Things You'll Need:
- Journal
- Craft items
- Favorite holiday recipe
- Ingredients
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Step 1
Set your holiday budget and stick to it. Whether you’re on a tight budget day-to-day or the holidays just came by a financial surprise this year, everyone should keep track of the holiday budget and where the money is going. Before buying anything green or red, sit down and crunch the numbers. Figure out how much you can spend on the overall holiday season. Keep a journal or spreadsheet and write down every purchase you make and your remaining balance. Make sure you have boundaries on what is included in the “holiday budget.” Does this include decorations, ingredients for dishes, presents and a Christmas tree? Is there anything else that can be considered “holiday-related”?
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Step 2
You can keep the holidays financially simple by getting creative and making your own decorations. Inexpensive glass candle holders can be painted with a Santa scene or red and green holly. You can collect pinecones and hang them with wire or display them in a glass bowl. Ornaments for the tree can be made with string and colored card stock. Get the kids involved by having them finger-paint holiday scenes on construction paper to hang on the walls.
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Step 3
Organize a potluck dinner with your friends instead of gift-giving. Make it clear on the invitation that each person is to bring a dish for everyone and there are no presents allowed. Then you will only have to fork over the money to make one dish and not to buy presents for each of your friends.
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Step 4
Make it a crafty Christmas with your family. Get your family in on the fun by making everyone design a craft for each family member. Place a $10 materials limit on the gift. Some craft ideas for your family include ornaments for the tree, cookie mix in a decorated jar, homemade cocoa mix, crafted Christmas cards and sewn Christmas stockings.
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Step 5
Set a money limit with your loved ones. Discuss your budget with those you would like to buy a gift for. Set a realistic limit that still allows you all to get an adequate gift but not go overboard. Stick to this limit and have your friends or family make sure the everyone sticks to the limit, too.
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Step 6
Bake only one dish or one batch of cookies for your own home. Many families spend a lot of their holiday budget on all the specialty holiday dishes that have become traditions in their homes. It is often too much food for one family, and it gets given or thrown away. This year, choose one recipe that you want your family to remember, and make only that dish.
