They say that 66% of Americans shopping for winter holiday gifts go over budget, typically by an average of $116.
With a total of five kids , sticking to a budget is mandatory in our household during the holidays. Every year we set a gift-giving budget, track all holiday spending in a spreadsheet and try our hardest to find the best deals we can find.
Tips to stretch the dollar this holiday season:
- Don’t forget, coins are money, too! Check the cars, couch, drawers, bottom of your purse and anywhere else that you drop coins and gather them all up. Take the spare change to a Coinstar kiosk and cash it in for a no-fee eCertificate to popular retailers like Amazon, Starbucks, Toys “R” Us, Gap and more!
- Got unused gift cards? 58% of Americans are holding at least one gift card and 48% say they wait to use them or never cash them in at all. Track down all of those unused gift cards, stick them in your wallet and use them! What are you waiting for? Go. Now!
- Be a loyal customer. You know those free loyalty programs that pretty much every retailer provides? Sign up! I recently signed up for the DSW Rewards program and I’ll never buy shoes anywhere else because of their loyalty program. Just yesterday I picked up a pair on Converse for $7. You read that right…SEVEN dollars! All because of coupons I got through their loyalty program!
- Don’t pay full price. I repeat…don’t pay full price! Everything either goes on sale, special, clearance or has some deal associated with it. You have easy access at price comparing right at your fingertips, so before you buy, check multiple retailers and find the best price.
Options for cashing in with Coinstar:
- Cash Voucher: It’s as easy as selecting “Get Cash” on the screen of the Coinstar kiosk and pouring your coins. You’ll receive a receipt to take to the checkout stand that you can trade in for cold, hard cash!
- No-Fee eCertificates: There’s no fee when you cash in for gift cards and eCertificates with Coinstar. You keep every penny for yourself and choose from a variety of brands and retailers including, Amazon, Gap, Southwest Airlines, Nike, Starbucks and more!
- Coins That Count: Would you rather donate your loose change to charity? Coinstar has partnered with more than 14 nonprofit organizations across the country making it easy for you to transform your spare change into meaningful change.
Follow Coinstar on Facebook (here) and Twitter (here).
This post was sponsored by Coinstar. All opinions are my own.
