Having Christmas on a budget isn't always easy but there are
things you can do to ease the financial burden and still
enjoy Christmas without cutting down on quality. Follow the
suggested steps here and ensure that your Christmas is a
time for giving as much has you have rather than what you
don't have.
!! Steps !!
Set a Christmas budget in advance. Before the frenzy of Christmas
time descends, work out how much you're able and prepared to spend
on Christmas festivities, gifts, and catering. The amount will
depend on how much you've already saved, how much you can set aside
from current funds, and how much you can spare in the weeks leading
up to Christmas. If you start early enough, you'll have more leeway
to save a bit more.
* Work out how much you want to spend on people for presents and
include decorations, food, and whatever else you think you will
need.
* Stick to your budget – it's the indicator of what you can and
cannot afford.
* Consider starting a budget straight after Christmas for future
years. Start saving early, put money into a savings account each
month or week and stick to it. Doing this will give you a lump sum
to spend in December rather than scraping together money. Budget
well – this should include food, decorations, presents and
anything else you may buy at Christmas.
Talk to family about the costs and gifts. Sit down and make
decisions about limits on gifts. This is especially important in
large families where the costs of buying a gift for every member of
the family can soon add up. Seek agreement that you'll only spend so
much per person.
* If you're really strapped, a decision to only give gifts to the
children can sometimes ease budget constraints.
* Remind everyone that thoughtfully chosen gifts are more important
than expensive ones.
Have an inexpensive Christmas to "catch up" Hold a "catch-up"
Christmas. If your family overdid the spending last Christmas and
your budget is still really stretched, consider not spending for one
Christmas. One non-spending Christmas will ensure that your budget
catches up. There are still a lot of things you can do to celebrate
Christmas without spending money:
* Make a nice meal, not an expensive one. Look at old cookbook
recipes for thrifty Christmas cooking.
* Make homemade gifts from recycled and inexpensive items.
* Don't buy any new decorations and either use a live tree in a
planter from your garden, or an artificial tree kept in your
storage.
Take advantage of sales during the year. Sales closer to Christmas
can be worth marking on your calendar, such as end-of-summer sales,
sales after Thanksgiving, etc.
* Take advantage of the post-Christmas sales to start buying gifts,
cards, wrapping paper, decorations, tableware, etc., for next
Christmas. Be sure to put these somewhere that they're easier to
find and use when Christmas comes around.
* Keep a list of whose gifts you've already purchased, so that you
don't double up on gifts.
* Keep an eye on auction sites and overstocked goods sites for
bargains during the lead-up to Christmas. And use price comparison
websites to make sure you are paying at the best price.
* Use any rebates, coupons, discounts, or promotions that you have
access to. If you're not sure, ask.
Make your own cards. Recycle last year's cards and turn them into
this year's cards. Simply cut out the decorative part of the card
and attach it to plain cardboard. Use markers to decorate. Do the
same for gift tags.
* Make snowmen Christmas cards
* Make a Christmas tree pop-up card (Robert Sabuda method)
* Make Christmas cards from wrapping paper
* Create a Christmas card using Microsoft Publisher; and
* For more ideas see wikiHow's many articles on making Christmas
cards and tags.
* Make your own wrapping paper. Use brown paper and stamp Christmas
designs on it using stamps or cut stamp designs out of potatoes.
Use simple gold, red, green, silver, and white ribbon to add color
if wished.
* Make your own labels. Printable gift labels on the internet or
making you own and printing them off can save pounds or dollars on
gift tags.
Make your own Christmas gifts. Use the skills you're best at, such
as knitting, crocheting, woodwork, sewing, decoupage, putting
together a basket, cooking, etc. A small selection of ideas:
* Make spice hot mats
* Make a gift voucher for your parents for Christmas
* For more ideas, see the very detailed article How to make your own
Christmas gifts and wikiHow's various articles on making Christmas
gifts. And don't forget the magic of baking homemade goodies for
Christmas!
Make your own Christmas decorations. There are many nifty Christmas
decorations that can be made from items already in the home. Here
are a few suggestions to get you started:
* Make a 3D paper snowflake
* Make a Christmas card star
* Make a simple foam Christmas ornament
* Make Christmas crackers
* Make Christmas ornaments from dough; or
* Make a small Christmas penguin ornament.
Skip the knick-knacks that soon add up Cut out unnecessary items.
There are a lot of items that aren't needed and are unnecessary waste
at Christmas time. Save your money and finite resources by not
including them in your Christmas celebrations. Examples include:
* Ribbons, bows, fancy tape, stickers, etc., are usually tossed
away.
* Plastic tablecloths with Christmas designs. Either use plain
colored tablecloths from your linen cupboard, or go without.
* Don't spend massive amounts of money on outside lights, keep it to
a minimum and inside lights should be left off at all times when
no-one is in the room, this saves on energy bills.
Buy an artificial Christmas tree (preferably in the sales) and look
after it. A real tree costs money every year, both in terms of
purchasing it and fuel needed to collect it. An artificial tree is a
one-off cost. An artificial pre-lit tree can also save money in
lights and if one bulb goes, the others will carry on working,
obviously depending on which tree.
* Many hands make light work and save the budget! Get
everyone to pitch in with both resources and effort. If there are
people coming to your house for Christmas dinner, assign them
tasks to help out. At the very least, ask them if they want to
bring anything; this takes pressure off you and generally people
do want to bring something and contribute in meaningful ways.
Store your Christmas decorations well after use. This will mean that
there is no need to replace them year after year. If you look after
your decorations, they will look after you!
* Keep fragile decorations wrapped and boxed. Place all decorations
in a storage place that won't be disturbed.
* Read How to create an inventory of Christmas decorations for more
ideas.
!! Video !!
!! Tips !!
* Make gift tags in the same way as making the cards with scraps of
card, paper, stickers, and glitter.
* Use old wrapping paper scraps to stick onto home-made cards.
* Consider looking in thrift stores and secondhand stores for gift
ideas. Many items are still brand new, in their original
packaging! And other items might provide you with inspiration for
reusing and turning into new gifts using your sewing, gluing,
hammering, etc., skills.
!! Warnings !!
* Be careful that you don't spend more on making items than buying
them, weighing everything up is vital.
!! Things You'll Need !!
* Recycled items
* A special storage space for gifts purchased at sales
* Thrifty Christmas recipes
!! Related WikiHows !!
* How to Budget Your Money
* How to Throw Christmas Party on a Budget
* How to Make Great Christmas Cards
* How to Make a Christmas Card Star
* How to Make Your Own Christmas Gifts
!! Article Tools !!
* Read on wikiHow
*
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