Christmas preparations in retail many stores across the country are already in full swing. Artificial trees are lined up in rows. Garlands, ornaments, and lights are just waiting to be paid for and taken home so they can adorn many a tree.

Toys and other gifts have been stacked up (sky high in some cases) on shelves so customers can start their Christmas shopping early if they would like.

But for some people, buying presents for loved ones can be hard on their budget. This year the price of a single, nice gift is not cheap. As a result, if you have a big list it may be financially difficult to cross all of the names off.

Fortunately there are ways you can pile presents under the tree for less.

1. Buy Gifts on Sale

You can start your Christmas shopping for the year whenever you want to.  In fact, some people start with the after Christmas sales.

The advantage of buying gifts early is that you have a greater opportunity to get them on sale or with coupons. You can also watch for good deals throughout the year to save the most.

2. Make Presents Yourself

Another way to pile presents under the tree for less is to make as many of them yourself as you can. If you are crafty or you can weld or sew, put your skills to use.

If you already have materials on hand you may not have to purchase much in order to have lots of gifts for everyone on your list. But, if not, you can make gifts of the same basic design and save on materials by buying them in bulk.

3. Save When Ordering

When you must order gifts online from retailers, such as Amazon, it is possible to get them for less too. For instance, you can use rewards points from other purchases you have made to lower the cost of what you’re buying.

You can also use coupons and earn cash back on some purchases.

4. Don’t Charge Purchases

To ensure your good deal on gifts stays a good deal, don’t charge it to a credit card. Even if you plan on paying it off as soon as you get the statement, something could happen to prevent it. Should that happen you could get stuck with late payment fees and high interest rates.

But there are other reasons to avoid using plastic as well. When you charge purchases you may forget just how much you have spent. This leads to overspending your budget.

5. Skip the Shipping Fees

Sometimes you can skip paying expensive shipping fees by buying several items that are identical. This works well if you need gifts for co-workers or employees. Look for free shipping codes and don’t forget to add them before you checkout online.

Need another good reason to avoid crowds? Pick everything out online and then ship it all to the store for free. You may only have to make one trip to pick it up instead of stopping at several stores.

6. Compare Prices

Savvy shoppers compare prices. By taking a few minutes to look the item over and compare it to what other retailers charge, you could save several dollars. Do it more than once and you could pile presents under the tree for less.

7. Don’t Leave Shopping to the Last Minute

One final tactic to pile presents under the tree for less is to shop earlier rather than later. Many procrastinate when it comes to Holiday shopping.

Even if you don’t enjoy it, why put off a task you must do anyway? You could end up paying much more by losing out on sales and paying for express shipping so you can still get gifts in time.

When Christmas shopping puts a dent in your wallet you need to save every cent you can. As you can see, there are ways to stretch your budget so you can pile presents under the tree for less and make your Christmas a merry one.