Saving Money for the Christmas Holidays

We try really hard to make Christmas special every year. This year is no exception. The only problem is most don't have a lot of extra money laying around; Some don't even have a job this year. I took some time and came up with twenty ways you can save a little money this year while still have a fantastic and memerable Holiday Season. Take a Look at the Following:

Do You Really Need One That Big?

I have found that most people buy trees that are just too large for their home. When you go to the Tree Farm, Take a look around. When you think you have the perfect size tree for your home, change gears and look at a tree that is one step smaller. It should save you $15-20.

And Add to it All Year Long

Create a separate savings account at your bank in October or early November. Transfer money to it every week. You will earn interest on the amount you deposit. It will also get the money out of your regular account and help you save for Christmas presents.

Most people turn on their Christmas lights then forget to turn them off. This means they burn all night. If you have a timer that turns them on at 7 and off at 10pm, you will only have your lights on for three hours a day and will save money in the long run.

Turn off the Central Heating when everyone is in the living room. (If you turn off the heat, the teenagers who are in their rooms will start to get cold and move to the living room.) The space heater will keep everyone warm till bed time. Then turn on the central heat when it is time to go to bed.

Wrapping paper is so expensive. You can usually get it cheap after Christmas. Buy it then and save it for next year.

Take advantage of the free turkey offers at your local supermarket. Most supermarkets give away turkeys or hams when you collect points. Usually you collect these points by spending $35+ seven or eight times over the course of 8 weeks.

Limit what your going to buy for each person before you start your shopping. If you can plan what your are going to spend on everyone, you can figure out how you are going to make the money for the season.

We usually add something new every year to our decorations. That costs money. If you can hold off buying anything new this year, you will have more money to spend on your family. If you can wait till the week of Christmas or the week after Christmas, you will find, most of the decorations will be on sale. If you have to buy them, buy them on sale.

You be in charge of cooking the Meat dish. Ask all of your guests to bring a covered dish. Make sure you know who is bringing what. You will want to know what might be missing. It would be bad to have Ham and a bunch of cookies for Christmas Dinner.

When your family is hanging out together, wear jackets or give everyone a blanket to get under instead of turning up the heat.

Spend Time reading to your family. There are so many stories you could read. Some of them can take the whole month of December to read (a little each night). Others are just right for that Christmas Eve get together.

Cook a lot this season. Don’t get take out. The more you cook at home, the less you will spend on food. Plus when you use the stove, you can leave the door cracked after the food has been cooked and let the heat into the house. This will let you tower the temp on your thermostat.

I know some of your family will not like this idea, but traveling long distances to be with extended family can be expensive. Spend time with them on Skype or call them on the phone and use your intercom option on your phone to make sure they are still part of your Christmas Day.

Start buying Christmas Presents before the Christmas season. Know what your family enjoys. Buy them the little stuff throughout the year. You will find the best deals during the Christmas season, but sometimes you can find clearance at the end of summer or the first of spring that will be better than any other time throughout the year. Buy it when you can get it really cheap.

If you can spend the cash on it, you won’t have the finance charges later on down the road. If you charge it and let it roll over, you can get yourself into debt that can take months, even years to pay off. If that is the case, you will end up paying 2-4 times the original amount for the items.

Get plenty of exercise. Eat good food. Christmas is a great time to eat a lot of junk. Be mindful of what you are eating. You can gain from a few pounds to a few dozen pounds during the holiday season. If you are not careful, you could find yourself with an immune system that is more interested in fighting your obesity than it is in fighting disease. With the cold weather, that is not a good thing. The less you have to go to the Doctor or spend money on over the counter medicines, the better.

People stress themselves out during the holiday season. That is not what it is supposed to be like. Enjoy your season. If you can limit stress, you will be less likely to get sick. You will be happier. You will save money because you won’t make as many mistakes stress tends to bring about.

String some popcorn. Decorate some pinecones. Find fun ways to decorate your home that will not cost you much, if any money.

Look up the FREE church Activities in your community. There are thousands of pageants and other entertainment in churches all over the US. All you have to do is find them. Check your local newspaper. Watch the local TV networks. Most of your large churches will run advertising about their programs. The smaller churches will post signs on the side of the roads to let you know what is happening. These activities are cheaper than going to some of the city or state projects.

Share movies and music with friends and family. Borrow Christmas movies from your friends and family. They will be glad to lend them to you, especially if you have something they want to watch. This will be better than going to a video store. You won’t have any late charges. If you have to go to a video store, go to the red box at your local Walmart or Grocery store.

No one knows what your traditions are for Christmas better than you do. If you can write down what costs you money every year for the Holidays, you will be able to look at those things and change them for this year. Come up with new and inventive ways to save money on each tradition.