subject: 5 Tips For Staying Under Your Budget At Christmas [print this page] Even if you don't have a lot of money, you can still have a wonderful Christmas if you plan properly. There are many ways you can have a great experience while staying under your budget. Here are 5 simple ways:
1.Make a Christmas Budget:
First things first, if you do not have a budget there is no way you will be able to stay under it. So you need to make your Christmas budget now. Make a list of all the people you would normally get gifts for and then take some time to look at your family budget to see how much you can spend for the holidays. You need to figure out how much money you will spend on each person. If you find that your budget is very tight, you need to start crossing people out of that list.
2.Always Pay With Cash:
If you have a tendency to overspend when it comes to gift shopping then take your Christmas budget in cash. If you intend to go online shopping then use a prepaid credit card. This will help you control your spending habits and also help you avoid getting into credit card debt.
3.Make Your Own Gifts:
Not all great gifts come from stores. You can give homemade delights like jams, jellies, candies, cakes, or fruit baskets as gifts. Knitting scarves, sewing lovely pouches and purses are great gift ideas. You can also give a gift of your time especially to people with young kids. You can offer to babysit their kids for a night or two. You can also consider giving gifts that the whole family can enjoy, instead of buying a gift for every member of a family.
You can consider giving chore coupons that you can make yourself. You can make a coupon for washing your brother's car or doing the dishes in your home for a week. These won't cost you any money at all and will be appreciated by your family.
4.Shop Smart:
Shopping smart means you should make use of discount coupons, and scouting for sales or deals. If you shop online there are sites dedicated to listing discount coupons for online shops. You can also take advantage of buying stuff in bulk so you can get a better discount and then give these items as gifts to more than one person. For example, you can buy coffee mugs and then get yourself a glitter pen to personalize each mug with a recipient's name. This is a great way to save money on gifts.
5.Be Honest:
There are so many families that may not be able to celebrate Christmas this year because they may have lost their homes or jobs. Christmas is not about giving expensive gifts and impressing people. If you are truly unable to afford buying gifts then say so. People who care about you would never want you to go into debt or miss meals just so you can give gifts. Be honest about your situation and tell your family and friends that you are having a tight situation. They will understand.
