It is almost time for Christmas shopping. Wondering where to get some extra money? I'll pass along some ideas that may help for this year and get people started for next year.
Start going through closets and the household right now. Put everything that isn't needed and not worn anymore in a pile and start pricing them for a yard sale. Children's items can be taken to Kid to Kid in Martinez or Aiken and sold for extra cash.
The Iwanta weekly is a good place to sell items. A free ad can be obtained as long as a picture is not submitted. Of course, it is unpredictable as to when the item will sell. Go to eBay, Amazon or other online sites to sell items, as well. This is fairly easy to do if a PayPal account is setup. There is no guarantee that an item will sell but it reaches people across the United States or further, rather than just the area one lives.
If time permits, take items to some of the consignment stores in the area. There are stores for children's and adult clothing which take everything from shoes and accessories to special items such as wedding dresses and prom dresses. Just remember to call ahead and check what they are accepting to consign. Most of the time a check comes from them once a month, which would mean one check would come before Christmas. There are also home design consignment stores that take home furnishings such as lamps, pictures and furniture. These stores work on the same principles as clothing consignment stores.
To get started for next year, go to the bank and ask them to start a Christmas Club account. Money can be put in it through the year and then by November next year the money needed will be available. The best way to do this is to have a certain amount from a paycheck or another account transferred, whether checking or savings, once a week or once a month. This is an automatic way to save money without doing anything to make it happen. If one is able to save $10 a week, then they will have $560 next year. Saving $25 a week will put $1,400 in the bank for next year..
Another way to help with Christmas shopping is to be careful about what one purchases. On one side of our family only the children receive gifts, but it is only one per child. The adults instead pool their money that they would have spent, which is $100 per family and one person that year decides a charity to give it to. We have done this for years and charities such as the Ronald McDonald House, Water Missions International and others have benefited. Another bonus is we have not had to drive ourselves crazy trying to figure out what each person would like to have and overspending.
The other side of the family has a cap of two gifts per adult and they cannot be expensive gifts. We have decided that loving people and celebrating the season is not about getting or giving gifts to each other to show our love. This not only saves money but it also strengthens the bonds we have for each other, which is worth more than money.
I hope that the season will be a little less stressful and a little more fun with some of these tips.
Karen Green is a member of Chicks University at the Family Y in North Augusta.
