10+ Items That Frugal Shoppers Skip During The Holidays

This year has been going by lightning fast- it’s already almost mid-October! It's time to start thinking about the holidays!

Here are 7+ holiday budget traps and how to get around them:

AVOIDING BLACK FRIDAY AND CYBER MONDAY:

Some great deals can definitely be found during these shopping events. But after being a dedicated Black Friday fan for over 25 years, a lot of times you will just run into rude shoppers, full parking lots and sold out merchandise.

In a lot of ways, it pays to shop year round as you see deals and put them in a dedicated closet or container. I have saved a lot of money this way. And if you still like going out Black Friday but not spending money, try a new tradition. We go out every year and some years have gone bowling, seen movies or just went out to lunch and spent time together.

EXPENSIVE FOOD:

This is a biggie with me. I love shopping at Costco and picking up their huge holiday pies or charcuterie foods. And when I have a gathering, I always think everything will get eaten.

Well a lot of people I know are on diets and sometimes things go to waste. So that means wasting food and money. I am going to cut back this year and try to think ahead to what people will actually eat. This is a good chart too:

VISITING HOLIDAY CRAFT FAIRS:

Several of our local churches have holiday bazaars every November. And while I like to support local, their prices can be really high. So I tend to just skip the craft fairs and just shop at Target.

INFLATABLE DECORATIONS AND OTHER TRENDS:

I am guilty of loving inflatable holiday decorations a lot. Over the years I have bought a Santa and reindeer inflatable, a Misfit toy inflatable, a Rudolph inflatable, and more. And every year, they are very fun to put up and make my yard look festive. Then even with storage, they tend to get rips and holes in them and they are difficult to…