Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or just happen to know people who do and want to get them gifts, I’m going to share some of the best money saving tips I’m personally using to buy things for myself & for friends and family.

You might be thinking, “Wait wait wait - wouldn't it be more financially responsible to not buy presents at all?!“ Yes, but a major thing finance creators miss - is that we don’t live in a vacuum.

It’s really easy to make hard decisions in theory because there’s a black and white “you should do this”, but in reality, a lot of our decision making is dependent on our environment and the people around us. It’s not realistic to say - shut out all your friends, say no to dinners out, buy no one holiday gifts, and expect to still have friends. And I would like to have friends.

So, as Vivian, Your Rich BFF, and your favorite Wall Street girly, I’m going to walk you through 4 great tricks to ensure you’re getting the best value-based gifts that’ll you’ll love and so will your friends. Please like, comment, and subscribe to learn more about being good with your money! Let’s get to it!

Tip #1: Create a budget before buying anything: I know this sounds obvious, but buying gift after gift does add up, so ballpark what you’re planning on spending on each person BEFORE you go and buy stuff.

DOWNLOAD MY FREE HOLIDAY BUDGET PLANNER HERE!

I prefer to do this on a spreadsheet because it keeps me really organized. I can list out when I’ll need to have each item purchased, and put potential gift ideas and links in the document as well. I keep an estimated column and then total what I think I’ll spend, and then update the actual column as I buy stuff.

Tip #2: Set price alerts: If you open the Google app or your mobile browser, you can search for something you’re thinking about buying. Then go to the Shopping tab and select a product. On the product page, turn on "Track price."

Tip #3: Use a cashback app like Rakuten or Honey. Rakuten is awesome because not only do you get cash back from them, you can still use whatever credit card you’d normally use, so you can get points or cash back from your credit card company as well. Here’s where you can sign up for Rakuten.

Tip #4: Use a sinking fund. The holidays can be a really stressful time because it often feels like you’re being asked to very quickly find $1000 in December out of thin air. What I love to do is put a specific amount of money away into a high yield savings account starting a few months before Christmas. If you need help opening a High Yield Savings Account - I have a video on this as well, suggested below.

As for what I’m actually buying my friends? I’ll link my shopping list in the description, but mainly I’m focusing on hometech, beauty items, and practical clothing.