Atlanta Mortgage News

Save money during the holidays to buy your dream house in the New Year

The holidays can put a dent in your savings especially if you're planning to buy a home, but there are several ways to cut costs so your finances aren't in the red by New Year's Day. Consider the following money saving tips:

• In lieu of buying presents for every family member, suggest a gift exchange and draw names out of a hat.
• Agree on a spending limit for gifts for friends and family and stick to it.
• Make your holiday meals a potluck and assign each guest an item to bring.   
• Consider buying a joint gift rather than individual gifts for a family such as a zoo membership or movie tickets. 
• For young children, half the fun of holidays is often opening the gifts. Hit the dollar stores! Wrap small, inexpensive items separately - trinkets and treats! 
• Give homemade treats like fudge, truffles, cookies or jams and jellies.
• To cut down on postage and holiday card costs- mine has run up to nearly $100 per year! Send e-cards, which are usually free.
• To keep your electricity bill down, use a timer to turn outdoor lights on and off at designated hours.
• If you know you won't be able to pay your credit card off right away, make sure you use a single low-interest card to make purchases - that way you can easily track them.
• When traveling during the holidays, try to fly on Christmas Day. It's usually cheaper and there are plenty of seats.
• Subscribe to receive e-newsletters from your favorite online merchants. They will often e-mail coupons to use for savings on purchases and shipping costs. Or subscribers may receive private sale information.
• Sometimes buying an item online is cheaper than going to the store since many sites don't charge sales tax and offer free shipping. Use the savings to have the gift mailed directly to the recipient instead of standing in line at the post office. 

Yes, you may feel a bit like a bit of a scrooge, but by keeping things low key, those friends and family might be thrilled to join in your summer cookout at your new home in 2019.