As of today, you have 99 Days Until Christmas
From now until Christmas, I will be sharing my tried and true tips for saving money on Christmas and holidays. Everything from your gift shopping, your holiday cards, teacher gifts or even Holiday Entertaining....in this economy, we all need to save some money!
If you're shopping for someone who loves music or tech, look for affordable gadgets like wireless earbuds or portable speakers. Brands like fridgebeats often have stylish and budget-friendly options that deliver great sound without breaking the bank. Subscription services, like audiobooks or streaming platforms, can also make for thoughtful and practical gifts, especially if you can find a holiday deal. Remember, it’s not about how much you spend but the thought behind the gift that truly matters!
Yesterday we took a good hard look at our finances and made a budget for Christmas. Today we are going to talk about one of the biggest Budget Busters: Family Gift Exchanges.
I have 3 sisters and 1 brother; 1 mom, 1 dad, 1 stepmother and 1 kinda-stepfather (long story) and 3 nephews. The problem? We all (myself included) have very expensive tastes. Bigger problem? As my nephews got older, they weren't content with the $15 Playskool toys or Rock'em Sock'em Robots...they wanted the $60 Nintendo/PlayStation/Xbox games (note: this is not a matter of a gift grab. For years, everyone in my family had a nice amount of disposable income. Then people had families, people lost jobs, etc and money became tighter. But we STILL all spent like drunken sailors at a whorehouse!).
About 6 years ago, Brad and I sat down to create our very Christmas budget. This was the first time that we didn't just mindlessly buy. We sat down, created a list of who we had to buy gifts for, plugging in the amount that we typically spent on each person...and promptly started to hyperventilate. We knew we had to do something that year to cut costs.
This is a conversation that nobody likes to have, because nobody wants to be perceived as the "cheapskate" in the family, but in this economy, it is now more acceptable. Don't wait for Thanksgiving dinner to have this conversation with your family. Call your mom, your sister or whoever seems to be the "head" of family gatherings and say "Hey! We are working on our Christmas Budget and this just seems crazy! Can we set a price limit for gifts or maybe switch to a pollyanna for the family this year? Can we just buy for the children this year? Can we skip the gift exchange altogether?"
Believe me...if you haven't done this yet, I can almost assure you others in your family are thinking about the same thing, but just too chicken to speak up. Gather your courage and get control of your holiday spending!
Have you had this talk with your family? How did it work out?
So you have a tip to share? Submit your Holiday Savings Tips and they might be featured in a future post!
Kate
After I got married, and brothers, sisters, and in-laws started to get married and have kids, I instituted a kids only gift rule. I get each child one gift, and set a dollar limit before I start shopping, usually no more than $20. I have found that as my total gift budget increases, more children arrive, so the amount stays around $20. I always focus on finding something of quality in that price range, and not going for a cheap version of something. As the kids get older, I might think about getting gift cards (iTunes, Walmart) instead. I also don't buy gifts for friends, coworkers, etc., even if I receive a gift. Gift giving shouldn't be about a transaction - my gift for your gift - and a heartfelt thank you is a fine response to a gift.
celia
I have tried this for the past three years and been shot down like I tried to kill Santa. I suggested an all home made Christmas( we are all capable), and a limited gift exchange. Soooo we stick to our budget( mostly) and feel crummy when we are drowning in gifts from everyone and then hand them their present.
Cindy
I give little gifts to coworkers and friends at church who always gives us gifts. I make homemade jelly and put in jelly jars, I then put on a decorative top and add a gift tag. It gives them something homemade, that doesn't cost a lot and everyone I give them to, raves over them. Photography is a hobby of mine, so I use that as a way to save money by giving my husbands parents family pictures& pictures of the grandkids in frames(otherwise, they would never get put up), and I give my sister-in-law pictures of her toddler that I took. Luckily, my family stopped exchanging gifts years ago, due to it being extremely large. My husband and I also, do not exchange gifts. We give our children gifts and of course they get two from Santa, but we limit them to inexpensive items. We are trying to teach them that less is more. We want to teach them that the reason for Chirstmas is Jesus, not about the gifts.