AARP Rewards Holiday Savings & Budget Contest 2022

The AARP Rewards program has added a lot of “Happy” to my holidays and has been a great help with staying within my budget! Last year I was able to use Boston Market gift cards to purchase my Thanksgiving dinner with very little cash! I was also able to purchase a $100 sweater that my daughter wanted for $25 thanks to the REI gift cards that I got from the rewards program.

This year I will have enough gift cards to take my daughters to Panera Bread for lunch (for free) while we are out shopping for gifts and we will also be able to stop at Starbucks for a treat! I will be able to use the gift card that I got from an Instant Win to purchase a candle from Yankee Candle to use as a hostess gift for my friend when I go to her holiday party. I try to collect all of the Amazon gift cards that I can during the year so that I can surprise my husband with something special on Christmas day. I save up the Sephora and Ulta gift cards to purchase luxury items for stocking stuffers for my daughters. I also use various retail gift cards that I have gotten from instant wins or purchase with points to reduce my cost for gifts. All of the gift cards really add up and allow me to splurge over the holidays! Thank you AARP!!!

Holiday shopping to me has always meant Black Friday shopping!  Waking up early on Friday morning with my sisters and friends, waiting in line at Target in the cold morning hours and hoping the toys and gifts I have on my list will still be available when the doors swing open and the flood of people rush inside.  The excitement of shopping on Black Friday has always made that day, one of my favorite days of the year!  Scoring on the best gifts possible with rock bottom prices was the ultimate rush!  Staying on budget was less important in those days, but those days are over and so is the one day Black Friday!  Budgeting is extremely important in retirement, and with inflation at the highest I have ever seen, saving on holiday shopping is a necessity and a talent I have mastered in the past few years with the help of AARP.  AARP Rewards has played a big part in my lowering my out of pocket costs on many items, including restaurants and retail stores.  I check the Daily Deals preview posted weekly, and purchase the ones I want with a 30% savings.  I then use coupons to stretch the savings and try to purchase mainly sales item and use rebate apps.  I purchase restaurant gift cards as well and try to match up the Near You restaurants for maximum savings.  I join the restaurants and stores loyalty programs and check their websites and emails for maximum savings.  I play the instant win games everyday and have been lucky to win quite a few times!  I watch the videos and take quizzes to earn points and purchase 3 gift cards every month.  I choose the GCs I know I will use in the future and keep them in a 3 ring binder so I can access my gift cards easily.  I try to choose the same ones to maximize savings  AARP Rewards has made an impact on me and has saved me a lot of money, and that is  how I save on holiday shopping and budgeting with the help of AARP.

I usually need all the financial assistance with holiday gifts as I can get. I have gotten some gift cards for loved ones using points. I have also gotten a couple of items which were discounted. I just wish the discounts were more significant. I got a chopper for veggies that I've really enjoyed and a few gift cards for gifts, but I've never gotten a really great deal as of yet. Every little bit helps I guess.

I use the gift cards that I have collected across the year (either from contests or discount purchases) to bring little joys to the entire holiday seasons. Starting around thanksgiving, I send my kids dunkin or other coffee gift cards so their Black Friday shopping runs are well caffeinated. Then across the weeks between thanksgiving and Christmas, I’ll send IHOP for a breakfast out, other restaurant cards for weekend treats, etc. 

im also notoriously hard to buy presents for, so I collect lowes cards, buy my own gift and let my spouse wrap it for me.  I get specialty tools I want from Lowe’s, on sale and at a discount.