How To Have A Budget Christmas

As soon as Thanksgiving dinner gets cleared off the table, we all have Christmas on the mind. Some thoughts are good like "I wonder what Santa is going to bring me this year?" but for people like me, the main thought running through my head is "How am I going to afford gifts for EVERYONE this year?"

I have compiled a list of tips and ideas for you people who want to save money this Christmas!

If you start shopping right away for Christmas, you will have more time and more money for presents. If you buy a present every paycheck starting after the previous Christmas, you should have enough time and money to buy everyone the present you really want to get them.

Of course, adjust your plan as necessary. You may need to buy more than one present a paycheck or you can stand to skip paychecks. Whatever works best for you.

This isn't for everyone. For those people who are willing to camp out overnight in the rain and cold weather...go for it. It's a great way to get amazing deals. Even if you don't feel like camping out and dealing with huge crowds, most companies will have online Black Friday deals. I highly suggest at least checking out the online deals if you are afraid of getting trampled to death like me.

Homemade gifts are very heartfelt and can be very cheap. If you need ideas I would suggest checking out Pinterest. Just search "Homemade Christmas Gifts" and voila! Crafts and ideas for the crafty people! If you want to have separate presents from the kids, salt dough ornaments can be very personal and very cheap.

Baked goods are a great gift for people who you just don't know what to get for them. You can get cheap Christmas tins from the Dollar Store and then mass produce cookies! You can even turn your kitchen into a sweatshop and hire your children to do most of the work for you. Most people will like the fact that the children made them! Have your children help decorate and make it a family affair! All the help you can get during Christmas, right?

Setting a budget is a great way to ensure that you have money for everyone. My boyfriend has a pretty big family. So, I made a list of everyone in his family and set a budget (which I am not going to say because I'm sure some of them will read this). I allowed myself to go under but NEVER over. No matter how much I wanted to get the item for them, I managed good self control (which is difficult for me). Afterwards, I could even afford to get a couple more people presents. It worked out great and I ended up getting something for everyone.

If you have someone you want to get a gift for and you won't see them until after Christmas, don't buy their gift until after Christmas. Most stores have after Christmas sales! Take advantage of them! Not only will you save a ton of money, but you won't feel unneeded stress when you are Christmas shopping for everyone else (and let's face it...Christmas shopping is probably one of the most stressful things out there!).

It is okay to re-gift. Well okay, if you really are not going to use it and there is no chance of returning it, yes re-gift it. If it's been heavily used and has apparent ware and tare, please do NOT re-gift it. Just be sure you do not give it to the person who originally gave you the gift. That might not end so well.

I hope you enjoyed these tips and they can help you with your Christmas shopping endevours. Did I miss anything? Add it to the comments below and share with the HubPages world what else you can do to save money!