Happy Friday! Today’s Blogmas post is a guest post written by one of my best friends, Chrystal Paull. Chrystal has written two other guest posts- Christmas Toddler Activities and Is Thrive Market Worth It? Make sure you go check them out! For today, she’s sharing tips to help you save money this Christmas.
Tis the season for spending money. The gifts, the party food, the electric bills…there are so many expenses that can get out of hand really quick, but we don’t have to over do it. Christmas can still happen on a budget.
Recently, my family and I moved into our first home. The last thing we need is to spend a fortune on Christmas. I came up with a few ways to help me save on Christmas this year and I thought they would help you too.
What Not To Buy
Family Photo Christmas Cards
I’m not saying you skip taking your yearly family photo. I’m saying skip the expensive photo cards you send out to everyone and opt for an e-card. Those family photo cards are cute and people like them, but they are likely to end up in the trash or stuffed into a card box by January first. So, skip spending the $40+, send the cute family photo in an e-mail or private chat group, and help the environment at the same time.
Family Christmas Pajamas
Matching PJs on Christmas are a staple for many families, but this is an easy expense to cut from your budget. Yes, you can score some good deals on holiday themed sleepware, but will they last another Christmas or two? Last year, I bought a set for myself, husband, and toddler from Amazon. I scored a deal and got the sets for around $20 each. The sets happened to be terrible quality and didn’t last. The $60 basically went down the drain for a couple of cute family photos. This made me question buying a new set of Christmas PJs every year, especially for my toddler. There was no way he was going to fit in the 24 month set from last year. He’s almost three now. I would rather spend the money on buying similar color pajamas that are half the cost and will last for at least the rest of the winter for my son and a few seasons for my husband and me.
New Christmas Decor
I don’t know about you, but whenever the new Christmas decorations get put on store shelves I feel this gravitational pull to buy new things. I literally have to pull myself away from the holiday decor section because I know I have enough already. Most of the decorations I have accumulated over the last few years came from Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and Walmart. You would think these items wouldn’t last, but they have! From cheap trees to ornaments and garland, I have everything I need to make the house look festive and not spend money on anything new, even if the gnome trend is super cute at the moment.
The Spending Plan
Set a budget
I could have mentioned this first, but this seems like a no brainer. Setting a budget will keep you from overspending. Determining how much to spend will be different for each of us. Think about who you want to buy gifts for and set a dollar amount for each person. For me, I’ve decided to only buy gifts for our immediate family and spend no more than $40 on each person.
Use the Four Gift Rule
This rule is a money saving game-changer. It is so easy to look at the deals on toys and think our kids need everything, but they really don’t. The Four Gift Rule is about limiting the number of gifts for our kids to only four. The rule is simple: only buy one item that is something they want, need, wear, and read. Sticking to this rule will limit how much you buy saving you tons of money and can teach our kids that they can’t get everything they want.
Don’t forget sweets
The cheapest gift you can give is sweets: cookies, brownies, candies. You can buy them or make them yourself, which I recommend if you want to save money. It will mean spending a few hours in the kitchen, but if you have little ones get them involved in decorating cookies. It’s an easy activity and can become a sweet family tradition you can do every year.
Don’t Forget About The Electric Bill
It’s the surprise you don’t want to see come January: an outrageous electric bill. Here are some ways you can help ease the expense of all those holiday decorations and baking:
- Lower the thermostat when you’re having a party. You’re probably cooking and with several people coming inside, it can get hot, so turn it down.
- Turn lamps off when the tree is lit.
- Use LED lights. LED Christmas lights use 90 percent less electricity than regular Christmas lights. I checked Walmart and there is a set of 100 lights for about $6.
- Put holiday lights on a timer. I’ve read a few articles that say to keep Christmas lights on for less than six hours a day to help cut down cost.
- Let the sun come in and warm things up (don’t forget your sunscreen). Open the curtains or shades and let the sun warm up the house during the day.
- Bake several dishes at once.
- Winterize your home to cut down on heating costs. Find and seal leaks. You can use caulk or weather-strip on draft doors and windows. You’ll want to be sure to seal air leaks around pipes, chimneys, outlets and unfinished spaces as well.
- Don’t let energy vampires ruin your bill. If you’re going away more than a few days over the holiday, unplug appliances and other devices before you leave. That’s the microwave, coffee pot, TVs, and so on.
Free Events Are Your Friend
My last piece of money saving advice is to not forget about all the free holiday activities or events happeneing in your area. I’m talking tree lightings, town parades, festivals, or even driving through well lit neighborhoods to admire all their beautiful Christmas lights together as a family. You could do those drive-thru light displays, but I’ve found prices have gone up over the years and you’ll be spending between $20-$40 just for a few minutes of lights.
These tips have already saved me tons of money compared to previous years and I hope that they help you spend less as well. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Written by Chrystal Paull for The Nutmeg Diaries
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