Christmas Shopping On A Budget When You’re Broke

I’ve always been a gift giver. I love shopping for someone and selecting just the right thing to bring a smile to someone’s face. To spread a little joy.

Last year I gave my secret Santa a comic book he’d been published in as a child. It was a Superman comic from the early 60s. The look on his face was priceless. But gifts often aren’t.


I am most always frugal though. Pinching whatever pennies I have and finagling ways to cut expenses. I found his comic book for a reasonable price on eBay due to it not being in perfect condition 🙂 Miraculously making it under budget at a paltry $15. Fantastic gift price.

This year my husband and I are on a mission to be frugal with our gifts. We have some big plans coming up (I’ll share them eventually lol) so we really need to save up. But also our families have each been impacted with a need to be frugal as well. So I thought, why not make it a bit of a game and find all the best tricks I could?

We all know it’s doable to Christmas shop on a budget. But is it possible to Christmas shop on a $0 budget? I think so. It’s not really what most may call “shopping.” It’s more like “genius-ing.”

And I’m not talking chintzy gifts either…

It’s completely possible to get everyone on your list a little something without spending a time. Are you ready to try?

Christmas shop when you're broke

Here are my frugal tricks to Christmas shop on a budget:

1.Store loyalty programs

You know, all those free key chain thingies you have to have in order to shop at your favorite grocery and drug stores. Keep tabs on what the deals or offers of the week are and stash away the goodies. Stores like Giant Eagle and Kroger offer a free item each week. Snag them and throw them in a gift basket!

2. Check The Circulars – especially the Black Friday deals. I just noticed a coupon from Kohls for $5 off a $5 or more purchase. If you are able to get your hands on a couple of those, you could wind up with a lot of free gifts!

3. Cashback Rewards (in store) – Kmart often does 100% back in points on a select item each week, plus sites like TopCashBack offer 100% rebates occasionally too. You’ll pay upfront but be reimbursed later.

4. Cashback Rewards (credit) – if your credit card company offers cashback incentives, rack them up all year and cash out near the holidays for free gift cards.

5. Lost And Found

Check pockets, wallets, purses, couches, cars etc for loose change or old gift cards. I found an old Melting Pot gift card once that still had a $20 balance. Made a nice gift 😉

6. Earn Free Gift Cards

Rack up points on your favorite rewards programs and cash out for gift cards to keep that $0 budget. A few sites worth noting: CrowdTap, SwagBucks, Bing and MyPoints.

7. Repurpose, Reuse & Recycle

There are lots of items that can be revamped and gifted. Just look on Pinterest!

8. Rack Up Points – with programs like Coke Rewards, Disney Movie Rewards, RecycleBank & Kelloggs Family Rewards you can easily earn free points during the year to use towards gift cards.

9. Get Store Credit

Take some old books with you to a book store and trade them in, use the credit to shop for gift worthy books. The same principle can be applied to other stores like clothing stores (Plato’s Closet) etc.

10. Go Homemade

Do you have a signature cookie recipe that your mother in law loves? Make her a batch! Do you have beautiful handwriting? Maybe even calligraphy or painting? Create a piece of art! Pinterest is great for ideas! If you aren’t confident in your own abilities, there are also free printables!

11. Pass It On

Do you have a family heirloom? Maybe it’s time to pass it down the family line? Don’t do this one lightly. This is super special!

12. Check Craigslist, FreeCycle & Facebook Groups – Free things are often posted daily, in bigger cities you can find things every few minutes. Maybe there’s a record player for free that just needs a new needle or other gadgets that you could fix yourself for free? I’ve even seen brand new items for free!

13. Product Reviews– If you review products like I do, you might have a big stack of items just begging to be used. These are free, so give them a good home!

14. Go Homegrown

Do you have a garden? Maybe you could give some preserves, canned tomatoes or heirloom seeds? Maybe some flowers?

15. Grocery Shop

Use apps like iBotta, Saving Star and CheckOut 51 along with your normal grocery shopping to rack up rewards. One of my friends has $90 towards Christmas already!

What are some of your frugal ideas?

jenn sig small

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  • Erin @ Stay At Home Yogi
    December 11, 2015 at 9:03 pm

    I really love the family heirloom idea! That’s truly special.
    I get rewards points for my debit card and ignore them all year long. At Christmastime we redeem them for itunes giftcards for all the teens in the family!

  • Tayler Morrell
    December 11, 2015 at 7:01 pm

    We did a homemade Christmas one year.

  • Manda Rozsa @ Sweet Right Here
    December 11, 2015 at 6:36 pm

    Nice job!! I love using swagbucks and redeeming them for gift cards!

  • Tianna
    December 8, 2015 at 11:21 am

    awesome ideas! thanks for sharing these 🙂

  • Mim
    December 7, 2015 at 11:28 pm

    Great tips! I just used some mycokerewards today and “bought” a $10 amazon gift card. I already got gifts for my kids, so I would love to save this for next year (or that is the plan- there isn’t an expiration date on it). I used swagbucks and ebates to shop and felt like a Kid in a candy store each time a box of something I ordered for my kids has come in the mail.
    I didn’t stick to a $0 budget, but I think with what I had, I did really good!
    Thanks for sharing, and Thanks for linking up!

  • sue
    December 7, 2015 at 9:02 pm

    I love gift giving and if I’m short on funds I try to bake something. People appreciate your time and love that you have put into making something for them. Thanks for some great tips here and also for linking up with us at our very first #OvertheMoon link up. See you next week.

  • Gill
    December 7, 2015 at 9:51 am

    Great tips – thanks for sharing.

  • Sarah Eliza @ devastateboredom
    December 5, 2015 at 7:25 pm

    Hehehehe the gifs are awesome, and so is the advice!! I’m totally planning on adding some free chocolate I’ve gotten from Kroger to gift boxes… and I need to get back into swagbucks! It was sooo worth it! Thanks for sharing at Friday Frivolity recently — I’m embarrassed to just be catching up on my reading now, but so glad for the smile and the helpful reminders. 😀

    Merry Christmas and happy not-shopping!!

  • Kathleen
    December 4, 2015 at 8:08 pm

    As a broke college student, this is so awesome!!! Going to try some of these!

  • Priscilla Whitaker
    November 29, 2015 at 6:58 pm

    I love taking pictures. This year I will be making handmade photo cards. Each card costs about 25 cents to make. I get the prints printed at Costco and I buy the cards at Hobby Lobby when they are 50% off. You can make the cards with family photos or nature pictures. Each family will get a set of eight cards. My cost is $2 per family.

    Priscilla

  • PJ LaRue
    November 28, 2015 at 4:17 pm

    Pinterest has terrific downloadable pages for your children to color. If you have a printer, a three hole punch and a binder you can design. a coloring book that satisfies your children’s interests.

    Also, if you have a computer you can download ebooks without having an ereader. Amazon has an App to read books on the computer. Authors are always giving away ebooks to try and get people interested in other books.

    You can find the books easily on Twitter using #Freeebooks or #Free. To find books for kids, use #kidlit or #childrensbooks or #YA. You copy and print the covers as stocking stuffers.

    And this isn’t a tangible gift, but rather the gift of family time. It also slows kids down on Christmas morning so they haven’t opened every gift in 10 minutes after you’ve taken so much time to make and wrap them. Hide the gifts all over the house leaving the first wrapped gift under the tree. It will contain the first clue to the hunt for their next gift. The more clues you leave, the more time it will take them to find and unwrap their gifts. Have fun!

    • Jenn
      November 28, 2015 at 4:18 pm

      Thank you PJ LaRue. These are genius ideas I didn’t think of!

  • Claire
    November 28, 2015 at 1:42 pm

    These are fantastic tips for those on a budget – I love the homemade gifts idea. There is something special about a gift made especially for you x

  • A Moment with Franca
    November 28, 2015 at 2:25 am

    You have here a great list of ideas of how to save money. I’m personally really bad at saving money but I’m trying lately to be better at this as it is really useful. My husband is very good at this so at least one of us is! LOL Thanks for sharing this at #KCACOLS. I know this is your first time but there are a couple of rules to follow when you link up with us. You need to comment the person before you and also you need to put the #KCACOLS badge in your post or at least add a link to the linky. I haven’t found either. Could you please do that? Thank you in advance. Have a nice weekend, 🙂 xx

    • Jenn
      November 28, 2015 at 10:55 am

      Just got the one before me. And I added you to my linky directory page. Thank you for the reminder, I should’ve known the holidays would keep me overly busy!

  • Sherry
    November 27, 2015 at 7:58 pm

    I really enjoyed reading your post. You offer some great tips for shopping with little or no money. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Funtastic Friday.

  • Neely
    November 27, 2015 at 1:51 pm

    Facebook groups are the best for finding good deals

  • Katie
    November 26, 2015 at 9:56 pm

    Hey girl these are some great tips! I really enjoy making and giving homemade gifts, and I think people enjoy receiving them because they know the work I put into it. I read another readers comment about making homemade lip balm for family – come on who doesn’t love lip balm! Thanks for linking up at Happiness is Homemade this week and happy holidays!

  • Lorey
    November 26, 2015 at 9:50 pm

    What an awesome list of tips! I’ll def be putting some of these into practice 😉

    Thanks for sharing at the Weekender Link Party!

  • Fabiola Rodriguez
    November 26, 2015 at 5:12 pm

    Last year, I made DIY lip balm and hand/body butter for my mom and my sisters and they loved it! They’re even expecting another batch this year 🙂

  • Something Crunchy Mummy
    November 26, 2015 at 3:20 pm

    Great tips! Thanks for linking up to #justanotherlinky xx

  • Rachel @ of Learning and Nesting
    November 26, 2015 at 12:54 pm

    Great tips! I actually do a few of these already. I use Swagbucks, and cash out for Amazon giftcards. Also, I do my grocery shopping at Meijer and earn “cash” back (to use at the store), which is really helpful! For Christmas, I only buy actual gifts for the kids, and the rest of the family enjoys taking some of my sugar cookies home.

  • Erin @ Sonetimes Homemade
    November 26, 2015 at 10:20 am

    Thanks for all the tips! I’m a big fan of homemade gifts. Two of my favorites are a scarf I made out of favorite team t-shirts (which no longer fit), and some hand towels I made for my mom with my gradma’s recipes printed on them – in her handwriting. So many great ideas out there to make something thoughtful!

  • sara
    November 26, 2015 at 9:09 am

    Great post with some awesome suggestions!!

  • Kerri
    November 25, 2015 at 4:25 pm

    To thank my friends , I like to have all the kids over for a movie night and let them enjoy a night out.

  • Mrs Tubbs
    November 25, 2015 at 8:07 am

    Some great tips. We’re thoughtful about who we buy for – close family and friends only – and stick to a budget. That helps too. Good luck with bringing Christmas at a price you can afford

  • Kimberly Storms
    November 24, 2015 at 9:00 pm

    I just discovered the Cartwheel app and it has helped me save some money. I like following frugal bloggers as they always spot things before I do!

  • lexie
    November 24, 2015 at 6:27 pm

    These are truly great frugal gift ideas. I wish I had good ones to add but I don’t lol but I definitely will have to be doing the same thing this year!

  • Dana
    November 24, 2015 at 5:30 pm

    I love Ebates when shopping online because when the Big Fat Check comes, it makes me feel a bit better for having to spend money for gifts 🙂

  • Betsy @ Happily Ever After, Etc.
    November 24, 2015 at 2:09 am

    Love all these tips… being frugal is always a great goal but I love the idea of a NO budget Christmas! Thanks for linking up with us over at Welcome Home Wednesdays! Can’t wait to see what you link up with us this week!

  • ashleigh
    November 24, 2015 at 12:13 am

    I cannot stop laughing at these gifs! I am so happy to get shopping done but I am on a broke budget now.

  • Jessica
    November 23, 2015 at 11:46 pm

    Funny post but very helpful. Thank you so much.

  • alicia
    November 23, 2015 at 6:16 pm

    Loads of great ideas. Presents don’t have to cost the earth, mostly it’s the thought that counts.

  • Laura Funk
    November 23, 2015 at 3:31 pm

    These are all great ideas…we went the opposite of frugal this year. I almost cried at the register

  • Becky
    November 23, 2015 at 2:41 pm

    I love these ideas! We have two young children and buy their birthday and Christmas gifts on eBay – I love eBay for finding unique, special finds – a bit like the Superman comic, I recently bought my mum her favourite book ever: Pride and Prejudice published in the year of her birth (1960), for £11! I’m inspired to try and do NEXT Christmas on a zero budget though – I’ll be looking out for those free gifts and saving them up! #justanotherlinky

  • Krsiten
    November 23, 2015 at 1:27 pm

    I love the ibotta app. It has saved me loads!

  • Roxy
    November 23, 2015 at 12:39 pm

    Awesome types! I’ve yet to start my Christmas shopping and it seems that we’ve had a million things requiring us to spend money come up. I’ll def. be using some of these tips so that we can still have a good Christmas!

  • Mummy here and there
    November 23, 2015 at 12:02 pm

    What a fantastic post and some great ideas. Thank you for sharing X #thelist

  • Lex
    November 23, 2015 at 8:12 am

    What great ideas. Who doesn’t love budget yet lovely gifts. Great post #KCACOLS

  • Jasmine Watts
    November 23, 2015 at 5:50 am

    Really great tips and these would be helpful for Christmas shopping!!

  • Mommy's Little Princesses
    November 23, 2015 at 5:35 am

    Some very helpful tips here. I especially like the baking one.xx #KCACOLS

  • Mardene Carr
    November 23, 2015 at 5:21 am

    Not really a Christmas shopper as I pretty much shop year round whenever I see bargains. This is a great list for anyone who is struggling in terms of finances and even those who just want to be frugal.

  • Jenn Roberts
    November 23, 2015 at 2:14 am

    These are fantastic tips.. thank you so much for sharing on my link up!

  • Natalie @ Our Parallel Connection
    November 23, 2015 at 2:09 am

    Oh I love “Is butter a carb?” I have just finished the cousins so now I need to get online and search for bargains. It also gives me great ideas too.

  • Kelly
    November 23, 2015 at 12:18 am

    Homemade gifts are some of the best gifts I’ve ever received. The amount of thought that goes into them far outweighs the price.

  • Jonathan Key
    November 22, 2015 at 10:49 pm

    I totally love the idea of home made gifts! We’re doing that this year.

  • Tiffany
    November 22, 2015 at 10:37 pm

    Great tips and ideas! I felt so accomplished today because I was able to buy gifts for my 3 youngest kiddies from 1 gift card I’d received in a gift basket nearly 6 months ago!! Woot Woot! I will have to try a few of your tips to help me stay frugal this holiday season…

  • Lorane
    November 22, 2015 at 10:06 pm

    Great List .. lol @ the title. Homemade is always the way to go whether you have money or not. It adds a nice ersonal touch

  • CourtneyLynne
    November 22, 2015 at 9:10 pm

    These are some great tips! I remember years ago when I didn’t have that much cash I made cute mason jar liquor crafts for everyone!!! Huge hit! I even recreated them last year for a family party just because they were such a hit back then. Sometimes the best gifts don’t have to cost an arm and a leg 😉

  • Keikilani
    November 22, 2015 at 9:07 pm

    Your tips are really great! Christmas can make the budget tight. But we can surely make it stretch.

  • Debbie L
    November 22, 2015 at 7:44 pm

    I love making and receiving homemade gift. Getting a homemade gift means so much to me…great way to say you care.

  • mya.k
    November 22, 2015 at 6:24 pm

    These are some really good tips and I love the videos that go with it they are so funny.

  • Gabriel Glasper
    November 22, 2015 at 5:11 pm

    I’m always looking to get things for cheap but getting them for a great deal or free is even better. I will definitely be trying out these tips not only for Christmas but all year around.

  • Jody at Six Little Hearts
    November 22, 2015 at 4:32 pm

    Great tips!!

  • Jody at Six Little Hearts
    November 22, 2015 at 4:31 pm

    Great tips! I’ve six kids so I need rules when it comes to dollars!

  • Yet Another Blogging Mummy
    November 22, 2015 at 4:30 pm

    Great ideas. Different stores here in the UK, but same principle with loyalty cards and coupons. My boys always do homemade goodies for their grandparents #weekendblogshare

  • Kara @ The Daily Whisk
    November 22, 2015 at 2:44 pm

    I always bake gifts for my Dad. He’s always thrilled when I make him a batch of muddy buddies.
    Great list!

  • ashleigh
    November 22, 2015 at 2:43 pm

    What great ideas! I have just a few people left to shop for so these will come in handy.

  • Trish @Almost Sexy Mommy
    November 22, 2015 at 2:03 pm

    There are a lot of really great ideas here. Budgets are super important at Christmas!

  • Cori
    November 22, 2015 at 1:01 pm

    To save money, my husband and I decided on during 1 gift for everyone. Our first married Christmas we did Puppy Chow in mason jars. Second married Christmas was did emergency s’mores kits, that even contained a fire pouch and matches. This year we’re thinking about doing the microwave brownie mix in coffee cups, but we’re still pricing stuff. Now little ones get toys. Anyone teenage and older gets the same stuff. I’m done with giving STUFF. I’d rather have some edible that I can enjoy. Just my opinion.

  • Claire
    November 22, 2015 at 12:53 pm

    What a great selection of ideas! I am trying to budget better this year and be a bit more prepared! Thankyou for all the tips!

  • Laurie
    November 22, 2015 at 12:02 pm

    Great tips! I thank you for sharing them with us at Snickerdoodle Sunday!
    ~Laurie

  • Rosey
    November 22, 2015 at 11:54 am

    Reward points really do add up. It’s nice to use them when you need them too.

  • Jessica
    November 22, 2015 at 11:39 am

    Some really great ideas here! This year has been really tight so I pushed my comping hobby up a gear – I’ve managed to win 90% of the gifts we’re giving this year which had been such a huge help. x #KCACOLS

  • Rebecca U
    November 22, 2015 at 8:45 am

    I think home made or home grown is best – extra thought into it too which goes a long way #KCACOLS

  • Megan
    November 22, 2015 at 8:29 am

    These are great tips, thanks for sharing!

  • charlotte
    November 22, 2015 at 3:59 am

    I love these! – some of the coupon ideas don’t apply ( i’m in the UK and they aren’t really a Thing over here) but I love the idea of some of the loyalty stores and reusing! I love handmaking presents and gifts but I sometimes end up spending more on them than store bought hahaha #KCACOLS

  • Erica
    November 22, 2015 at 2:43 am

    Great frugal idea for Christmas shopping! thanks for linking up at From the Archives Friday! Come back next week and link up and archived post to get a chance to be featured!

    Erica

  • Life as a Convert
    November 21, 2015 at 11:57 pm

    I tried Coke Rewards once but hated that they kept resetting my points.

  • Claudia Krusch
    November 21, 2015 at 11:23 pm

    Great ideas – it’s always nice to get some new ideas as Christmas is getting more stressful every year!

  • Claudette
    November 21, 2015 at 10:47 pm

    This is something I know how to do very well! 🙂

  • Adriana
    November 21, 2015 at 10:34 pm

    Haha this is great! I love your blog and love this post! The GIFs you used are hysterical : ) I shop a LOT on Black Friday and Cyber Monday and always find amazing deals! Great tips!

  • Annemarie LeBlanc
    November 21, 2015 at 10:03 pm

    Gifts do not always have to be store bought. For friends at work, I usually give them homemade cookies with festive colors, put them in mason jars and tie a pretty ribbon on it.

  • Michelle @ Sunshine and Hurricanes.com
    November 21, 2015 at 9:02 pm

    I seem to find the best deals before Black Friday on many items. Cyber Monday and Amazon Prime have been big helps, too!!!!

  • Allison Jones
    November 21, 2015 at 8:24 pm

    Great ideas! I think homemade is the way to go when there are budgetary restraints.

    LiveLifeWell,
    Allison

  • Dia @ All The Things I Do
    November 21, 2015 at 8:13 pm

    These are some great ideas. I think another good tip is to start super early I started using shopkick a few months ago to start earning gift cards for Christmas. Part of the reason people get over whelmed and max out their credit cards during the holidays is because they wait until the last minute or black Friday. I try to get things early (it’s easy for me to hide gifts since I live alone) It’s the same way I prep for my Christmas Party I start buying the alcohol an gift bag contents early.

  • Brandy M.
    November 21, 2015 at 7:54 pm

    Great ideas – it’s always nice to get some fresh ideas as Christmas seems to sneak up on me every year!

  • Toughcookiemommy
    November 21, 2015 at 7:15 pm

    Christmas shopping can get very expensive. It’s really nice to have some strategies in place to be able to save a little money.

  • Autumn
    November 21, 2015 at 7:04 pm

    I love using ebates to get money back on almost anything on the web!

  • Lissette
    November 21, 2015 at 5:31 pm

    These are all such great ideas!! Thanks for sharing them with us at the #FFBH. 🙂

  • Lexie Lane
    November 21, 2015 at 5:14 pm

    I’m a early bird, I’m already done my Christmas shopping last September, I like your idea, so I’d like to spread this.

  • Ana
    November 21, 2015 at 4:17 pm

    Homemade gifts are thoughtful and cheap what more could you ask for?!

  • Paola
    November 21, 2015 at 3:53 pm

    Totally great tips! I will give them a try.

  • Donna Ward
    November 21, 2015 at 3:31 pm

    A great list of ‘frugal’ ideas! My hubby would have loved that old comic book!
    And, I was just trying to think of some items that would be passed along…
    I love giving gifts…as it seems you do, also 🙂

  • Becki
    November 21, 2015 at 3:27 pm

    Great tips! I need to check out the sites you mentioned along with Craigslist to see if we could find some fun furniture to upcycle. Thanks for sharing!

  • Di
    November 21, 2015 at 2:31 pm

    Make a coupon book for experiences. Picnic in the park, movie night, date night, bowling in the yard, pool day, etc.

  • Chelsea
    November 21, 2015 at 12:56 pm

    Anything that gives away free gift cards…I need to check out!!! Thanks for sharing!

  • Lexie
    November 21, 2015 at 11:51 am

    I love these ideas. Seriously. I am not always the best at saving money and being smart with money. I need reminding at times! And especially this time of year! LifeAsLex

  • Ourfamilyworld
    November 21, 2015 at 10:35 am

    These are clever ideas. I think I have enough accumulated rewards that I can use.

  • Jeanine
    November 21, 2015 at 9:54 am

    Love this! These are some really great ideas. All of which I’d never think of, so I’m grateful to have read this.

  • Nikki
    November 21, 2015 at 9:10 am

    Very smart ideas, I’m sure my mom would love to know this smart and wise idea.

  • carissa
    November 21, 2015 at 7:25 am

    such great ideas , I love making gifts for friends, especially cooking . Thanks for these ideas

  • Rosey
    November 21, 2015 at 7:03 am

    My son’s mother in law made me homemade pesto for Christmas one year. Best gift evah!! 🙂 Man it was good!

  • Ron
    November 21, 2015 at 2:34 am

    Great tips! Will keep them all in mind.

  • victoria
    November 21, 2015 at 1:47 am

    I didn’t yet do the Christmas Shopping and this would be a great tricks. i will use this.

  • Karissa @WithOurBest (@withourbest)
    November 21, 2015 at 1:07 am

    I am a very frugal gal. I love getting things on the cheap, therefore I am loving your tips!!

  • tiaras and tantrums
    November 21, 2015 at 12:54 am

    these are some great tips for savig money this year whilst shopping for the holidays – or rather not spending any money

  • Cynthia @craftoflaughter
    November 20, 2015 at 11:15 pm

    Great ideas. I’m all about saving money!

  • Trisha
    November 20, 2015 at 11:14 pm

    Wow, I had no idea that Kmart had a reward program! I shop there frequently and need to be taking advantage. Thanks for sharing these awesome tips!

  • Chloe
    November 20, 2015 at 10:46 pm

    This is great tips. We are pretty much all set on Christmas. Just a few things I need to pick up.

  • Becky B
    November 20, 2015 at 10:41 pm

    Great ideas!! thank you!!!

  • chastity
    November 20, 2015 at 10:29 pm

    Wow, these are great tips. Great way to utilize the rewards programs and making homemade gifts.

  • Cindy (Prime Beauty)
    November 20, 2015 at 10:27 pm

    Absolutely great ideas! I’ve been saving up my Walmart Savings Catcher cash back and putting it on gift cards to help buy gift.

  • Athena
    November 20, 2015 at 10:14 pm

    These are some great tips. So many people go shopping without any money savings strategies and it is such a waste. There are so many ways to save.

  • Jenny
    November 20, 2015 at 10:06 pm

    I use cash back points for gifts 🙂
    Great tips!

    xoxo, Jenny

  • JanetGoingCrazy
    November 20, 2015 at 9:34 pm

    These are great frugal tips. I save up all year long so I can shop during the holidays with cash only.

  • Milena
    November 20, 2015 at 9:31 pm

    I use most of these tips. I’m always out to save a few bucks!

  • Heidi Spears-Gray
    November 20, 2015 at 8:59 pm

    Great tips for savings on any budget!

  • Kirsten
    November 20, 2015 at 8:29 pm

    Wow, all of these are great ideas. I never thought about using points to buy gifts, but that’s genius. Making homemade gifts is another one of my favorites.

  • COURTNEY
    November 20, 2015 at 8:28 pm

    I follow a lot of these same tips! It always feels good putting more money back in my pocket.

  • Brenda
    November 20, 2015 at 7:59 pm

    You have some fantastic ideas Jenn!! Love it!

  • tara
    November 20, 2015 at 7:48 pm

    Great ideas! I try to give my kids the gift of experiences.

  • Carol Bryant
    November 20, 2015 at 7:35 pm

    I cash my MyPoints points in for certificates to buy the wrap and bows and tape – and I save that way

  • Liz Mays
    November 20, 2015 at 7:31 pm

    I definitely tend to forget about my rewards. I need to make sure to use as many of my points as possible. It’s always nice to do some homemade gifts too!

  • Carol Cassara
    November 20, 2015 at 6:53 pm

    I really love home-made gifts, especially food stuff. It’s so different and can be really thoughtful.

  • Kelly
    November 20, 2015 at 6:20 pm

    So many great idea to have a frugal holiday. I re-gift a lot of things I cannot use.

  • Ronnie
    November 20, 2015 at 6:01 pm

    Wow!! You are a frugal genius. $0?! Can’t believe you managed to make a full list of ways to accomplish that. If you’re EVER up for posting a guest post on my frugality site (www.allthefrugalladies.com) please get in touch with me. We can make frugal magic!

    • Jenn
      November 20, 2015 at 6:41 pm

      I’d love to, Ronnie 🙂 I’ll be in touch!

  • Amanda
    November 20, 2015 at 5:45 pm

    These are all such great ideas. I’m not sure I could really do a zero dollar amount budget, but this is a good reminder to spend your money wisely and look for unique deals this holiday season.

  • Paula
    November 20, 2015 at 4:50 pm

    These are some really great ideas. Thank you so much

  • Ellen
    November 20, 2015 at 4:44 pm

    Great ideas! I love to make homemade cookies and breads as gifts.

  • Lisa
    November 20, 2015 at 4:25 pm

    I’m going to pass these tips to my older two kids struggling to make ends meet in college. I usually give them any coupons I get for like $5 off $5 and $10 off $10. I don’t really need them, but they certainly do.

  • Kristen from The Road to Domestication
    November 20, 2015 at 4:16 pm

    These are great ideas! Now I’m thinking about the herbs I’ve got growing – those might make good gifts, too!

  • Scott
    November 20, 2015 at 4:09 pm

    There sure are a lot of ways to scrimp and save when you need to. People just have to look!

  • michelle
    November 20, 2015 at 4:02 pm

    great tips for making christmas more affordable

  • Samantha
    November 20, 2015 at 3:32 pm

    These are really helpful! I try to keep to a strict budget but usually end up going over!

  • Elizabeth O.
    November 20, 2015 at 2:52 pm

    Everything is better when it’s homemade. It also comes from the heart. I think that’s the best tip! Thanks for sharing all of these, they will definitely help!

  • Shann Eva
    November 20, 2015 at 2:51 pm

    Great ideas! I have a bunch of cashback rewards from my credit card, and I’ve also been saving up Amazon gift cards when I either win or earn them on sites.

  • maria @closetohome
    November 20, 2015 at 1:23 pm

    so much about xmas is about giving gifts, why not offer a friend to babysit one night or make them a dinner.

    • Jenn
      November 20, 2015 at 1:59 pm

      I’m going to add this to the list! Can’t believe I forgot it!

  • Robin Masshole Mommy
    November 20, 2015 at 1:17 pm

    I am actually already done with my xmas shopping, but I love your tips. I will keep these in mind 🙂

    • Jenn
      November 20, 2015 at 1:59 pm

      You’re an early bird 😉