Are You Ready for Christmas?
I know Halloween is just around the corner, but we’re going to talk Christmas today. After all, there’s only two more months left until the big day. Begin planning now for a frugal and stress-free Christmas.
Make a Plan
Every year my goal is to have all my Christmas shopping done by Thanksgiving. I really hate the December shopping crowds, and I need to focus on other things in December. I also hate the lines at the post office in December.
My timeline looks something like this: Finish shopping by Thanksgiving. Also mail any out of town gifts by Thanksgiving. On the day after Thanksgiving, our family puts up the tree and decorates the house. I also begin addressing Christmas cards, with the intention of mailing them out the week after Thanksgiving. That leaves my December free to attend holiday parties, bake with the kids, and just enjoy the season.
Manage Your Christmas Money
Hopefully at the beginning of the year, you opened up a savings account for Christmas. If you used an online account, like SmartyPig, think about withdrawing the money, so you have it on hand to buy Christmas gifts.
Whether or not you have money in savings, this is also a good time to set a budget for Christmas. In the excitement of the season, it’s easy to overspend. By writing out a budget, you can protect yourself from spending more than you can afford.
Be Aware While Shopping
While shopping at Costco yesterday, I took a little detour through the toy section. Though I didn’t buy anything, I made a mental note of possible gift ideas for the kids.
Then I browsed another section and came across a gift I knew my husband would just love! Since I had already worked out a budget and transferred my money to an easily available account, I picked it up. One less gift to buy before Thanksgiving! Looks like I might hit my goal!
How about you? What are your best tips for a frugal & stress free Christmas season?
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I'm Lynnae, wife of one and stay-at-home mom of two. I'm committed to getting out of debt by being frugal with my choices in life.
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amazon.com is my friend! It makes it SUPER easy, and as a mom to 5 children between the ages of 1 and 8 easy is the WAY to go!
How about asking a question before even starting a plan: Do we need to buy anything this year?
It’s a rough economy, so maybe Uncle Joe can’t afford to spend $400 in gifts this year, or maybe it’d be best to do a $20 limit.
Not to sound too much like Charlie Brown, but perhaps this expectation to buy everyone you ever spoke with during the year a Christmas gift is one reason we got ourselves into so much consumer debt.
After all, do 8 year-olds really need $200 iPods?
Call me strange, but I actually hate shopping for other adults. You could give me all the money in the world and I still wouldn’t like doing it. It is a form of torture for me, so last year and this year my husband agreed on no adult gifts for Christmas. Most of the stuff I buy for someone ends up being given away or sold at the summer garage sale so I said “no more!” I have about half the adults on board for this, the other half no. My gift to all will be a nice holiday dinner about a week before Christmas. Everyone can sit and relax and enjoy the evening. We like to play cards so we might do that too. We also like to go in the woods, play in the snow and cut our own tree about a week after thanksgiving.
I, too, like to shop for my grandkids Christmas gifts on Amazon.com. They usually have the best prices and you can get free shipping. That sure beats running around shopping at many stores to find the best price. I, myself, do not like shopping in stores. As for my children I usually give them a gift certificate to go out to eat and also offer to babysit their children at their house or mine while they eat out and maybe take in a movie. Once they are adults, they know what they want and usually buy the things themselves. So the gift certificates work out pretty well. I also participate in several surveys that I earn money with. I can buy gift certificates at a reduced rate. I even have one survey that pays me in Amazon.com certificates. That is how I am funding my Christmas this year.
Amazon is my best friend this Christmas. I love to physically shop, and don’t usually do much online shopping, but since I am 8 months pregnant (and due the first week of December) wandering the mall and going to a bazillion stores is not something I’m up to this season. I am super excited to be about 75% done with my kids Christmas shopping already. I also keep sending my hubby on random little trips to stores that have stocking stuffer things (Star Wars action figures, Cars cars, etc.) on sale. It’s way better to get stuff like that now because in December if they go on sale they are gone in an instant.
My goal this year is to be done shopping, have my house decorated, and my tree up before December 1st. As long as this baby isn’t too early I will be all set!
My husband and I save our points at Mypoints.com all year long and get gift cards for friends/family for Christmas. I also love shopping on Amazon.com– it sure beats the hastle of standing in long lines. Setting a cash limit on what to spend for each person is a big budget helper as well. We give our kids three gifts each (just as the 3 wiseman did for baby Jesus) plus supplement little stocking stuffers. :)
I do a little shopping during the summer when I am off from school. I hate shopping during the holidays when everyone else is out. The stores are too hot and all those people pushing, shoving, being extra noisy just drives me nuts. So I shop a bit at a time during my school break, wrap everything up before we start back in Sept and I’m done! I’ve done this for years. Usually when I give out gifts I’m surprised too when the gift is opened since it has been so long since I’ve seen the item. Though this year I did order a leather recliner for my husband which isn’t being deliver until 2 days before the big day. I can hardly wait since he’s wanted one for years and years.
We surely have tapered down on our gift giving – especially with adults – what is the use & stress involved? It really deters from the real meaning and enjoyable family time – instead you are on the internet searching or roaming the mall! ARG! We only do kids and even in our family of 5 we exchange names and it is a fun event. If and when I have to send off a gift, Amazon is my best friend, send directly to the person and no need to stand in line at the post office!
Last year I combined my love for photography with gift giving. Since I took tons of pictures of friends and family during the year I put together different collages of pictures in poster size frames. Each collage of 20 pictures cost about $15 with the frame. They were a big hit and I was able to stay within a smaller budget.
Hello! First time commenter here!
Here is now I make Christmas stress every year. I make a list of everyone I plan on buying gifts for, then I buy everything online and have it shipped to my house a couple of weeks before Christmas. I find that I can usually get really good prices on things and most places offer free shipping. I especially like shopping on Amazon.com because I can order everything at once and have it all shipped at the same time, and usually for free! It makes life so much easier because I avoid the mall completely, and I can really personalize gifts for my family and friends! Then I pay off my credit card before the end of the month and don’t get charged any interest! It’s great!
This is my first time commenting on here…my hubby and I have already set a certain limit on what we are going to spend on the kids’ birthdays and Christmas. We don’t buy for my husband’s brother and sisters and their spouses. All aunts/uncles pull names for the nieces/nephews that we are buying a present for. We don’t spend more than $10 for each child. We have 3 children, so we buy for 3 nieces or nephews. Same goes with their birthdays. Our kids we do spend more on. My brother is a bachelor, so I make all kinds of homemade food/soups for his freezer (tummy) :). He really loves this. Our parents, we buy something for. Hubby and I take a day in November, and spend the day buying for the boys and then getting a bite to eat together, while the boys spend time with a set of grandparents. We love it!
Take this test to find out if you’re ready for Christmas A fun icebreaker game for your family Christmas party. Check it out at http://www.familyreunionhelper.com/blog
Aunt Mo
I upgraded from a BlackBerry (non Exchange-based) to an iPhone. Something nobody seems to have pointed out is that if you’re currently an AT&T BlackBerry user, an iPhone upgrade will pay for itself in a bit less than 17 months. Unlimited BlackBerry data is $49.95/mo. Unlimited iPhone data – same network, same speed – is $20/mo.