Last night on Frugal Coast2Coast, Jenn and I talked about planning for Christmas. Yes, I realize Christmas is still 6 months away, but now is a good time to start thinking about it.
I don’t know about you, but in years past, I have had some incredibly stressful Christmas seasons. I failed to plan ahead and had to come up with money for Christmas presents at the last minute, because I hadn’t saved throughout the year. I had things I wanted to do with the kids, but we missed doing them, because I wasn’t in firm control of our calendar, and we ran out of time. Yes, now is the perfect time to start thinking about Christmas.
The following are steps I took last year to make sure my holiday season was frugal and stress-free. And you know what? They worked! We were able to save money for a Wii for the kids, and our December was fairly relaxed. So what can you do?
1. Start saving now. If you haven’t saved any money for Christmas yet, start saving now. Last year I opened a Smarty Pig account in the summer, and it worked well as a savings tool. Any bank account would do, though. And it will be a huge relief when the money is in the bank, come December!
2. Keep a list of gift ideas and sizes with you at all times. When you come across a great sale, it’s helpful if you know who you are shopping for, what they like, and what size they wear. Buying your gifts throughout the year reduces last minute stress and helps you to get the best price on your gifts.
3. Take your family photo now. If you go to a studio, the prices often rise in November. By having your family photo taken now, you will save money. Better yet, have a friend take the picture!
4. Start gathering addresses for Christmas cards now. I find that every year someone moves. By starting to track addresses now, you can avoid a last minute hassle.
5. Set your priorities and goals for the season well in advance. By knowing what you want your Christmas season to look like, you can plan accordingly. If you want December to be relaxed, plan on having your shopping and Christmas cards completed soon after Thanksgiving. If making a gingerbread house with your kids is important, put that on the calendar, before your schedule is filled with other holiday parties.
One tool that I have found useful in the past is Flylady’s Holiday Control Journal (PDF). It’s free, and it really helped me plan and prioritize my Christmas season. I’m through with stressful Decembers!
Have you begun to plan for Christmas yet? What have you done? Are your Decembers generally stressful or relaxed? And if you’d like even more ideas, be sure to listen to the Frugal Coast2Coast archive!
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Photo: Our kitten, Patches, climbing our Christmas tree last year.
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This is timely since I just received a number to Christmas ornaments at a wedding shower. It is a brilliant idea for small and cheap gifts at a party.
Now all I need is some lights and a tree!
Just last week I organized the Christmas wrapping paper and bows. I made a note on my calendar, on the Nov. page, to not buy any more wrapping paper, tags, etc. I have more than enough. Though when Christmas fabric goes on sale after the holiday I am thinking about getting some to make reusable bags for future Christmas wrapping.
I bought my dad a coat this past January. It was 80% off and I think he will really like it. I also picked up a really nice handbag for 90% off that is going to my sister. Love those after Christmas sales.
I buy all year long – usually finishing up in late Sept. Then wrap and package whatever is getting shipped out of state, and mail those the first of Nov – to get them OUT of my house :)
Christmas cards I used to do Thanksgiving weekend – but I am moving that up a bit this year as the dynamics of that weekend have changed with the growing family and more grandkids :)
What I use for my property taxes – due in Nov -is have an automatic withdrawal from checking into a specific savings account. This would work for Christmas shopping also if you are one of those who waits to shop til Nov/Dec. I just can’t stand the stress of waiting that long to shop :(
Love the idea of taking the family photos now. (Or at least before November!) I always forget that. It’s not a big deal since we take ours with a timer, but I did want to have them done elsewhere this year.
Sometimes forethought is the biggest money saver. It is always nice when you can save money along with time and frustration. Our family has already done about 1/2 our Christmas shopping.
I’m already getting ready for Christmas 2010 and 2011! I have vowed to sew gifts for my son for Christmas. So far, I’ve sewed him a horse-on-a-stick, a guitar softie, bean bags, a superhero cape, a kiddie toolbelt with garage sale toy tools, felt food and a little apron, felt blocks…. there’s probably more that I just can’t think of at the moment!
Now with recession across the world, spending too much on Christmas does not seem to be a wise idea. Yet Christmas gifts for your loved ones especially children is a must. A great gift would be a letter or phone call from Santa Claus himself. The gift does not cost much and over and above this you can get fabulous discount coupons for the same at http://coupongrove.com/ALetterFromSanta/
RE: Christmas letter from Santa. Very easy to do these yourself these days. Just print on Christmas stationary and mail. As most little ones are not up to reading the postmark on the letter, it works ok. Or if postmark is a factor, send to the postmaster in one of the Christams named towns, such as Christmas Valley, OR, or North Pole, Ark, etc for resending …
A word to the wise – Make sure your Christmas newsletter is on Different stationary than the letters from Santa Claus. My 3 year old granddaughter was very happy to see that her Daddy ALSO got a letter from Santa Claus, which she deduced from the stationary for my newsletter being the same stationary as her letter from Santa! Luckily, her Daddy just said yes, it was his letter from Santa Claus, and that he had been a good boy, too! :)
Every Christmas my children make gingerbread houses. We use graham crackers which I buy on sale now for 4th of July Smores. I also save Easter, Valentine’s, and Halloween candy leftovers for decorating the houses. I use an old tupperware and just keep pouring in the old candy.
I also pick a theme last year was games. I always start in the spring and summer when retailers have sales, and garage sales are abundant. I think this year it will be cooking.
Good post. Never to early to plan ahead to save later . . .
Allows you to pay cash and spend the expenditures out.