Deals and Steals for Christmas! Frugal Bargains Galore!
Are you looking for some cool Christmas gifts? Why go deep into debt just to celebrate Christmas with family and friends? There is a better way! Bargains, discounts, deals, coupon codes, freebies, etc… each of these ways can save money. You can get something nice without having to spend a load of money to do it.
Check out these frugal deals and bargains! Frugal living at it’s best!
Frugal Living Tips: Christmas without Going Broke or in Debt
Christmas is coming and with the coming Christmas holiday shopping season, a lot of parents will make the decision to once again go into debt to get their children lots of expensive Christmas gifts. Instead of going broke or deeper in debt, why not have a frugal Christmas?
A frugal Christmas doesn’t mean buying cheap toys that won’t last a week. It simply means having a holiday on your budget, within your means, with your spending dependent on your income and budget.
The problem that many parents face is that their children have seen so much advertising for toys and games, that they want anything and everything. And frankly, as parents, many of us at one time or another think our kids need and deserve loads of expensive gifts – so much so that we will go into debt to get them what they want, even when we can’t afford it and they don’t need it anyway.
Make this the year that you break the cycle of going into debt and going broke, just to buy Christmas gifts that will probably just be shoved to the back of the closet in less than a month anyway.
The idea here is to have a nice Christmas and save money while doing it. Remember what Christmas is all about – it’s the day we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The wise men brought gifts to Jesus, our Lord and Savior. It’s not about going in the hole financially just to buy Christmas gifts and then not be able to pay our bills.
Here are some frugal Christmas tips. Depending on your family’s finances, you can trim these ideas back or expand on them.
1. Draw names. Stop buying a gift or gifts for everyone in the family, all your friends, neighbors, and the pets to boot. Get everyone together that normally buys in this manner and put their names in a bag or bowl and have everyone (not the pets) draw one name out. That’s who they buy for, period. This works for families with lots of children also.
2. Tell the kids something to this effect: This year, instead of buying lots of Christmas gifts, we’re going to do something for someone that needs our help. This could mean making meals and taking them to someone, visiting with people who have no one for Christmas, donating their toys to kids who are less fortunate, etc.
3. Shop the sales and bargains. If you can’t find it on sale or clearance, leave it. This can be online or in the actual store.
4. Make it yourself. Homemade gifts are so much more thoughtful and caring than most store bought gifts, simply because love, care, and thought went into creating the item. Get the family together and tell them that this year you’re making gifts for each other. Use what you have (or can afford) and make something with the gift recipient in mind.
5. Have a story telling or singing. Make a new tradition of the family going out (or staying in) singing Christmas songs. Let the children create and put on a Christmas play or puppet show.
There are so many frugal ways to celebrate Christmas, without going into debt or going broke! Sadly, so many parents believe that if they don’t spend money on their kids, that they are depriving their kids. Actually, it’s quite the opposite! They are teaching their kids that Christmas is about one thing – money. It shouldn’t be that way!
There’s nothing wrong in buying Christmas gifts – to some extent. But when parents end up in debt, year after year, just to buy gifts, there is something wrong. When we go broke to get our kids loads of gifts, yes there is something wrong.
This year, make a difference! Have a frugal Christmas, and feel the difference that it makes when your kids are seeing more of what Christmas is really all about.
The holiday season is one of the most stressful times of the year due to the financial pressures. Between the gift giving, holiday entertaining, and the regular monthly expenses, it all adds up to an expensive time of year!
When you budget for the holidays early, you’ll have a handle on your holiday shopping and spending throughout the season.
Benefits of a Holiday Budget
Keeping a budget during the holiday season will benefit you in many ways. First, you’ll avoid overspending, which will keep you from playing “catch up” when the season ends. Second, you’ll reduce financial stress throughout the holiday season, which will make the experience more enjoyable for you.
A couple of simple budgeting practices during the next few months will have a positive impact on your holiday spending, which can help to prevent you from going overboard or becoming overwhelmed.
Try these holiday spending budget strategies to ease financial tension during this hectic season:
1. Create a budget. Determine how much money is available for you to spend based on your current financial situation. Be realistic with your holiday spending budget, regardless of how much or little you can play with. This is your spending limit, and your goal is to stay within it.
* Remember that your expenses must be less than your income. There’s no need to get into extensive debt because of the holidays.
2. Make a list. List everyone that you need to furnish a gift for so you can create a realistic plan to accommodate your gift-giving needs. Keep everyone in mind, including family members, friends, and anyone else you want to give a gift to, such as neighbors or other acquaintances.
3. Create a budget worksheet. Create a basic budget worksheet on paper or on your computer. List every gift recipient in one column. Create a column to brainstorm ideas, a column for your planned budget for each recipient and a column for how much you actually spent on each person. Track overall budget and actual spending as well to see how you do at the end.
4. Tweak as necessary. Make changes to your budget whenever you overspend on one person so you stay within your budget overall.
* Try to set realistic budget amounts for each of the recipients on your worksheet in order to minimize the need for edits to your worksheet, but do not be afraid to make edits as necessary.
5. Trim as necessary. Giving gifts to your neighbors, your children’s teachers, and service providers like the mailman is a nice sentiment, but not necessary. If your budget cannot support your list of recipients, trim the list!
* Consider giving stocking stuffer type gifts to these recipients if you insist on giving them something for the holidays. Small gifts, inexpensive homemade gifts, or simple greeting cards are just as sentimental and memorable but will not break your budget.
6. Start early. When working on a budget, starting early offers a definite advantage. The more time you have to get your shopping done, the more time you have to comparison shop, shop sales and look for deals. Avoid leaving your shopping until the last moment; otherwise you’ll likely pay higher prices and spend more time feeling aggravated in the lineups.
Get a Handle on Your Spending
It only takes a few simple changes in your spending and budgeting habits to improve your holiday shopping experience. By starting early and following a plan, you can overcome the obstacles of holiday shopping, budgeting, and spending with ease. Enjoy your holidays!
Free Holiday Planning and Budget Guide
Be sure to download our free guide, Free Holiday Planning and Budget Guide, by clicking here.
The concept of frugal holiday meals may sound like an oxymoron, but it really isn’t as impossible as it may seem.
Even though holiday meals express the great value of abundance, you can still avoid stretching your finances beyond their capabilities.
How Can It Be Done?
There’s nothing stopping you from serving up delicious holiday meals without destroying your budget in the process. The key to saving money on holiday meals is planning and forethought. When you put time and effort into planning your holiday meals, the results are nearly always positive.
Follow these strategies to save money on your holiday meals this year:
1. Consider your portions. Consider your guest list to ensure that your portions match how many people will be eating. Limit waste by only buying and cooking what your guests will actually eat. If you want to have generous leftovers, simply figure them into the math as well.
2. Remember the leftovers. Plan out your leftovers so you use them effectively and nothing goes to waste. Package your leftovers in portions sized for meals and store them based on when you plan to serve them. Meat and many side dishes can be frozen, so consider how you will use your leftovers to promote frugality and prevent waste.
3. Know when to shop. The day after Thanksgiving is ideal for stocking up, especially if you plan a repeat performance for Christmas. Turkeys, hams, and many of the fixings from Thanksgiving will be available at a steep discount the day after the holiday. Stock up on anything that you can freeze or store to cut down significantly on Christmas holiday meals.
* Turkeys often go on sale for as little as 25% of their original price, and hams are often sold in a similar fashion. If you plan to cook something similar for Christmas, make some room in your freezer and take advantage of this sale to cut costs for your upcoming holiday meal.
4. Know which conveniences matter. Some conveniences are worthwhile and will save you money while others will not. Canned sweet potatoes cost less than fresh, for example. Pre-baked rolls are often less expensive than making your own during the holiday season. Plan ahead to learn which convenience items will help you save money in the long run.
5. Cook from scratch. When it’s possible to do so, cook from scratch. Stuffing and gravy are two staples that you can create at home more cheaply than you can buy them. Boxed mashed potatoes are cheap, but the real thing costs even less and tends to store well.
* Start on your stuffing ahead of time, since you can use the heels from bread loafs or leftover stale sandwich bread. Let the bread dry out on a cookie sheet and you can use it as breadcrumbs in your homemade stuffing.
* Your guests will appreciate your from-scratch cooking.
Holiday meals are meant to be enjoyable. You and your guests will enjoy the meal all the more when you’re not stressed out over the cost. Plan ahead, cut costs where you can, and have a wonderful holiday meal that fits within your budget.
Making your own Christmas crafts doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Frugal Christmas crafts not only save you money but are fun to make.
Christmas ornaments made from ordinary pipe cleaners and inexpensive acrylic beads are very pretty and easy to make. They look quite impressive yet are easy enough for small children to make. This is one frugal Christmas craft idea to use again and again. Older people and kids will enjoy making this frugal Christmas craft, too, which can be varied to make a number of different sparkling ornaments for your Christmas tree.
To make the bead and pipe cleaner ornaments, you need common pipe cleaners in desired colors and acrylic beads. Two types of beads are particularly effective when strung on pipe cleaners. One type are called sunburst beads, but are also known as paddlewheel beads, snowflake beads, or starburst beads. These beads have six faceted paddles spaced equally around a center that contains the hole for stringing. When several of these sunburst beads are strung consecutively, they fit against each other in an interlocking pattern.
The other type of bead that is also effective for this frugal Christmas craft is called the tri bead or propeller bead. It has three rounded bumps arranged around the stringing hole. Like the sunburst beads, the tri beads interlock when strung consecutively. For the most sparkly and attractive Christmas ornaments, get tri beads and/or sunburst beads in translucent colors of red, green, and clear. The tri beads can also be found in metallic gold and silver which can be used in this Christmas craft as well.
Pipe cleaners can be found in silver and gold tinsel as well as chenille of all colors. For frugal Christmas crafts, the best colors to use are the metallics and Christmas colors. The beads cover the pipe cleaners, but the ends will need to be twisted together and made into hangers, so they show.
Anyone, even small children, can string these beads on pipe cleaners. Bend up the end of the pipe cleaner so the beads don’t fall off. The pipe cleaner works like a needle, making a needle unnecessary. For best results, show the children how to alternate colors when stringing, or start a pattern of three colors. When the beads are strung on the pipe cleaners, they can be bent into different Christmas shapes. For instance, string red and clear beads alternately, then bend down one end of the pipe cleaner for a candy cane shape. Or alternate red and green beads and form a circle for a wreath. Use red pipe cleaner to form a small bow to decorate the wreath. Form a hanger for these Christmas crafts or simply slip the circle over a branch of the tree.
If you experiment with clear beads and silver pipe cleaners, you can make some beautiful snowflake or star ornaments. Snowflake designs can be twisted of silver pipe cleaner only, without the beads for a simple but pretty decoration.
Bead and pipe cleaner ornaments are a nice frugal Christmas craft you will find yourself using every year. Children and their parents will both appreciate this simple yet pretty frugal Christmas crafts.
