Holidays on a Budget
We are less than two weeks away from Christmas, which means that if you are still trying to figure out presents to get people, you may need to work a little faster! This year has made everything more complicated, from not seeing friends and family to figuring out the logistics of sending presents, and in some cases, dealing with budget cuts on top of all that.
I totally get it, I unfortunately had some of my pay cut this year, right before the holidays, due to COVID-19, and it has not made it easy for budgeting out gifts for people this season. In fact, it’s made one of my favorite holidays one of the most stressful times of my life, trying to work around a decreased budget from what I thought I had to work with. But just because it hasn’t been easy, doesn’t mean that there aren’t ways to still celebrate the holidays on a budget. Here are some tips if you too have been hit with some unexpected financial pains.
- Don’t worry about buying your friends expensive gifts. I don’t know why, but society has gotten us to believe that the best gifts are the expensive gifts, and I can truthfully say that’s just not the reality. Don’t try to “buy” your friends’ love and friendship this year with expensive presents. Sometimes something as nice as homemade cookies can be a lovely gift to people. Worry less about the price tag of the gifts and whether it’s something they could really use or like. It’s not about the gift, it’s about the gesture, and that sadly really seems to get lost lately. Statistics show that 22% of Americans feel that their Christmas spending will wind up with them in debt. Let that sink in. They are spending so much on presents for people that they can’t afford, that they’re afraid it’ll leave them in debt for months to come. Don’t make the mistake of spending too much on gifts that puts you in a bad financial position. Instead, try homemade gifts or small items that you know they’ll enjoy. If you happen to know how to make candles using essential oils or t-shirts, then use your skills and give them something meaningful and personal, without putting yourself in debt.
2. Don’t worry about going all out for a Christmas dinner. Odds are, if you’re following quarantine rules and keeping family members safe, you’re having a smaller Christmas or holiday celebration this year anyway. If that’s the case, there is no need to spend extra money on fancy dinners or buying too much food for you to cook for yourself. Save your money and keep things budget-friendly by sticking with usual meals. Whip up a nice pot roast in the crockpot to last for a few days or even order a pizza for something a bit different this year. But don’t spend hundreds of dollars on all of the items for a lavish dinner for one, not when you’re struggling financially.
3. Don’t buy any Christmas decor full priced. It can be so tempting to see all the new lights and decorations and want to add to what you already have. Trust me when I say this, wait until the day after Christmas. No, everything won’t be sold out and yes, you will be able to buy so much more than you would have been able to afford if it were full priced. I have gone years not buying anything Christmas related at full price because I can get everything after Christmas on a great sale. LED lights for the outside of the house? Got them for about $8. A Grinch blow up for the front yard? $6 on clearance. New ornaments and a tree skirt? $5 total.
4. Ship wisely. If you know that you are ordering your friends gifts, then simply mail them a card separately and have your gifts shipped directly to their address. You don’t really need it to come to your house to be wrapped, then pay at least $12 to send it to their house after the fact. They will be fine without having it gift wrapped, I promise. If you are shipping items to your friends from your house, make sure to look for the best deal. It’s not always cheapest to use your own box, so check what the shipping companies are offering and find the best prices to send your items.
5. Share Christmas cheer in smaller ways. If you aren’t able to leave tips for different people like your lawn service or the delivery men that you normally tip, find a different way to spread some Christmas cheer. I know how busy everyone is with deliveries so I opted to create a little snack crate outside my front door. I put cookies, chips, and bottled water out along with a sign thanking everyone for the deliveries and asking them to help themselves. Overall, the investment was about $15 and I can tell you I’ve received many thank yous for having the snacks available. Remember, it’s not always about the money, but instead about the gesture.
6. Use cash-back programs like Fetch Rewards and Ibotta. I’m signed up for both and Fetch offers points towards gift cards and Ibotta gives you cash back for making purchases to stores through them. You can even get cash-back on your grocery order if you’ve opted to have groceries delivered during the pandemic.
7. Remember what the season is about. It’s not about the presents under the tree or keeping up with the Joneses, it’s about celebrating the miracles of the season, whether that be the birth of Jesus or the miracle oil that lasted 8 days. Presents are nice, but there is so much more to the season than that. So enjoy the time with family, even if you can’t be there in person. Enjoy the promise of a new year in just a few weeks time and try to spread a little kindness to the world. We all could use it.