Smart holiday shopping tips for college moms
November 12, 2012
Having a college scholarship can help Mom get through school, but another important factor in the scenario is keeping a balanced budget. This is easier with financial tools like online banking and mobile apps that assist in monitoring balances, as well as a strong sense for essentials. Doing without can help save money for the holidays, but there are ways of making that money go even further.
Go to discount stores
With young kids, they may want things like Play Dough, crayons and coloring books, which can be purchased at a much lower price at dollar stores and discount shops. Older kids will still be happy with school supplies and warm clothes, even if they aren't designer labels.
A smart technique is to set a spending limit for each child, so that no matter how many times mom has to head to the store, she never goes over her budget. If there's a concern that the pile of presents underneath the tree looks small or there aren't enough gifts for each night of Hanukkah, break up packaged items into different containers so that there's more to spread around.
Shop online
A lot of the best deals this season will be on websites, not in stores. Shopping online will take the stress of lines and crowds out of the picture, and it also allows mom to browse many different vendors at once. This makes it easy to get the best price without heading to a dozen stores and potentially still coming home empty handed. What's more, with coupon deals and free shipping, buying something online could cost much less than buying something at the store, even if the item is purchased from an internet version of the same retailer. This way, a single mom with a college scholarship can save money for school and never have to leave her computer, especially if she's taking courses online.
Start early
Some places are offering Black Friday sales that actually start on Thanksgiving Day. If eating dinner is a possibility, it may make sense to go out that evening and snag the best deals before the true shopping season begins. That way, single moms with college scholarships can focus on getting school work done, studying for finals and wrapping gifts, rather than fighting crowds or spending hours in line in mid-December.
