Best Ways to Not Break the Bank at Christmas

13.12.2021

There are many ways to save money for Christmas, such as buying second-hand and setting a spending limit, but the best way to get started is to make a budget and stick to it. Keep reading for more tips.

Create a budget

Starting to save a couple of months before Christmas is probably going to be your best bet.

Writing a list of who you need to buy for, how much you can spend, and how much you want to spend will be helpful.

Ask yourself honestly how much you can spare and if you need to buy costly gifts for loved ones. They likely wouldn’t want you to go broke to buy them Christmas gifts.

Buy your gifts second-hand

Buying from second-hand shops can save you a lot of money. Often, they sell gently used items for a deep discount, and you can polish it up! Jewelry or accessories for your niece or younger siblings, toys for the little ones, and knick-knacks for your office mates.

Setting a spending limit

If your friends and family are aware of your money issues and want to help, you might like to talk with them about exchanging gifts that don’t exceed ten or 20 dollars.

It can be a creative way to think about gift-giving. You are thinking about what someone would like and how you can get what they want for a small amount of money. It can be a fun way to celebrate the holiday.

Give homemade gifts

You could get your creative juices flowing and make all your gifts.

If there’s something that you like to do, such as paint, knit, or sew, you might want to consider making some or even all your gifts by hand.

It depends on how time-consuming your creative gifts are – you may not be able to make them all. However, this would be a lovely way to show your friends and family how much they mean to you.

Sell some of your unneeded belongings

If you have items around the house that are lying around not being used, consider selling them for a little extra spending money. You could sell them on eBay or go to a consignment shop. It is surprising how much you can get for gently used clothes still in fashion.

Cook something

Are you a great baker? Bake cookies! You don’t even need to be good at baking to bake some cookies, buy some premade dough and decorate them for your gift recipient. If you use cookie cutters in a shape that means something to the person you’re giving the cookies to, it will make them extra special. They’ll love it!

How about baking a loaf of bread? Give it with or without some homemade jam, and I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t like to get that for a gift.

If baking is not something you feel confident about and you’re more of a cook, give your friend or family member a “ticket” for a dinner that you’ll make in the future when they’d like. Then, cook them their favorite meal, and they’ll be eternally grateful!

Pictures

Do you have a knack for photography? Do you have a picture of you and a loved one that is extra special? Consider putting one of your pictures in a nice frame and giving it to a friend or family member, and I’m sure they’ll love it.

An idea for pictures is a posed picture of your family or your pet. This one is good for other family members but not necessarily for coworkers.

A picture of a special place that’s picturesque that you may have visited with someone is a great idea. It will bring back happy memories every time they look at it.

Secret Santa

If you want to buy fewer gifts, consider drawing names, and then you must buy one! Doing this is a great way to save money, and it’s especially popular in the workplace. It still feels festive, but you don’t feel obligated to buy something for everyone. Also, no one gets left out if everyone must buy for someone.

Seasonal job

You may consider getting a part-time job if you have the time and energy.

Not only can you make a little extra money that you can use to buy Christmas presents, but you may also make enough to come out a little ahead.

If you can get a job at a place where you do some of your Christmas shopping, you might be able to use an employee discount and save some money too.

Homemade spa gifts

If you’re looking for more homemade gift ideas, consider a spa theme and make your care products.

There are many recipes online for making your lip balm, bath bombs, scrubs, or bath salts. If you have a basket to put them all in with a headband and a couple of store-bought or homemade masks, you have a great gift to hand out.

Email Christmas cards

Rather than buying a lot of Christmas cards to give out that you know will be thrown in the trash right after Christmas is over, consider looking into making emails for everyone on your list. It’s a great way to save money.

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