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As a stay-at-home mom of 5 kiddos, I have to get creative with our finances. There are multiple ways I save for Christmas throughout the year. Many of these tips will help you save money on items you already buy, and some will even earn you a few bucks. Every little bit helps!

I have several tips for Target. I promise I am not affiliated with them, just a customer. Not a Target shopper? Scroll on down for more money saving tips!

Target Red Card – Save 5% off of every purchase at Target when you pay with a Target Red Card. We don’t use credit credit cards, so I have the debit card. Any purchase made on the Target website will ship free if you pay with your Target Red Card. There is no annual fee, and the 5% even applies to gift card purchases.

Target Cartwheel – Load the Target Cartwheel app to your phone and browse through the discounts. Some of them are 50% off or more. Click on the items you want and hit the red Add button to save them to your account. To use your discounts, find your barcode in the drop down menu and show it to your cashier before paying. They will scan your barcode and the discount will be deducted from your total. 

Target Coupons – The Target website has a section for printable coupons. (Hover over each coupon to see if it is a manufacturer coupon or a Target coupon.) These are valid only at Target, unless you have a nearby store that price matches stores coupons. They can be used along with a manufacturer coupon for the same item, as well as a Cartwheel discount.

Target Gift cards w/Purchase – Each weekly ad contains deals that will earn you Target gift cards with a qualifying purchase. You can also use 1 manufacturer coupon, 1 Target coupon, and a Cartwheel discount on these purchases. These gift cards do not expire, so I save them up to buy Christmas gifts.

For example, I purchased two big bottles of Tide laundry detergent on sale for $11.99 each – a product I would be buying anyway. I used two $3 manufacturer coupons, and received a $5 gift card because I purchased the required two bottles. The deals are easy to spot in the store due to their bright red shelf tags.

Target Toy Clearance – Target has a huge 50-70% off toy clearance sale every year at the end of July. The first day of the sale varies from year to year, but it is usually somewhere around the 28th. They start marking down the toys earlier in the summer at 30% off, so I like to browse them in advance. Once the sale starts, I can walk in as soon as the doors open and (hopefully) grab the items on my list.

Walmart Savings Catcher – Load the Walmart Savings Catcher app onto your phone and use it to scan the barcode at the bottom of your Walmart  or Neighborhood Market receipt. Walmart will compare the prices with several local competitors and give you the price difference in the form of an eGift card.

I didn’t think I would really save much with this program because we buy very few processed foods. I went ahead and signed up because it only takes a few seconds to use, and I figured every little bit helps. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I’ve earned. My current year-to-date total (in October) is $34.83. I will request my eGift card in December to use for gifts or holiday baking ingredients.

Ebates – If you ever shop online, you need to sign up for Ebates. You can earn a rebate for up to 20% of your purchase when you buy through the Ebates site. I’ve been a member for years, but I recently read a tip that has been a huge game changer for me! There is an Ebates toolbar button available for Chrome users. Once installed, a small pop-up will alert you every time you visit a site that has a rebate available.

I had no idea that so many sites were included, because most of the time I would completely forget to check for Ebates. Even Groupon is included! I like to order items online, qualify for the Ebates, and pick them up at the store to avoid shipping costs.

Daily Deal Sites – These sites either have new items for sale each day, or offer big discounts on gift certificates for restaurants and activities. You can also earn credits to spend on the sites by sharing your referral links with your friends. You will find your referral link in your account info on each site.

• Groupon
• Living Social
• Zulily
• GroopDealz

Gift Cards w/Freebies – Around the major holidays, some restaurants and stores will offer a free gift card with the purchase of a gift card. For example, purchase a $50 gift card and get a $10 gift card for free. Check the websites for all of your favorite restaurants and stores to see if they have any special deals. If you are going to be spending money there anyway, you might as well get more bang for your buck! These offers are most often available near Christmas, but can also be found before Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

MyPoints – I usually earn enough MyPoints throughout the year for a $25 gift certificate. I like to redeem my points for a Bath and Body Works gift certificate to use on Black Friday. We get to enjoy some seasonal pampering for no money out of pocket. The main way I earn through MyPoints is by opening emails and visiting the websites inside. This literally takes a few seconds of my times each day. I also print manufacturer grocery coupons and earn 10 points for each coupon I redeem. You can earn even more points by shopping through MyPoints links, using online coupons, and watching videos.

Swagbucks – You can get free gift cards by earning Swagbucks as you do online searches and complete simple tasks like playing games and watching videos. Redeem your points for gift cards for a big list of major retailers – a $5 Amazon gift card is only 500 Swagbucks. A few years ago, I paid for much of my kids’ Christmas with free Amazon gift cards earned through Swagbucks.

Zaycon – Unless you have a foodie in the family, you aren’t going to cross many gifts off your list by shopping through Zaycon. You are, however, going to buy the most delicious boneless, skinless chicken breasts for only $1.89 a pound. This hormone-free, natural chicken comes in a 40 lb box and is only available every few months. I have to make sure we don’t run out because my family will no longer eat chicken from the grocery store! It’s that good!! The applewood smoked ham is delicous too.

Sign up to see all of the available products, locations, and dates. I pick my order up straight off the back of the truck in the parking lot of a nearby church – I don’t even have to get out of the car. You can earn credits by sharing your referral link with friends. Saving money on food is a great way to add to your Christmas budget!

Newsletter Freebies – Check out the websites for your favorite stores and see if they offer coupons for signing up for their newsletters. Restaurants often have a Birthday Club and email a free treat offer the week before your birthday. My kids LOVE Grimaldi’s Pizzeria but it is too expensive for this family of 7 to eat there regularly. Our whole family is signed up for their Birthday Club – a FREE pizza! – plus they have a deal going on right now where I can buy a $50 gift card and get a $10 gift card free. Gotta love gourmet pizza for the price of hot & ready!

Bank Rewards – Check your bank website to see if they offer any kind of rewards. For those of you who use credit cards, make sure they are earning you cash back or some kind of points or miles. We use Bank of America and they offer BankAmeriDeals. I choose the offers I want, and I get cash back when I make a purchase at those retailers using my Bank of America debit card.

Thrift Stores and Consignment Sales – I’ve bought new and like-new toys at thrift stores and kids’consignment sales, especially when my kids were little bitty. Use this site to search for current consignment sales like Just Between Friends. You can make extra money by SELLING at consignment sales. Oh, and don’t forget about garage sales!

I am aware of several other ways to save or earn money, but I only want to share the ones that I have actually used. I will update this list as I try more opportunities.

How do you save money for Christmas? Do you use a site that is not listed here? Leave a link and I will check it out – referral links are ok, but affiliate links will be deleted.

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100 Free Printable Gifts for Kids

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These would make fantastic gifts for teachers, coaches, co-workers, family, & friends. Click on each pic below to go directly to that item’s page, or see them all on one page HERE.

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