The can be expensive. Here are my top 14 tips for making more affordable and less of a stress on your back account. Saving during the holidays can be done, with some careful planning, a good and those thoughtful ideas.
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Whether you celebrate , Hanukkah, Yule or one of the many other end of year traditions , this can be an expensive time of the year.
Here are 14 things that we do in our family that greatly reduce the amount of that we spend around time.
1 all Year Long
I know it probably isn’t much help right now, but you can get yourself ready for next year with some preparation now.
Set up a holidays account at your bank and an automatic payment in to it each pay day. We set aside $20 per week, which at means we have over $1000 sitting there to help with buying gifts and all the delicious holiday celebration food!
You can work out a rough , and allow for some added extras as well. Be sure to include , , , and other .
If you also have annual travel to family or on vacation, then you may like to add more each week or month to help cover this as well.
Once you have worked out how much the holidays are expected to cost you, simply divide that by how many weeks you would like to save up for it.
So if you decide you need $2500 and you want it saved up over 11 months, then you need to be putting away between 220-230 a month, or about $55 per week. Be sure to put it into a place that you can’t accidentally spend it!
You can choose to set this up as a bonus saver, where you earn each month that you add in and don’t take any out. OR you may choose to offset it against your mortgage while you are saving.
2 Shrink your List
How many of your extended family do you actually have to buy for? Would great Aunt Maude be just as happy with some home made fudge as she would a new bunch of toiletries that she won’t use, or a letter set that she will sit in her desk?
Most of your family will be happy with a simple card rather than a . Get a little ruthless. If you won’t see them on , maybe a card will do.
Could you look at doing a or ballot where everyone only has to buy for one person rather than everyone buying for everyone. This does need everyone’s approval, but it can be a fun alternative to buying something small for everyone.
This also saves a lot of stress over , and I would rather have one quality, useful than a that will break or be re-gifted.
As a family we do homemade gifts for our parents, buy for only one of my 3 siblings (it is shared around), and get something for under $20 for each of the children cousins.
Our own children get a small stocking of mostly treat food and hair ties/clips then their gifts from us are usually clothes, books and a practical something that they want – this year it is a sleeping bag each.
The extended family (if they are there on ) get homemade cookies or fudge, this is the for people that have everything, or have limited storage space! My favorite are these .
3 Go Homemade or Second Hand
Homemade gifts are often more satisfying to give, and people tend to appreciate them more.
Consumable gifts are also great, as it means you aren’t gifting someone a bunch of clutter to find a home for.
Very trendy items can be found at junk yards or second hand stores, or online.
Here are some Frugal Ideas or Join the Handmade bootcamp.
One is to make a peg apron, or a bag bag for holding shopping bags. Both are brilliant beginner sewing projects and are really useful gifts to receive.
4 Slim Down the Events
You do not have to go to everything. This is a very busy time, but it is also a very magical time. Slow down and try to enjoy it. Don’t waste the whole month running from one event to the next. Try having some fun at home activities instead!
Write down all the events and traditions that you usually get invited to. Look at the list carefully and remove any that you don’t really and truly love going to, anything that doesn’t fit in the and anything that is too close to another event.
Now compose a simple reply that says something like, “I am really sorry but we can’t make it to …. this year, maybe next time! to you and your family, catch up soon, your name.”
5 Cheap
The best family traditions are about fun and connection, not about ! Check out these lovely family tradition ideas. Take a walk by the beach, or a drive to a mountain top. Play board games together, or a sport on the lawn.
Family time does not have to be expensive and removing the most expensive ones from your plans will reduce your stress as well as save you . It is OK to change, and make new traditions that suit you and your family better.
6 Make your advent calendar activity based
Children don’t need pricey chocolate calendars. Use each day an opportunity to do something fun together. Try some of the family tradition ideas above, or these ides here.
Join in with friends and organize your advent activities together, we do this and the kids love celebrating the Countdown with their friends and cousins.
7 Be Organized
There are somethings that come on special leading up to , that then become very expensive just before the big day. In our city it is strawberries, but other things like chocolate and cream often does it too.
Buy your non perishable celebration food over the month or so before the holidays as they come on special. However, only buy things you know you will use otherwise it will actually not save you at all!
Some perishable foods can be stored longer by freezing or preserving them. Cream and most other dairy products will freeze well.
An is an organized ! Make lists, plan events and menus, make spreadsheets and generally get your type-A nerd on.
can be done earlier in the year, but be sure to keep a list of what you have, the name of the , and where you have hidden it, so you don’t just buy them something else later in the middle of holiday excitement and chaos.
8 Host Pot-luck Meals
If you have others over for meals, ask them to bring a plate (of food). With the advent of Google docs, you can set up a spreadsheet with a menu and recipe links and share it with everyone coming. People can add their own names and dishes they are bringing and you can fill the gaps.
This ensures that you don’t end up with 20 plates of green beans and no desserts! (or in our case, the exact opposite).
9 Use Real Plates and Cutlery
Rather than buying and using paper or plastic plates and cutlery, try scrounging garage sales, junk shops and craigslist for secondhand real plates, cups and cutlery.
Alternatively, you can ask extended family to bring some. Once you have bought them, simply wash them and store them away for next year (or return them to the family that brought them).
10 Use a fake
I know that this is probably a contentious one, but a fake tree might cost you about 2-10 years worth of buying a real tree, depending on the quality of the fake tree and the price of a real one. If you can get free real trees, by all means continue, but a fake tree could last for a whole generation or two if carefully cared for.
11 Skip the
look amazing outside, but are really an added extra. If your doesn’t go that far this year, go for a walk and enjoy other peoples lights, for free.
If you really really must have , buy them at the boxing day sales where they are 50-75% off and store them away somewhere for next year. The wires these days are very thin, they do not last well in UV light for the whole year and will sometimes break in the wind.
So be sure to take them down and store them inside for the other 11 months of the year. The battery in the solar system will last longer not being used all year as well.
12 Cheap
can be used from year to year. Hunt around secondhand stores and garage sales for unwanted decorations and give them a new lease on life. Balls and baubles can be painted with some spray paint and restrung, stale popcorn can be threaded on to some string and greenery from the forest all make wonderful, festive decorations. Alternatively, and other places will often have very cheap decorations.
13 Ditch the
There is something lovely about getting mail that isn’t a bill, however, the cost of postage is continually going up, cards are expensive and they just go in the bin at the end of the season.
Maybe look at writing an individualized, heartfelt email to the people that you would usually send a card to. Some of it can be copy-and-paste so you don’t have to write the whole thing out each time, but there is no cost (other than your time) and no physical rubbish to throw out either.
14 Take a Stay-Cation or House Swap
If you are looking for places to go for your vacation and are worried about the price, try having a holiday at home. Put away the computers and your phone and experience your area like holiday makers.
OR see if you can house swap with friends or family.
RELATED POST: Top tips for traveling with kids
The does not have to be bank breaking. What do you do to over the holidays?
