Christmas on a Budget

For the first time in years I attended Relief Society Enrichment or FHPE or FPHE or PHEF or whatever it's being called these days. Anyway, the theme centered around keeping Christ in Christmas and doing Christmas on a budget. I was one of 3 speakers asked to talk about budget-friendly Christmas ideas. I started my research on http://www.lds.org/ and found a wonderful article about cutting back on the financial aspects of the holidays.
'Tis the Season to be Thrifty was a fantastic article! To read in its entirety, click on the super-big link below:
http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsphideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=369d66ce3a47b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

The author talked about several ideas that would accomplish the task of creating a memorable Christmas without going into debt. Here's her list that I'd like to expound on a little bit:

1. Adjust your expectations

In reading about adjusting expectations and reevalutating the reason for gift giving rather than get caught up in the stress of shopping, I was reminded of holiday phrase that I hate the most. "I have to buy for ___". I hate hearing that! It takes the giving out of gift giving. I think if more of us replaced the phrase, "have to buy for" with "I want to give to" we would not only be in the right frame of mind during the holidays but cut back on our budget quite a bit. When you "want to give" a gift vs. "have to buy" a gift the holiday gift-giving takes on a whole new meaning.

2. Plan your spending

There really is more to this than making your list, checking it twice and sticking to a pre-set amount of money. Christmas can be part of your monthly budget the entire year either by putting aside this money into a savings account just for the holidays or buying gifts for Christmas on a monthly basis. I remember my mom purchasing savings bonds while she worked at IRS during the tax season. By December, she'd cash in the bonds and use those for Christmas. Since the bonds over 6 months old had earned a little bit of interest in addition to the purchase value it was like putting money into a savings account and not being able to touch it for 6 months. My grandmother would keep all the freebies she'd get throughout the year when she bought something that came with a free gift. At Christmas time, she'd decide what she wanted to give to each person on her list. She never just wrapped something and gave it with no thought. She always thought about who would like which gift and really put thought into it.

3. Look for sales

This one seems like a no-brainer but the author suggests doing Christmas shopping throughout the year by taking advantage of sales. Personally, this is something that I haven't tried. People's interests change and people like my dad just go out and buy the stuff they want or need. But, I'm sure if I put some thought into what things my family members might need regardless of the time of year, I might be able to take advantage of sales in, say, July rather than get caught in the Christmas shopping mess at WalMart. Everyone needs toilet paper and no one likes to go buy it so maybe the next time I see the good stuff on sale, I'll stock up for myself and put some 24-packs away for Christmas gifts. Ok, that's just an idea and personally, I like getting stuff I can use like toilet paper. But if that's not your thing, then you can think of something else. I'm sure you get what I mean, though.

4. Give of yourself

This one also seems like a no-brainer, but the author says there's nothing more frustrating than trying to finish a handmade gift at the last minute. I would have to agree. Unless it's something that you've worked on well in advance, a new afghan for Christmas might create more stress than joy. Giving of yourself doesn't have to mean making an elaborate project. On another website I found ideas for gifts that involved making several freezer meals for a single or older single person. That's a great idea for giving of yourself.

5. Ask for the Lord's help

I never would have thought of this one. An example cited in the article involved a family who had a small Christmas budget due to unexpected expenses. The family prayed that they would find gifts that would be useful as well as fun for their children. They were able to find that their money went farther than they thought it would. It makes sense to do this since all things are spiritual to the Lord. A friend of mine said that her mother would do that before they went shopping (not just for Christmas) they always found what they needed.

6. Don't give up

The author reminds us that changing habits takes time and to keep trying. I personally can't remember ever going into debt for Christmas, but I have spent more money than I should have and ended up rolling pennies for gas. So, I will make a couple of small goals this Christmas and stick to them and keep trying for next year.


The challenge I gave to myself and the challenge I give to you is to "adjust your expectations" by replacing "have to buy for" with "want to give to" and to pray for guidance in selecting gifts that your loved ones need and will most enjoy.


**stay tuned over the next week for more ideas on keeping your holiday budget-friendly with gift, decorating and entertaining ideas.