It is fair to say many people are struggling financially right now. And those that are will not welcome the festive season’s arrival. With that in mind, we took a look at how to have a frugal Christmas.
Frugal Christmas – Budgeting
Making a budget is the first step in staying within your means. Even though you might not want to, now is a good time to look over your finances and determine how much money you can realistically spend this holiday season.
Do this with your spouse if you’re married and come to an agreement on spending caps for the two of you, for any children you have, and for other family members and friends. Include food and drink prices in your budget for any holiday meals or parties you want to host or attend, as well as travel expenses, other seasonal extras like outings and activities, and possibly a few modest decorations.
Lists Are Good
Make a list of the family members and friends you’re intending to buy for and stick to it because it’s easy to go over budget when you’re attempting to buy for everyone and their dog.
Choose who you want to buy gifts for first when it comes to family and close friends. Maybe you can set up a Secret Santa present exchange so that each person just has to buy for one other person rather than everyone having to buy for everyone else. In big families where it’s impossible to buy for everyone, this works particularly effectively.
Next, only give gifts to a select few extra-special recipients. You are not required to purchase something for everyone, I’m sorry.
Frugal Christmas – Get Creative
Make some of your own gifts this season if you want to stretch your money and provide presents that are truly heartfelt. You can either make something very unique and more time-consuming but less expensive for one very special person (consider making hand-knit scarves and hats or hand-carved wooden signs or decorations), or you can do what I do and make a tonne of gifts at once so that you can have gifts for everyone on your list and then some.
And even if you’re not “crafty,” I can still help. Because neither am I a tremendously creative person. But I’ve discovered that I can make a few simple gifts in the convenience of my own kitchen for cents on the dollar of what they would cost if I bought them from a store. Oh, and don’t forget to include any extra homemade jams, jellies, and preserves that you may have kept in your pantry. Around the holidays, these are a great hostess gifts!
Free Activities
Around this time of year, there are a tonne of enjoyable things you can do for free or for a little donation to charity. To help make the holiday season joyful and bright, organise a few inexpensive but festive family activities.
Some suggestions are:
attending free or low-cost community Christmas parties, parades, and other holiday events
Santa visits
Santa visits
Playing games at home with family and friends
Playing games at home with family and friends
Sipping hot chocolate and roasting marshmallows over a bonfire
Helping at a local soup kitchen, animal shelter, or children’s hospital
Frugal Decorating
At Christmas, it might be very tempting to go all out with your décor, and there is nothing wrong with that! It’s not necessary to go out and spend hundreds of dollars on decorations every year, though.
Beginning with what you already have, decorate. Then, fill in the gaps with inexpensive homemade decorations like popcorn garlands or snowflakes made from printer paper, as well as items from nature like holly, pine cones, cedar bows, and these homemade birdseed ornaments.
Food – Use What You Already Have
Planning your holiday dinners, desserts, and appetiser platters should begin with an inventory of what you already have in your pantry and freezer.
This year’s Christmas meal will feature a ham that we have in our freezer that I purchased on bargain a few months ago. We’ll also create apple crumble and pumpkin pie for dessert using our home-canned pumpkin and apple pie filling.
It’s worthwhile to inventory any food you already have and use that as a starting point for holiday meals and celebrations whether or not you grow or preserve your own food.
