Yes- the reality of the holidays. It’s a big holiday and for most of us, a huge part of our fall budget. So I want you to spend a little time budgeting 
what you are going to spend. Here are some areas that you may want to consider:
- Food
- Gifts
- Donations
- Decorations
- Clothes
- Cards
- Shipping
So many ways for us to spend money. So here is what I want you to do: Help me write this post. Tell me one of your best tips on how you save money this season. One of you brilliant commenters will randomly win a $10 Amazon Gift Card to help with your Christmas shopping.
So tell me your secret strategies for stretching a dollar this season!
Oh and we have a winner from last week – Angela Buckland – contact us at info@kathilipp.com with your email address. You are our winner!
We are using Discover points to pay for some gifts. We use it for every day things all year so the points add up and we pay it off in full every month. This way it’s like a little refund for stuff we’ve already paid for. BUT, it only works as a money in your pocket if you pay off the card every month. Once you start paying interest those points are costing you money.
Give coupons for project/time together. Coupons I give are: 2 hours in your garden with you….I will weed, dig, plant, etc. 2 hours in your basement with you…I will help you finish that dreaded reorganization, cleaning, painting, etc. 2 hours cleaning out your kitchen cabinets…. you get the point. You are helping a loved one out and having time to chat and be together! This is especially great for people with a love language of Quality Time or Acts of Service.
I shop deals year round. The grandparents like photo gifts so when I see free photo books, I jump on those. I also make a lot of gifts, including food gifts.
we don’t give a lot of gifts! kids and grandparents are the only ones. cousins and adult siblings don’t exchange. we all live far away from each other. maybe we would if we lived closer to each other??? i also look for inexpensive gifts throughout the year for teachers and grandparents. this year i had coupon codes for free photobooks on shutterfly so those are the grandparents’ gifts. i also pick up some extra shifts with my catering job to help with the extras (gingerbread house, etc.)
I operate on a strictly cash only basis for Christmas. Starting in January I put aside a
certain amount each paycheck into my “Christmas fund”. That fund
covers any expenses related to Christmas: gifts, supplies, ingredients for baking, etc. I determine my budget in January so I know how much to put in the fund each
month. Then in November I’m all set. Bottom line, it is real simple…once the
cash is gone, the shopping is done! And come January…no nasty credit card
bills 🙂
I am making a few things this year that I have seen on Pinterest! By making several things in “bulk” I am saving money and getting to use my creative side I love so much too. For instance, since many have dietary restrictions or don’t want another plate of cookies. I am making all of the neighbor’s and some of our couples friends, a stove top potpourri bag, it will have the ingredients and instructions to have a simmering holiday smell throughout their home 🙂
My favorite way to stretch my money is to simply plan ahead. However, I’m not an organized planning type person, and while I may indeed think about Christmas months in advance, by the time I have money in hand to purchase the gift I just know is perfect for Great-Aunt Hilda, I’ve sadly forgotten what I was going to purchase. Sigh.
So my next favorite is DIY. I’m a crocheter and it is amazing how many gifts you can make with one yarn purchase. This year we plan on making some holiday spiced nuts and slow-cooker sugared nuts for gifts. My house will smell divine, and they will get the weight gain. LOL It’s a win-win solution for me.
start shopping early, so your not overwhelmed during the holiday months
My favorite way to save on shipping is with an Amazon Prime membership. We use the subscribe and save option for diapers and other consumables throughout the year, so it’s an added bonus that we can ship Christmas gifts to our family for “free” come December.
I have been using cash all year. The coin from the change jar goes into the Christmas fund and any leftover cash from the cash for the week or extra money I earn goes into the Christmas fund. I wrote out everyone’s Christmas wish list on an envelope and tuck the cash inside the envelope. Then if I’m out and see a good deal on something I have a specific list of what people are hoping for and the funds set aside to pay for it!