We all want to treat our kids on their birthday. Getting them the gifts they want can be hard if you’ve hit financially hard times. Here are just a few tricks to make birthday gifts for your kids more affordable.
Borrow or start saving early
If you haven’t got the money to buy that big gift, you could always borrow some money. Loans such as cash advances are great for giving you that extra bit of money to spend. Just makes sure to choose a loan with a relatively low interest rate – having to pay off a high interest loan could put you in a worse financial situation in the long run.
The other option is to start saving early for big presents. Rather than waiting a month before your child’s birthday, start a savings account several months before. This way you’ll be paying money towards the big gift in small instalments rather than in one big go – plus you won’t have the interest that comes with a loan.
Shop second-hand
You can often find toys second hand for a much cheaper price. Thrift stores and used video game stores may have various old toys to choose from that have all been screened and are therefore in good condition. Buying online from individual sellers might make it harder to judge the condition of a toy before buying it. With local sites like Gumtree and Facebook you can always examine the toy in person before buying, whilst ordering something online by post might not allow you to do this.
Hit the sales
There are lots of sales throughout the year that are great chances to get discounts on toys. The big sale periods are the Black Friday weekend and the January Sales, but many toy retailers may also have seasonal sales throughout the year. Try searching online and see what you find. Taking advantage of a sale might involve planning far ahead in some cases.
Try couponing
There are lots of sites online where you can get coupons offering massive discounts on toys. Newspapers and magazines may also contain coupons. Try shopping around and taking advantage of these vouchers. Many of these discounts are for a temporary period and may have other conditions attached, which are worth reading before you try and use them.
Joint buy big gifts
When it comes to big and expensive gifts, consider teaming up with other people to split the cost of these items. This could be grandparents or an uncle or aunt. Many people will be happy to chip in – it’s likely these relatives will be stuck for ideas and contributing to something that your child wants could be better than buying a useless gift for the hell of it.
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