Maximize Your Budget During the Holidays

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SaveWithHopster #CollectiveBias

The holiday season is fast approaching. If I know anything now having two children, our holiday expenses have multiplied a bit. Between gifts, decor, food, and experiences, it can add up fast. However, today I have one easy way for you to maximize your budget during the holidays.

I don’t know about you, but our biggest expense in our budget seems to be food. Even when we don’t eat out at restaurants, our grocery bills can be pretty large. Plus, one thing is for sure- the easiest way to save money is to keep up with what you are spending.

Making more money to ease the financial burden isn’t always an option. Plus, if your family is like mine, we have no problem finding ways to spend that extra money, too. The biggest way I’ve found that we can save on our budget is just by tracking what we spend and knowing where our money is going.

When it comes to saving money on food- our biggest expense, there are many things you can do. Not eating fast food or at restaurants is a great place to start. With a meal plan and cooking at home, you can save a lot. However, it can still get expensive. We love using store sales, coupons, and our favorite rebates app, Hopster Mobile Rebates to save on our everyday groceries. Every little bit helps, so we shop using those things to get the biggest bang for our buck.

Saving with Hopster is so easy-

First, you’ll need to download the app. Then, you can browse through rebates and select the ones you want. You can shop anywhere, there are so many retailers available with rebates, plus some rebates that are good everywhere! Then, once you’ve purchased your items, just snap a photo of your receipt. Rebates are redeemed and the cash is credited to your Paypal account. You don’t even have to hit a certain threshold, you can get your rebate money deposited for each offer you redeem!

With Hopster you can find rebates for grocery stores, drug stores, and even mass merchandisers, too. Hopster will be your new savvy-shopper friend, with not just rebates on your favorite groceries, beauty items, and more, but also tips for more efficient shopping, cooking, entertaining, and spending!

This is what I typically do- when I am making my grocery list I put down the item, and if I know I have a rebate for it, I’ll put an H for Hopster in a circle! This way, I remember when I get home to redeem that rebate. I love it when I can find a way to save for almost everything on my list. That definitely makes for a great shopping trip.

Then, once I can get my groceries under control, I really try to nail down where all of my money is going. You can download this handy expenses tracker so you can keep track of your family’s expenses, too. I really think that our spending is our biggest budget hangup, and by getting that sorted out we can really start to save money and have more money for things like the holidays & other annual expenses!

So, if you want to get your budget under control, start by saving money on your everyday purchases, like groceries, by downloading the Hopster app, and write down what you spend everyday! I’ve even included a handy column where you can track if your purchase was a need or want- this is a great way to stay accountable!

Now, tell us in the comments- what are you looking forward to most this holiday season? Are you planning yet?