Looking for the best ways to save money on Christmas?
I’ve been there! I’m sharing my best ways to save money on Christmas from experience.
Growing up, we didn’t have a lot of money. My parents worked hard to make sure we had a nice Christmas. My grandparents had 20 grand kids and 6 kids but still managed to give everyone a gift.
So, you can see my experience with saving money on Christmas gifts. Of course, I was just a kid but paid close attention to this skill of saving money. Now, I can help you to do the same if your wallet feels tight.
In this post, I’ll share:
- 10 ways to save money on Christmas gifts and festivities.
- Tips and tricks for making the holidays memorable while spending very little money
- Ideas for where to purchase cheap but meaningful gifts
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1. Draw Names
Growing up in a family with many cousins, this is what we did. We drew names.
How it worked was that someone would write all of our names on lined sheet of paper. They would then cut paper into strips with our names on them and throw them into a hat.
Then, we would draw a slip of paper out of the hat. That was who we would buy for. It worked out pretty well and we loved seeing what everyone got.
This works well for large families to make sure everyone gets a little something.
2. Gift Cards
I’m truly not a fan of gift cards but many people are. So, here ya go.
Yes, you can find gift cards for pretty much any place or business. You can go to the business or find chain gift cards at places like Wal Mart or Target.
So, this works great for that hard to buy for person just as long as they are okay with gift cards.
3. Scratch Tickets
These are super fun to play and only a dollar at most convenience stores.
Get a scratcher pen here to help you see if you won.
4. Canned Items
Jams, jellies, salsa, and more.
If you’re a canner like me, you might have canned some favorite recipes to be given as gifts. Actually gifts in a jar are great! I have a few more ideas to share.
With these gifts, you have the expense of your jar and ingredients. Luckily, a batch can make several jars of item so your expense comes to very little. Let’s talk about some more gifts in a jar.
5. Gifts in a jar
So, you can put ingredients for all sorts of good stuff in a jar and give as gifts. These include:
– Cookie Mix
– Soup Mix
– Cake Mix
– Brownie Mix
– Seasoning
– Dried Vegetables or Fruit
And these are just examples. I have to tell you about my little book with labels you can get from my shop. It’s for 11 different cookie mixes.
You can get the cookie mix recipe book here
Get the Labels for the jars here
6. Baked Goodies
If you’re already baking something, you can give some away as gifts.
Growing up, my mom and I would make Christmas Tea Rings or Cookie Plates to give as gifts. These created many good memories for us and now I enjoy doing the same for my daughters’ teachers.
Here’s a recipe tutorial for our family Tea Ring Recipe
7. Other Homemade Items
Use your skill and talent to make other things to give. These include but not limited to:
– Soaps/lotions
– T-Shirts
– Craft Items
– Crocheted or sewn items
Use your imagination on this one. What can you make to give for very little money?
8. Limit Dollar Amounts
Use your budget and limit your dollar amount.
For example, my daughter’s preschool has a $5 limit on gifts. It’s difficult to find $5 items in the stores these days but the ideas I have listed above could be possibilities.
So, make a plan for what holiday gift exchanges you will be a part of and budget for what you can do. Don’t be afraid to speak up and set your own limits.
9. Age Limits
Another thing you can do is put an age limit on who gets gifts.
Our 4-H club has two different age brackets for who to buy a gift for. The 7-12 year olds are in one bracket and 13-18 year olds are in another. No one else can give or receive a gift.
In your family, you might try doing something like this. I know when I was 18, I would have minded not getting any gifts. My parents taught me that Christmas was about so much more than gifts.
10. Don’t worry about the gifts
And here’s my biggest lesson of all. Christmas is not all about gift giving.
As a Christian, I believe that we received the best and most important gift on the first Christmas. Jesus Christ was born and he later died to save us from our sins.
Although gift giving is nice and all, the important thing is getting together and enjoying memories. It’s should be about money and gifts.
So, I’m giving you permission to simply enjoy Christmas with the people you love. Give simple gifts that don’t cost much or skip out on the gift giving all together.
Doing Christmas for Cheap is Incredibly Possible
I’ve given you lots of examples of ways that I have been a part of saving money on Christmas. And also, what Christmas is really about.
Christmas has became so commercialized, hasn’t it? Let’s remember what Christmas is really about this year. Enjoy your family and friends and have a Merry Christmas that won’t make you feel guilty later.