Blogmas Day 14 - Christmas on a Budget

We all know that Christmas isn’t about the money. It’s not the gifts or the food or the fancy clothes or the parties that matter. It’s family and love and joy…even so Christmas tends to be expensive. Because you DO want to buy the perfect gift for your loved ones, and you DO want to eat good food, and you DO want to look nice for all the parties.  

If money is tight there are a few ways to save money though, that won’t make too big of a dent in the holiday spirit. 

Decorations:

The first tip is RECYCLE! Use your decorations from last year. Don’t let the fancy magazines and store windows tempt you into thinking that you need to scrap all of last year’s red and gold decor for this year’s silver and purple. You are doing Christmas for you, and I always think the coziest decorations are the ones that are handed down in the family, and the slightly wonky homemade stuff, that also serve as keepsakes from Christmases past. I think this kind of decor adds the cozy family feel, rather than a completely matched and streamlined set straight out of the magazines. 

If you find that you do need to replenish the decorations try looking at trinket shops first. Shops like Tiger usually have really good, inexpensive Christmas stuff. Grocery stores also sometimes have a few bits and bobs, so just keep your eyes open for the good deals. If you are doing the matching decor it might be hard to find something that fits, but if you are doing the “mixed” cozy decor it shouldn’t be too difficult.  

Food:

Christmas is all about the food! Heaven forbid that we run out, and there needs to be ALL the trimmings in order for it to feel like a real Christmas dinner. But remember how you always end up living off the leftovers for days, and even throwing out so much stuff because you don’t have time to eat it before it goes off? So scale down on the food. You don’t need seven different side dishes, just pick out the one or two that are the family favorite, or pick the one YOU want (as the host/hostess you get to decide!) The same goes for dessert and treats. Pick a few of the favorites, and if anyone grumbles agree to pick some other ones next year. 

Make as much of the food as possible from scratch. Ready-made stuff can be expensive and most of the time the homemade stuff is better. A few things might require a large investment in time, and these items you can consider buying readymade, so you have time to spend with the family too. Treats are easy to make from scratch and can be a fun activity to do with kids (or grownups) as you chitchat and catch up. 

Gifts:

Set a budget!! It is easy to get carried away when you’re Christmas shopping and you want all the best things for your loved ones. With a firm budget in hand you will be able to find a gift that will make the recipient happy without blowing your budget for the next few months. 

If you are a large family consider doing Secret Santa. Put all the names in a hat, each person pulls out a name, and that person buys a gift for that one person. You can spend a bit more money without spending quite as much as if you were buying for everyone. It also eliminates quite a lot of the stress of shopping as you only need to buy one gift. 

Homemade gifts are also an option, although you need to watch the budget for supplies for this one. You can easily get carried away in a craft store and end up buying for the amount of a store-bought Christmas present. Homemade gifts are almost always a heavy time investment, but if you begin well ahead of time you should be able to cobble something together in time. 

I hope these tips were helpful. When I invariably get caught up in the rush of Christmas shopping and start to spend more money than I had planned, I try to remember that it IS about family, friends, love and joy. Your loved ones will appreciate a small thoughtful gift from you just as much as that expensive new leather jacket or kitchen appliance. Don’t get sucked in by the fancy window dressings!! Stand your ground and stick to your budget and your lists, and you will manage Christmas on a budget!