When I was a little girl my mother’s favorite holiday was
Christmas and she made sure that each of us had a sizable pile of gifts to
open that morning. This was no small feat considering that there were five of
us girls and, since my dad was a farmer, little cash to spare. I appreciate what she did a lot more
now than back then, so I thought I’d share some of the ways she saved money for
Christmas (and I’ve got few of my own). I hope you can put at least a couple of
these ideas into practice and that each year will be a wonderful Christmas that
doesn’t feel like it’s “breaking the bank.”
Idea 1: Start saving early.
Banks used to have a “Christmas Club.” You could join the $5, $10, and $20 clubs.
You would get a coupon book and have to deposit the designated amount each
week. Then you got to cash it in when the holiday season was approaching. My mom opened a “Christmas Club”
account each year and faithfully made her payments (sometimes using loose
change when she had to). Start your own “Christmas Club”. You could open a
savings account at a bank but you could also just keep an envelope, coin jar or
shoebox in your house. The point isn’t where you keep the money as much as that
you consistently pay into it and don’t dip into it.
Idea 2: Bake gifts instead of
buying them. I have received small loaves of bread, small plates of
cookies, large boxes of baked goods and they all mean the same thing: “I’m
thinking of you this Christmas.” This is a wonderfully warm gift that I
personally love receiving, even if it doesn’t all get eaten.
Idea 3: Have friends over for dinner. Keep it simple and
take time to really enjoy your time together. Give each guest a card with a
personal note. This may be cherished more than any gift you could buy.
Idea 4: Make homemade Christmas
cards and gift tags. Cut out the pictures and words from last year’s
cards that you’ve received and use them as gift tags. Or you can paste them on
construction paper and add your own note for a Christmas card. I have received
these type cards from a friend and they were beautiful. (Her kids had clearly
helped her with the project, which made it even more special.)
Idea 5: Shop ahead of time.
You can even start with the post-Christmas sales. My mom was great at this. She
would buy Christmas gifts in June if she found something on sale she thought
someone would like. The problem is waiting the six months to give it to them
and not forgetting that you bought it! Even so, it does usually pay to shop
early and hunt down the deals.
Idea 6: If you have traditionally
purchased gifts for everyone in your family, suggest drawing names instead. We draw names for both my family and for
my husband’s. So although between the two of us we have ten siblings we only
buy four gifts. We do this with the kids too. Event though we have nine nieces
and nephews we only buy three gifts (because we have three kids). This not only
saves money, but also saves the extra shopping it would take to find gifts for
everyone.
Idea 7: Shop online, use sale
papers, and coupons--not just for gifts but also when preparing for
holiday meals. (See Idea #3) You might
be surprised at what companies are doing to bring you into their stores. Here
are a few websites my husband and I use for finding coupons or great deals:
q
www.slickdeals.net
q
www.dealdump.com
q
www.coupons.com
q
www.couponcabin.com
Idea 8: Decide ahead of time how much you want to spend for
Christmas. Write the total amount you want to spend at the top of a
piece of paper. Write a list of people you absolutely have to buy gifts for and write amounts to spend for
each person, making sure you don’t go over your total planned dollar amount
written at the top of the page. (Before the age of credit cards we used to call
this a “budget.”) Then write gift
ideas that are in the price range you have set next to each person. Shop only
from this list. Make a second list of people you’d like to buy gifts for. If you have any extra money from
your first list it can go toward these people. If there isn’t extra money try
Idea #2.
Idea 9: Give ornaments or books
or a package of “favorite things” for gifts. Ornaments are great and
can be inexpensive (especially if you bought the after-Christmas super
discounted ornaments). Books are a great gift and they can vary widely in price
and they can be personalized. Do you know someone interested in nutrition,
investing, or cooking? There are fun books on everything and they are very
affordable, especially if you buy used. Giving “favorite things” is giving a
few everyday items that you know that person likes and uses often. For example
a small basket or wrapped box with things like a person’s favorite candy, gum,
mint, beverage, post-it notes, etc. would be very fun and very thoughtful. And you know they will definitely use
it.
Idea 10: Make it a
Christ-centered holiday and not a gift-centered one. Try setting a
new tradition in your family by only giving one small gift (or a family gift,
like a game) and doing something special as a family throughout the month. You
could do things such as read through the Christmas story and focus on a
different aspect of the story (like tracking the trip Joseph and Mary took on a
map, studying the wise men and the land they were from, etc.), pack a care
package for a soldier, visit a nursing home, go caroling with family and
friends, or pop popcorn and rent a different Christmas movie each weekend in
December (invite friends to come over in their pajamas to make it even more
fun).
Although Christmas can leave us feeling like we never have
enough money for gifts, it’s a good time to think of all the things we have
that money can’t buy. I’m not a
little girl any more, and when I look at my life it makes me appreciate how
much God has blessed me. Then I realize
that it was the things my mother showed me—not
bought me—that were the best gifts of all.
Written by Toni McCarty, wife of Dan, mother of Marcus, Jack
and Julianna. She also is a certified public accountant.
START PLANNING FOR NEXT CHRISTMAS
NOW!!!!!
Any little bit of money you start to save now for next
Christmas will be helpful. When you pay cash for Christmas gifts, it will give
some tremendous gratification. A little discipline is what is necessary to get
the job done.
1. Determine how much money you
want to spend on Christmas. Create a budget that will help you
accomplish that goal. If possible have it automatically taken out of your
check. (See article by Toni McCarty on Taking Charge of Your Finances.)
2. Saving $12.50 a week until
Thanksgiving will give you $600 cash to spend. Six hundred dollars may
not seem like a lot to spend for some people, but it is to others. A little
cash is better than no cash.
3. Get an extra job. It may
be something you do once a month, once a week or more. An extra job will help
in other areas besides Christmas.
4. Taken advantage of after
Christmas sales. Many items can be purchased from 50-90% off. Purchase
wrapping paper, bows, non-perishable stocking stuffers, Christmas decorations
and cards. Buy winter clothing items as they go on sale in January and
February. For example, if you just had a baby or know someone who did, buy a 12
month outfit on sale now. For adults, purchase something basic or classic. Keep
these items in a plastic bin and a list of what has been purchased.
5. Look for sales during the year. Make
a list of people to buy gifts for and as you are shopping, look for sale items
that someone you know would like.
6. Every time you save money on
something or have extra money after spending, put it away. For example,
if you have a food budget and don’t spend all of it for the week, save the
extra money. When someone gives you money, tithe and put some of it in savings.
Keep a container for change and at the end of everyday put your change in it.
Additional Tips for Saving Money at Christmas
Send postcards rather than Christmas cards. The postage costs less.
Make your own wrapping paper
by doing a coloring project with your children. It will be fun and they
will have the joy of being a part and seeing someone open up the gift
with paper on it they made. Use packing paper used for moving. You can
also use tissue paper. Use a glue stick to put glue on the paper and
sprinkle it with glitter.
Cut up old Christmas cards for gift tags or make your own tags with leftover wrapping paper.
String popcorn and cranberries for garland.
Make homemade ornaments. (See these on our site!)
Don’t buy all of your ornaments at once, especially if you are newlyweds, allow yourself to accumulate ornaments
and decorations over the years. (The first year we were married someone
gave us an old artificial tree. We had to rig it up since the pole was
broken. We could not afford ornaments or lights. I strung popcorn and
cranberries for garland. I bought red yarn, put three strands together,
and tied them in a bow for ornaments. At a friend’s house I made one
homemade ornament. It was sweet, fun, and we made a memory.)
Buy an artificial tree and other decorations after Christmas.
Look for sales in newspapers and fliers for gifts and for food.
Stock up while things are on sale at the grocery store.
Make a list of who you have to buy presents for. Prioritize it.
Decide on a budget. How much will you spend all together? Determine how much you want to spend on each person on your list.
Make gifts. One year when my husband was not working we made plaques for our family with a note on the back. It was priceless.
Make coupons of things you will do for someone. You could even have your children do this for one another.