The holidays can be a stressful time of year for all of us! We’re decorating every room of our homes, planning Christmas dinner, visiting family members, coming up with festive activities, finding all those perfect gifts, and watching our favorite Christmas movies. Not to mention, everything you already have to undertake in your daily life. It can be a lot to handle! Unfortunately, a lot of that falls to us mamas. And, we hold ourselves to the highest standard. Often putting too much pressure on ourselves to make everything magical. Then, when it’s over, we have to clean everything up. So, we settle back into our routines… And start recouping some of those savings that we blew through in December. Yes, even I know how hard it is to save money during the holidays!
If you’re anything like me, breaking out the budget and setting goals for your savings after the holidays is both exciting and, well, disappointing! I love creating and planning our financial goals for the next year. But, I’m always a little embarassed with how much I get carried away during the month of December. It can be so easy to overspend on gifts and trying to make everything magical! With that being said, this year I have promised myself – and my hubby – that I would not blow our budget over the holidays. That way, we can make our transition into next year’s budget much easier! So, I’ve come up with a list of ideas you can implement as well. Hopefully, to help you not overspend this month as we make new memories with our families.
How To Save Money During The Holidays
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Cut Back On The Presents
I know it’s hard to not buy tons of gifts. You only want to spoil your children during the holidays! Which isn’t a bad thing. You may also find yourself picking up things here and there that you’ve found for loved ones. Truth be told, it really is the sentiment that people enjoy. Yes, even your children! I’ve noticed that making something simple and from the heart with the kids is a much more meaningful gift than gift cards. The small children are usually just as happy playing with the wrapping paper than they are the toys. And, let’s face it, the teenagers just want cash. You get bonus points if you send it through Venmo or Cashapp.
Cut Out Gifts To Save Money During The Holidays
You could also consider an extreme version of cutting back on the gift giving. And that’s by skipping gifts altogether! In exchange, you could use the money you’ve been saving for the holiday season to have a family adventure! Like a fun vacation or an outing to do something you’ve always wanted to try. The point of this season is to spend time with your loved ones. As well as making new memories you can cherish for years to come. So, why not take Granny white water rafting or force your uncle to go sky diving? Kidding, sort of. But, a vacation in the mountains for the weekend could be a great way to get the family together. While also enjoying some fun activities! You could snowboard, ice skate, build snowmen, light a fire, make s’mores, the list is endless!
Spend Less On Decorations
One of the next major areas of Christmas that we moms tend to overspend on are the decorations. I know when you see all those perfect insta-moms posting their brand new holiday decor that it can make you feel inadequate. Trust me, I get the same feelings. But, reusing your decor from last year can still be just as pretty! You can also find some really cute decor hacks on Pinterest to really revamp your older decorations that are a bit outdated. Another great option if you find that you absolutely need to buy more decorations is to try the dollar stores. Or, try shopping only when there’s a sale or you have a coupon to save money.
Skips The Sales
I know, I know. I literally just told you to hit that sale up for new decorations. But, that’s only if you’re already determined to go buy new decorations. Get it? What I’m saying is this: Don’t go to a sale just because you got an e-mail from Michael’s telling you there’s a discount on half the store. If you weren’t already planning to go to a certain store and buy something specific, then there is no need to go check that sale out! It will only result in you spending way too much money on stuff you truly don’t need. Not to mention, you will probably regret it later.
Find Budget-Friendly Activities
I know you want your kids to have a magical Christmas. Trust me, we all want our children to have a better childhood than we did. Unfortunately, this typically starts with us overdoing things on the holidays. It’s our way of easing our guilt for not being perfect the rest of the year. And I am NOT here to tell you how to raise your kids. You do whatever works for you, Mama! But, most children are not going to care if you took them to that super expensive holiday event. Your children will be just as thrilled to hop in Dad’s truck and go ride around neighborhoods looking at the beautiful lights! In fact, they’d love to push the couches out of the way and make a giant pallet on the floor of the living room. So y’all can have a Christmas themed family movie night!
There are seriously so many inexpensive ways to have an amazing holiday season with your family. I promise, you do not have to spend an arm and a leg to have a magical Christmas. Your children won’t notice you didn’t spend hundreds of dollars this season. They’ll be thrilled as long you are all spending time together. And your wallet will seriously thank you come January!
Let me know if you have any other great advice to help us mamas save money during the holidays!
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