Holiday Gift Guide 2020

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I like to plan ahead for the holiday season so I don’t have to be stressed, running around to try to find gifts for people, and ending up spending more than I would have otherwise.

So here I am, trying to get some gifts figured out for people. I’ve compiled some of the things I’ve found that are either good deals or I’m getting for people in my family (or myself, to be honest).

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Before you get started…

Before I get to the gift ideas, I have to remind you to make sure you’re signed up with Rakuten before you do any shopping!

I suspect that our holiday shopping season is going to show even more of a shift to online shopping, given the current circumstances. Rakuten offers so many cash back deals at so many different retailers, especially if you’re shopping online, so don’t miss out!

When you sign up through this link, you get a $40 dollar bonus when you make your first purchase over $40 through Rakuten! This is normally only a $30 dollar bonus, but they’ve increased it from now until December 25th. Take advantage of the free money and sign up now! Rakuten makes it so easy to get cash back, and getting that rebate check after the holidays is going to feel so good!

You can add the Rakuten extension to your web browser so when you’re shopping online at home, you’ll get a pop-up to let you know that you can earn cash back for whatever website you’re shopping on. I’ve heard from several people that they’re offering a $20 bonus (yes, $20!) through November 19th just for adding the Rakuten extension to your browser. I didn’t get this because I already had the extension, but check out it out and see if it’s a bonus offered to you!

If you’re online shopping from your phone, be sure to go through the Rakuten app first to make sure you get cash back for your purchases.

Also, don’t forget to add the card you normally shop with to your profile so you don’t miss any cash back when you purchase something in a store. There are so many ways to get cash back with Rakuten!

Also, if you haven’t already, start setting aside that Christmas shopping money now. You don’t want to be financing your Christmas! See my popular post about separating your money and savings for different purposes.

So, now let’s get started with the gift ideas!

Gifts under $50

For Him:

Oh my goodness, are the men in your life hard to shop for like mine? They say women are hard to shop for… nope! Here’s a few ideas to help you out, depending on what he likes:

1. Does he drink coffee? Whether he likes mochas or just plain black, a nice coffee tumbler makes a great gift!
2. Is he a fitness and/or nutrition buff? If you don’t already have a smoothie maker, get him one! Plus side is that you’ll get to use it to make yummy smoothies for yourself, too!
3. Is he an outdoors-y guy? Maybe he’d like this portable hammock. You can take it camping, to the park with the kids, or put it up in your backyard. My husband surprisingly really enjoyed our hammock. And this is one of the more reasonably priced portable hammocks I’ve seen.

Accessories can also be a good gift for the lady in your life. In this price range, be willing to get something a little nicer, but check out sales, of course! Check out this Michael Kors bag that’s on sale for less than $100! I did see it as low as $79 on some styles, which isn’t bad at all for this brand!

Don’t forget to go through the Rakuten app to get 2.0% cash back on this right now, too!

So many deals…

Be on the lookout for other deals, but be wary, too. A lot of people noticed during the Amazon Prime days that the pricing wasn’t really that great, or they increased prices beforehand so they could discount them back down for Prime days. With Black Friday approaching- and I suspect that it will be largely deals for online shopping- know what you want and keep your eye on the pricing. You want to be sure you’re getting a good deal.

Just as an anecdote, I got my husband a really nice watch last year. It was $134. I applied for the Amazon credit card to get a $100 off, paid only $34 for the watch, and then closed the card. No debt, and got a nice gift for my husband. Look for the deals like this from wherever you’re shopping, but be sure that it’s not going to tempt you to go into debt later.

Let’s recap

To make sure you have a holiday season that’s not going to stress you out financially, don’t forget to:

1. Set a budget for each person
2. Make a list of gift ideas, or use some of my suggestions!
3. Watch the prices
4. Sign up for Rakuten before you shop to make your own sales and get $40 (maybe an extra $20) through Dec. 25 for signing up!
5. Have fun getting into the holiday spirit!

I hope the holiday season will be a good one to us all as we wrap up the 2020 year. The countdown is on!

Related

See this post for tips on saving on holiday expenses.

See this post for tips on saving for holiday expenses.