By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills
The holidays are marching toward us much faster than we can imagine. We treasure those special moments with family and friends, but menus, activities, parties, shopping, and decorating can rob our enthusiasm plus put a dent in our budgets.
We embrace all the wonder of the big three holidays:
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas
- New Year
Careful planning is essential so we’re not mentally, physically, and financially drained. So how can we prepare for the most anticipated events of the year and manage the stress of staying within our budget?
Take a look at the following to see where you can save this holiday season.
- Establish how much can be spent reasonably. We all make sacrifices when occasions call for it, but overspending during the holidays leads to regret.
- Use a spreadsheet to keep track of expenditures and stick to the budget.
- Shop with coupons. Whether it be food or gifts, coupons save money.
- Skip grabbing an expensive coffee drink while out running errands and instead make your favorite brew at home and put it in a to-go container.
- Avoid self-gifting when purchasing gifts for others. If we really want something, chances are it will be on sale after the holidays.
- Buy with ease by selecting items online. Many apps are designed to make holiday shopping easier and at a cost savings.
- Start early and look for sales from local merchants! At our house, we search for bargains year around.
- Attend a church choir’s celebration of the season.
- Love to cook? Scale down your menu for tasty foods that appeal to guests and your budget.
- Create homemade gifts that are memorable. Cleverly designed crafts, art, food items, and photos uniquely framed make wonderful gifts. If you’re musically inclined, record your special talent.
- Consider e-cards for holidays. These can be animated, personalized, no-postage required, and the recipient can still save the paperless variety.
- Discover all the fun of using Pinterest for every aspect of the holidays.
The excitement of the approaching holidays is building in all of us. With a little effort, we can treasure the season and smile at our checkbook when January 2 rolls around.
What’s your favorite tip for budget-minded people this season?
DiAnn’s Library Corner
Library Tip: Help your patrons create lasting memories with do-it-yourself ideas for a treasured holiday season.
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Comments 6
This is my first year for Christmas while being retired. In addition to what your other contributors have said, my daughter and I just started using the app, Ibotta. When you return home from shopping, you scan receipts (through their simple app) for their “paperless coupons” and get credit. After building up $25, they redeem your cash back to you. Yeah. A fun way to save money! Just glance at “specials” before shopping, so you remember the correct brands to purchase.
Hi Rebecca, what a great idea! I’ll explore Ibotta today. Thanks for sharing this.
For Christmas and Thanksgiving we ask our guests to bring a dish. That helps me to not have to spend so much time in the kitchen, and we get to sample other great dishes. Clean up is easy because we use paper plates. I do like silverware, so we use our own. It’s great not to have to spend so much time in the kitchen.
Great idea, Kathy, and that leaves more time to visit.
Hi DiAnn, Our families like to donate to a cause instead of gifts for the adults. We purchase small gifts for the kids. I like to bake and give them as gifts, also. I’ve given my sister coupons to help clean her house. She loved that gift most of all.
Cherrilynn, I agree with your sister!