Kids' birthday presents set you back more and more every year.
Even as tots they now get not one but two or three different presents from their parents or guardians, and siblings.
Sometimes even the family pet "gives" a gift! And this at the grand old age of two or three! By the time children reach four, it's a bike, by eight, it's the latest trendy trainers or a mobile phone, and by twelve, it's a laptop.
So it pays to practise frugality whilst your child is young.
There are several methods you can employ in order to shave off up to 70% of the retail price of gifts for your child, and all they take is a little time.
1.
Plan Your Annual Birthday List & Start Sales Shopping It can't be said enough times, forward planning will save you money.
List the names of every child you wish to purchase a present for that year (you can include adults too if you wish).
Next to each name, allocate a budget and if possible, put that money aside before the year starts.
Then, when the sales begin, no matter what month, stick to that list.
If you can find a gift suitable for someone on that list for the allocated budget then get it.
If not, then don't.
2.
eBay It eBay is a fantastic source of brand new unwanted items.
If you have an item in mind, enter it into the search function of eBay and see what is returned.
Set the filter to include only brand new items, with or without tags (though with tags is more convincing that it's new), set your highest bid and wait.
Because you are not in a hurry, you will not end up panic-bidding, nor will you "need" the item for which you are bidding, as you can choose another item up for auction on a later date if you wish.
3.
Online Special Offers Online toy stores always have special offers available throughout the year.
By bookmarking your preferred site, you can check back at regular intervals and see what the special offers are and if any of them appeal.
Sometimes the toys and items can be over 50% off! 4.
Off-Season Shopping The major sales are usually held twice a year to get rid of unwanted leftover seasonal stock.
This usually means t-shirts are for sale in winter, and woolly hats are for sale in summer.
However, if you calculate what items your children need well in advance, you will know which clothes, toys, and books they will need and when allowing you the perfect opportunity to stock up for up to half the price.
Though the items won't be the very latest, they will be new - and considerably cheaper than they were just three months earlier.
5.
Closing Down & Moving Sales Businesses and shops that close down or move location tend to slash prices just to sell the goods before they have to move out of the premises.
They figure some money for an item is better than no money.
And rightly so.
But for you, it's a goldmine of opportunity to get brand new items at up to 80% off.
By being continuously on the lookout for special offers and within that, for items suited to a certain age group is very time-consuming.
However if you have the time free, it can save you spending so much more than necessary on toys, clothes and other birthday gifts.
Even as tots they now get not one but two or three different presents from their parents or guardians, and siblings.
Sometimes even the family pet "gives" a gift! And this at the grand old age of two or three! By the time children reach four, it's a bike, by eight, it's the latest trendy trainers or a mobile phone, and by twelve, it's a laptop.
So it pays to practise frugality whilst your child is young.
There are several methods you can employ in order to shave off up to 70% of the retail price of gifts for your child, and all they take is a little time.
1.
Plan Your Annual Birthday List & Start Sales Shopping It can't be said enough times, forward planning will save you money.
List the names of every child you wish to purchase a present for that year (you can include adults too if you wish).
Next to each name, allocate a budget and if possible, put that money aside before the year starts.
Then, when the sales begin, no matter what month, stick to that list.
If you can find a gift suitable for someone on that list for the allocated budget then get it.
If not, then don't.
2.
eBay It eBay is a fantastic source of brand new unwanted items.
If you have an item in mind, enter it into the search function of eBay and see what is returned.
Set the filter to include only brand new items, with or without tags (though with tags is more convincing that it's new), set your highest bid and wait.
Because you are not in a hurry, you will not end up panic-bidding, nor will you "need" the item for which you are bidding, as you can choose another item up for auction on a later date if you wish.
3.
Online Special Offers Online toy stores always have special offers available throughout the year.
By bookmarking your preferred site, you can check back at regular intervals and see what the special offers are and if any of them appeal.
Sometimes the toys and items can be over 50% off! 4.
Off-Season Shopping The major sales are usually held twice a year to get rid of unwanted leftover seasonal stock.
This usually means t-shirts are for sale in winter, and woolly hats are for sale in summer.
However, if you calculate what items your children need well in advance, you will know which clothes, toys, and books they will need and when allowing you the perfect opportunity to stock up for up to half the price.
Though the items won't be the very latest, they will be new - and considerably cheaper than they were just three months earlier.
5.
Closing Down & Moving Sales Businesses and shops that close down or move location tend to slash prices just to sell the goods before they have to move out of the premises.
They figure some money for an item is better than no money.
And rightly so.
But for you, it's a goldmine of opportunity to get brand new items at up to 80% off.
By being continuously on the lookout for special offers and within that, for items suited to a certain age group is very time-consuming.
However if you have the time free, it can save you spending so much more than necessary on toys, clothes and other birthday gifts.
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