Christmas can really put you (and your wallet) in a bind if you aren’t prepared. For big families by the time you come up with food, gifts, and decorations for all the Christmas parties you have to attend it can be overwhelming and downright expensive! Luckily I have some tips to help keeps costs low and merriment high!
1. Make gift giving more FUN! Play white elephant/dirty Santa/whatever you call it! Along with it having multiple names there are a couple variations on how it’s played as well! Essentially in this game everyone will bring a gift, the gifts are placed in a pile, and each person draws a number. Number one gets to pick a present, opens, and shares what it is with the group. Number two can now open a new present or steal the present from number one, and so on. Rather than buying multiple gifts for people, this enables gifters to bring one item and receive one item! Less clutter to take home and a happier wallet for everyone!
2. For kids (actually adults draw names too) in my husband’s large family we draw names. Rather than having to buy six gifts, my boys each draw names. Someone gets my kids one gift a piece and I get to buy two gifts in exchange! This means who we draw is getting more quality gifts but I’m still not spending a fortune.
3. Skip the formal meal. Finger foods are always a crowd pleaser. Invite your family to skip on the traditional dishes and bring hors d’ourves or appetizers to your get together this Christmas. There’s always so much eating around the holidays, it’s okay to not have a feast at every party!
4. Forget the gifts altogether! For my mother’s family we do not exchange gifts at all! We each bring a dish and have a nice meal, last year we had brunch together. I enjoyed the simplicity of it, and because it was in the morning we weren’t rushing to get to anyone else’s houses and just able to enjoy.
5. While this may not help this year, in future years check the clearance aisles frequently! There are always spectacular deals on toys, games, and household items. Shopping year round for presents keeps from causing such a shock to finances all at one time. It also allows more bang for your buck, often items are clearanced due to overstock!
The shopping season is just getting underway, and now is the ideal time to plan with your family and friends. There are plenty of ways to have a holly jolly Christmas while being a penny pincher like Scrooge- just get creative!
