Now that’s it officially November, I decided to feature a two part series on having a frugal Christmas. I love the holidays and getting together with family, but Christmas can be very unforgiving on the family finances. We live on a budget, so Christmas time can be very stressful in our household. Over the last few years I’ve found ways to obtain Christmas presents for family and friends at discounts or even free. Here’s the beginning steps to having a frugal Christmas.
1. Set a budget. How much can you really afford for Christmas? Have you thought of setting aside money throughout the year to save for Christmas so you won’t end up going over budget in December? We have at least 15 people to give presents and usually budget $240 every year (we set aside $20 every month). That’s about $16 per person so it’s essential for us to find creative ways to stay within budget and be able to give quality thoughtful gifts.
2. Plan. Make a list of everyone you will buy presents for this year.
3. Start early. The earlier the start, the less pressure there is to find that last minute gift and overspend. You can be on the lookout for sales and special buys a few months before Christmas and get the best deals. For example, JcPenney’s had a huge blowout sale on clearance items and we got my dad several $50 shirts for only $5 each!!
4. Track your spending. Keep a list of what you spend and the presents you buy. I also keep an envelope with all the receipts handy. This helps in two ways, one you will be able to stay within budget and two you will have a ready list of who you have presents for and who you still need to buy a present.
I’ve also found several creative ways to get many presents free or at a huge discount. Next week I will post all my secrets to gift giving.
geez, nicole, can’t we finish eating the trick or treat candy we got for FREE before we start to worry about christmas?
just kidding…i want my tree up, and am going christmas shopping on tuesday without the children. yeah!
Shopping without kids? I’m jealous. Have fun and enjoy the day of kid-free shopping!
Just a few hours in the evening. Our friends who will be watching the boys if Fat Baby comes to town before my parents offered to have the boys come over to “get used to” their evening routine and give us a night out! So, dinner using 80% off gift cert from rest.com and then we will shop. No more coats hiding the presents in the cart for us. I think Brennan would figure it out this year.
I always try to plan ahead and buy early but have a hard time sticking to a budget.
Courtney, It can be very hard to stick to a budget, especially if you have kids. (They’re just so fun to spoil).
This year I started a Christmas present folder where I keep a running tally of how much I spend. I’m hoping it will help me stay on track this season.
I can’t wait to hear more. We are teaching the 3 kids this year. That Christmas is NOT about how many gifts you got. But what you did get is the most important as some kids don’t get anything and are lucky if they get to eat.