Christmas often sounds ‘expensive’ to many of us. The gifts, the food, the drinks, all cost money and if you’re on a tight budget, not sticking to your budget may mean not being able to pay next month’s bills.
Keep in mind that the most important thing is the joy of spending time with family and friends, not how expensive it costs.
Here Are 10 Tips on How to Celebrate Christmas on a Budget:
1. Involve the Whole Family to Decorate the House
Doing activities together as a family is likely to add more closeness, so go ahead, involve everyone to decorate for Christmas. There are plenty of ideas of DIY Christmas decorations. Here are some: 20 dollar DIY Christmas Decoration, 24 Christmas DIY for the Whole Family, and 10 Amazing DIY Christmas Decoration Ideas.
2. Reuse Old Decoration
Go through your storage and see if you can reuse some things from last year. If you have no old decoration from last year, keep in mind to keep this year’s decoration for next year. Buying old decorations from a garage sale is also a good alternative. The other alternative is buying new decorations right after the season, which are often very cheap, to use for the next year.
3. Set How Much to Spend on Christmas Gifts – and Stick With It
Here is a post about cheap, thoughtful, and elegant looking Christmas gifts ideas for the whole family.
4. Shop Online
Online shopping can be cheaper than the retail price. Gifts like those listed here on this post, e.g. wooden remote control set, family bingo set, etc, are often cheaper bought online than in the brick and mortar store.
5. Keep It Simple
Keep it simple on everything: decoration, food, gifts, etc. Especially with food, we often buy too much food.
6. Check the Specials Catalogue First Before Shopping
Most of the time, the supermarket that offers ‘specials’ slashes the normal price significantly, often half price, or offers the buy-one-get-one-free deal. Take this advantage.
7. Buy in Bulk
Christmas drinks like sparkling white wine are often cheaper when bought in bulk. But always remember to never buy things you don’t really need just because they’re cheap.
8. Stick to the Shopping List
Avoid the temptation to buy unnecessary items because ‘they will look nice’ or ‘we may need it someday’ etc. Write down everything you need for Christmas before you go shopping and stick with it.
9. Let the Guests Bring Something to Eat/Drink – if They Ask
Normally, and ethically, people would ask what they have to bring for Christmas lunch or dinner. You can either allocate which food or ask them what they’re bringing and write them down. If there are too many people bringing the same type of food, let them know and if they’re still up for it, they’ll choose something else to bring. The point is, don’t underestimate the power of ‘small help’.
10. Have a Christmas BBQ at a Park
Instead of having the Christmas party at home, which may take more time to prepare the table and wash the dishes afterwards, celebrate it outdoors, at a park nearby or somewhere you’ve never been to.
