before the holidays… why not take a little time to browse some DIY crafts sites to see if there are any things that you could/would like to learn to make? If you’ve never made crafts or homemade items as presents, believe me when I say that there’s a very cool sense of satisfaction in making something that your loved ones can and will use. You’ve got nothing to lose and a lot to gain, not just the money saved!
And if you think that the making gifts is only “a chick thing” there are DIY sites for men, too!
Even better, while there is still time before the holidays… why not take a little time to browse some DIY crafts sites to see if there are any things that you could/would like to learn to make? If you’ve never made crafts or homemade items as presents, believe me when I say that there’s a very cool sense of satisfaction in making something that your loved ones can and will use. You’ve got nothing to lose and a lot to gain, not just the money saved!
And if you think that the making gifts is only “a chick thing” there are DIY sites for men, too!
13. Things to do
Alright, so it’s easy to get most of us to sign off going to the gym till next year, but how about going out with friends to do things that don’t cost money? Can you do that? There are many, many free fall activities to do with friends instead of the usual dinner/movie/coffee/drinks routines. The cooler fall months are the best time to walk around and see new places! Here’s the DC area guide to this fall. If you don’t live in this area, all you have to do is google the name of where you live and “things to do this fall”.
And, if you’re a friend of road trips, here are two must-sees in the autumn.
14. Hosting?
If you’re thinking of having a holiday event like Thanksgiving or Christmas at your place, remember that these are expensive and time-consuming affairs to host. Why not start asking among friends and family, see who wants to bring a dish or item, and who wants to help you with the preparations; one will save you money and cooking time, while the second time-saver will also mean that you have more time to be sociable on the day of.
Have fun this fall, peeps and peepettes!
Alright, so it’s easy to get most of us to sign off going to the gym till next year, but how about going out with friends to do things that don’t cost money? Can you do that? There are many, many free fall activities to do with friends instead of the usual dinner/movie/coffee/drinks routines. The cooler fall months are the best time to walk around and see new places! Here’s the DC area guide to this fall. If you don’t live in this area, all you have to do is google the name of where you live and “things to do this fall”.
And, if you’re a friend of road trips, here are two must-sees in the autumn.
- First is Fallingwater, the house that Frank Lloyd Wright built over a waterfall in Pennsylvania. It’s even more beautiful in the fall.
- The second is the renowned trip to see Shenandoah National Park in the fall.
14. Hosting?
If you’re thinking of having a holiday event like Thanksgiving or Christmas at your place, remember that these are expensive and time-consuming affairs to host. Why not start asking among friends and family, see who wants to bring a dish or item, and who wants to help you with the preparations; one will save you money and cooking time, while the second time-saver will also mean that you have more time to be sociable on the day of.
Have fun this fall, peeps and peepettes!
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