When I was a kid, my mom kept all of our Christmas and birthday gifts that she would buy throughout the year stashed in her closet under lock and key.  I guess I learned a bit from her because now I have my own “gift closet” and I stock it with deals that I get throughout the year.

Here are some reasons why a “gift closet” pays off:
*You spend less in the long run because you are not paying full price for things

*You always have a gifts on hand for those last minute birthday party invites that you receive

*You can sit back and enjoy the holidays a bit more because you’re not having to deal with all of the crowds to get last minute shopping done

Here are some starting your “gift closet”:

*Find a spot to store your stash (it doesn’t necessarily have to be a closet – you can use space under beds or even storage bins)

*Make a list of people that you traditionally buy gifts for throughout the year (birthdays, Christmas, etc.).

*Look for hot deals on items that you could use as gifts for people on your list throughout the year (Target usually clearances toys in January and July, Amazon has big clearance sales starting in November, and other stores offer clearance deals throughout the year).  As you find items and add them to your stash, write what you’ve purchased next to that person’s name on the list, so you know what you have and who it’s for and also so you know who you have left to buy for.

*Your gift stash doesn’t have to just be birthday and Christmas gifts.  I also keep a stash of things that I can use for baby shower gifts and other occasions, too!  If you buy “extras” for people who are not on your list, make sure that you keep a list of what you’ve got!

Do you shop for gifts throughout the year?  How do you keep track of your stash??

Do you have another Thrifty Thursday tip to share?  Feel free to link up below!

For more Thrifty Thursday ideas, check out Coupon Teacher, Madame Deals, and Life as a Mom.

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information.

One of the things that I decided to do in January was to start a “change jar.”  Since we use cash only, we end up with a lot of change.  In the past, I would just carry it around in my purse and put it toward purchases, but I decided I was going to start keeping it all in a jar.

Originally, my intent was to use that money for our Christmas savings, but by mid June, the jar was full and we had a family vacation coming up.  We had set aside some money for the vacation, but we had decided to add an extra day to our trip and we wanted to make sure that we could have fun and that we weren’t counting every dollar, so we decided to cash in the change jar.

I asked my husband how much he thought we had accumulated over the past five months and his guess was $30.  My guess was $60.  We were both surprised to find out that just by throwing our change in the jar over a five month period, we had accrued $98!  We ended up coming home from that trip with $100 in cash, and we ended up getting our hotel stay for free after I contacted the corporate office about a number of issues that we encountered during our stay, so we ended up having some extra money for another little getaway, which we took last weekend.

We have since started filling the jar again and it’s now about 1/4 full.  I think after that experience, we are more motivated than ever.  The moral of the story is that every penny (and nickel, dime, and quarter) really does count and add up!

What are you doing to save for a cash Christmas this year?  Check out some of my other ideas for saving toward a cash Christmas here.

Do you have another Thrifty Thursday tip to share?  Feel free to link up below!

For more Thrifty Thursday ideas, check out Coupon Teacher, Madame Deals, and Life as a Mom.

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information.

It really does pay off to sign up for online mailing lists! Here are some of the things that you can get for free when you join mailing lists: (make sure you also check out my post about Birthday Freebies for Kids and Birthday Freebies for Adults)

RESTAURANT DEALS:

Chili’s ~ Join the Chili’s e-mail club and get a coupon for free chips and queso within 48 hours of signing up!

Dairy Queen ~ Join the Blizzard Fan Club and get a coupon for a Buy One, Get One Free Blizzard!

Dave & Busters ~ Join Dave & Busters Rewards and get $10 in Game Play just for joining their mailing list along with monthly e-mail specials on food, games, and fun and 10% off game play for life.

Del Taco ~ Join the Del Taco fan Eclub and get 2 free chicken soft tacos just for signing up plus a free premium shake on your birthday!

Houlihan’s ~ Get a free appetizer just for joining their e-mail list plus get a free entree on your birthday!


Outback Steakhouse ~ Join My Outback Rewards and get a free Aussie-Tizer just for joining!

Quiznos ~ Get a coupon for a free Sammie for joining the Quiznos mailing list and get a free cookie on your birthday!

RETAIL DEALS:

Bass/Izod/Van Heusen Rewards ~ This is a free program that allows you to earn rewards for purchases you make at Bass, Izod, and Van Heusen stores.  Membership is free and all members receive a free $10 reward just for joining!  Plus, you get 500 bonus points upon registration and a birthday bonus!  After that, you get a $10 reward for every $100 you spend.  You also get e-mails with special discount coupons and access to members only sales events.

Gymboree Rewards ~ Gymboree Rewards is a free program that allows you to earn rewards for your purchases made in store and online (this includes purchases made at the outlet).  You earn one point for every dollar you spend and you earn a $5 reward for every 250 points.   There are also special members-only points events.

JC Penney Rewards ~ JC Penney Rewards is a free program that allows you to earn rewards for your purchases made in store and online.  You earn at least one point for every dollar you spend (sometimes, there are promotions where you can earn double points) and you get a free $10 reward for every $125 you spend.  I have also noticed that since I signed up, I have started getting coupons in the mail for $10 off any $10 purchase.

Kohl’s ~ Sign up for Kohl’s e-mails and get a coupon for $5 off your next in-store purchase and 10% off your next online purchase.  You will also receive a heads up about upcoming sales and valuable coupons for use in store and online.

The Children’s Place ~ Register for The Children’s Place Birthday Club and get a coupon for 15% off your entire purchase in the month of your child’s birthday plus notice of sales and other valuable coupons.

Do you know of other restaurant or retail freebies you can get for joining online mailing lists?  If so, please share?

Do you have another Thrifty Thursday tip to share?  Feel free to link up below!

For more Thrifty Thursday ideas, check out Coupon Teacher, Madame Deals, and Life as a Mom.