The biggest festival, especially for the northern India, is quickly approaching with each day.

Buying gifts, sweets, clothes and more for yourself, friends, family and even workmates, neighbours and acquaintances is sure to drive a big hole in your overall budget.

The trickiest and most difficult thing to do during this time of the year is saving money without slighting anyone by not getting them a gift.

So, to ease your troubles just a bit and help you out in this area, here are 8 ways that can save you money without being called a ‘miser’ during the Diwali festival:

1. Buy Bulk

save money during diwali

A lot of the big markets, like Big Bazaar and such, have sales or big discounts on bulk products. So instead of buying say 10 boxes of chocolates or dry fruits separately, purchase them in one single swoop like the 3 boxes in 1 packet or party packs, from such a market at a lower price.

Not only will you save money, but in one go will have enough presents for various people and occasions.

2. Buy Early

A big mistake that a lot of people make and that ends up being even more expensive is putting off their Diwali shopping until the last minute.

This is double trouble since one has to pay more seeing that most shops increase their prices around this time along with battling the maddening crowd of people who are also doing their last minute shopping.

If you buy early, you will get a wider range of options to choose from, lower prices, better bargains, and be free of tension closer to the festival season.

save money during diwali

3. Gift Cards

Although more of a western norm, it is slowly being introduced in India by the way of malls and international shopping centers.

Gift cards are an excellent way to go since they can incorporate a wide range of choices and not limit you to just one particular thing.

But the thing to be kept in mind is that the gift card must be from a retailer that has multiple branches across the city or even the country. And it is always good to get a gift card from a trusted and well-established store rather than a second grade one.

Gift cards of apparel or technology stores are great gifts that a person will appreciate more than a standard box of sweets.


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4. See The Person You Are Gifting

Make sure the gift you are buying is while keeping the person it is for in mind. For family and close friends/relatives, it is always good to get something a bit more personal.

Whereas for students, workmates, and neighbours, you can buy bulk gifts like USB drives, eatables, candle sets, photo frames and such. They are usually cheap and have a long shelf-life.

5. Don’t Play Card Games If Not Confident

A major area where people lose money during Diwali season is playing card games like poker, rummy, etc.

save money during diwali

A good tip is never to play such games, especially those that involve money if you are a newbie or are not confident with the rules and steps of the game.

And if you want to play card games and not be excluded from the fun of it, then ask that either the stakes be really low, or if money can be removed and the group can play just for the fun of it.

6. Better Stay Away From Malls

Malls generally charge more than the small markets and bazaars do. Also, there is practically no scope of even trying to bargain, so you will essentially be paying double for an item that you can get for half the amount at your local market or ones like Sarojini Market or Janpath.

7. Book Your Tickets In Advance

If you are travelling out of station or going back home during festival season always book your tickets well in advance. Say almost about a month or 2 months prior to leaving.

Booking tickets nearer to the festival time will not only be more expensive but there is also the danger of you not getting a seat at all.

Also, when booking a flight, it is advisable that you book an early morning or late night one since prices during that time are lower compared to the high traffic times of afternoon and evening.

8. Use Fewer Lights To Decorate Your House

save money during diwali

One of the best things we love about Diwali are all the houses doused in streams of lights in varying colours and some even have added features of blinking lights and music.

But this can add a lot to your monthly electricity bill, so one way to avoid it is only lighting them up at evening and closing them off before you go to sleep.

Do not leave them on for hours and hours on end. Also, do not cover your entire house with lights, instead use some flowers and other decorations to balance it out. Flowers and garlands will look much better during the day and give your house a cheerful appearance.


Image Credits: Google Images

Find the blogger @chirali_08


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