by Laurie Childree

Created on: October 27, 2009

Uncommon ways to save money at Christmas? Are there any left? Once you begin to practice a particular method of saving money it is no longer uncommon to you; instead it becomes a common practice in your home. There are a dozen ways to save money, and if you don't normally use them they won'll be uncommon to you.

E-bay

If you have never purchased anything from E-bay before then this money saving practice would be unusual to you. You can search E-bay for specials on shipping and get nearly new items for less than you would pay in the store.

Clearance Racks and Yard Sales

While you don't normally think of clearance racks and yard sales when you go shopping for Christmas desperate times may lead you to them. Checking these areas is more likely to allow for rare items that you can paint to make into new gifts or mix and match in order to come up with the perfect combination for the hard to buy for on your list.

Homemade Gifts

If you find yourself short on funds you can make gifts to give those on your list. If you are in the habit of making candles anyway there is a chance that you'll have some supplies on hand. Take the scraps of burnt candles and melt them down into new multicolored candles for those that enjoy candles. You can personalize the candles before they set by inserting wax fruit or letters so that they can still burn the candles or just display them on a shelf in their home.

You can bake cookies and cakes to give out during the holidays too. When you make yours simply make extra to wrap and place in clear containers to give to those on your list. It'll cost you less to make them from scratch than to purchase prepared tins of cookies to give.

Wrapping Paper

If you have paper left over from the previous year you can use it to wrap your gifts or make your own. Gift bags costs less than wrapping paper and are easier to save so the chances are that you have some from previous years that you can use. Newspapers and construction paper can even be used to wrap the gifts; especially when the kids are giving them.

Reuse and Recycle

When you are attempting to save money for Christmas you can reuse and recycle items that you get everyday to put some money back in your pocket. You'll find that while you help the planet you have more money to use for gifts.

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