I Asked ChatGPT How To Make the Most Affordable Christmas: Here’s What It Said

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Shoppers plan to spend an average of $1,007 on gifts this year, according to Gallup. That’s not including decorations, food and miscellaneous supplies. Once all expenses are accounted for, the average person could spend well over the $1,000 mark. 

But what if you could save money and make your Christmas more affordable than ever? Here’s ChatGPT’s game plan for an affordable Christmas.

Set a Hard Spending Cap Early

Setting a holiday budget that you’ll stick to is important for keeping expenses affordable.

ChatGPT said to decide on a total dollar amount that you can comfortably spend. Next, it suggested breaking the amount into “buckets” for things like gifts, food, travel and decorations. This can help you budget your money more efficiently and avoid overspending on any one category. It also said to track spending as purchases happen so small extras don’t stack up unnoticed. 

Consider Useful or Shared Gifts To Save

ChatGPT recommended skipping store-bought gifts and giving useful gifts, such as a free evening of babysitting or help cleaning and organizing the garage. Make a certificate and present it to the recipient. Or if you’re creative, you can paint, draw, sculpt or craft something meaningful to give. 

The chatbot also said you could save money by giving one gift per household that everyone can use or by participating in a gift exchange, like white elephant or secret Santa, where everyone buys only one gift. 

Shop Only From a Written List

Building a list with fixed price limits for each recipient is another recommendation from ChatGPT. It said this will help you avoid impulse buys that can exceed your budget. Another tip it gave was to avoid browsing random aisles during shopping trips. 

To avoid browsing, set a time limit for each store, such as 30 minutes, and commit to checking out once you find the gift. 

Use Price-Matching and Cash Back Together

ChatGPT recommended using cash or debit cards instead of credit cards to make Christmas purchases. But if you have to use credit, it suggested comparing prices across at least two retailers before buying and then stacking store sales with browser cash-back and credit card rewards.

Once the rewards are available, it said to use them as statement credits to help pay off your bill. 

Reduce Holiday Food Costs

Instead of shouldering holiday food costs on your own, ChatGPT suggested hosting a potluck-style meal.

If that’s not an option, build your menu around sale-priced staples and skip expensive specialty ingredients that you’ll use only once a year. 

Reuse Wrapping Supplies and Decorations

It can be tempting to spend part of your holiday budget on cute holiday decor that’s on sale, but you can save by using what you already have, according to ChatGPT. Perhaps you have some holiday decor that you haven’t used in years. If so, pull it out and use it this year. 

ChatGPT also recommended reusing any holiday gift bags or wrapping paper you might have stashed away last year. 

Avoid Travel If It Means New Debt

Travel expenses can decimate a strict holiday budget, so if you have to use a credit card to pay for airfare or hotel reservations, choose to celebrate locally this year, ChatGPT recommended.

If travel is unavoidable, it suggested using any accumulated reward points you may have. 

Set Firm Boundaries With Family

Avoid any misunderstandings or gift-giving faux pas by being clear about gift limits ahead of time, whether you’re doing a gift exchange or giving one gift per family, ChatGPT suggested. For example, gift exchange limits could be $25 to $50 and family gifts could have a limit of $75 to $100. 

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