How to have Christmas on a Budget in 2021. 5 Tips to save you money during the holiday season.
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I know it’s only October, but let’s talk about how to have Christmas on a budget in 2021. The holiday season can have the potential to ruin our budget, sending us …
I like to look at posted charity wish lists and support one.
Good Morning, Claire. Great tips (and non-tips)! Other items I would like to add (to budget for) are tips to service providers (e.g., to your hairdresser, newspaper carrier, etc.), charities (e.g., our Church has an "angel tree" to give gifts to the needy), "Secret Santas") (at the workplace), special outings (like going to see The Nutcracker or another holiday outing), and postage (if you send Christmas cards). So many things! No wonder we're all stressed out. 😞
Great video and thanks for recommending small business shopping. 💙
Many years ago, my husband was out of work and I stayed home with 3 kids. We had 5 dollars per kid. I bought second hand books, made doll clothes, bought
2 Star Wars action figures, and everything was wrapped in brown paper from grocery bags turned inside out. The kids made decorations out of paper and
paper mache. We had enough for the food charity, Toys for Tots, and exchanged goodies with the neighbors. I have been known to tear ripped clothes apart
to make ribbon. My son remembered my repairs to Darth Vader's cape just the other day. Tina
You look beautiful in red. Thank you, this was a great video. Lots of love. ⚘
instead of buying gifts for some older family members we agreed to donate to charity because there wasnt much they wanted
We stopped buying for the wider family about 20 years ago. It was a big relief for everyone! These days I only have five people to buy for and we have strict spending limits for everyone so it's no longer expensive or stressful. X
Absolutely brilliant advise Claire….and I loved how you thought of everything from buying the Christmas tree, to having more lights on in December right down to the Christmas table.! Very well thought out so thank you very much.
Another good video Claire. I now mostly buy for my sister’s kids and I think I’ve bought everything for them at this point. Leaves my December free to make cookies and other fun baking treats. I still exchange gifts with my sister (I also have two brothers) because she loves gifting.
I have been trying to persuade my hubby to not send card's at Christmas as the postage is so high, stamps have really gone up. All my cards have to go to England and cost $2.75 a card.
I love your video Claire! One of the best ways to be frugal is to plan ahead! Great tips <3 I subbed!
Thanks claire and ladies great collab. Grest time to start thinking about christmas
I have decided to cut my Christmas card list drastically this year, the cards are expensive enough but the postage is even worse!
About non-traditional Christmases . A friend of mine lives alone and I invited her to join our somewhat chaotic Christmas in my small house – complete with grandparents, too much wrapping paper, excitable children, even more excitable dog, Christmas music, family walk after lunch et al. She declined. After several years if offering, thinking I might be embarrassing her, I asked her to tell me why. She said that she preferred a day of quiet reflection, with a small roast dinner, religious music and phone calls from distant family and friends. Although not a Christian she said she liked to reflect on the message of Christmas, that if we work at it we can all be saved, and to sit and count her blessings. After that, once I had got the turkey in I used to go for a little potter in the garden and have a few quiet moments of gratitude each Christmas and, instead of a couple of treats, gave money to homeless charities.
Hi Claire, I am a new subscriber and really appreciate all the tips you gave (especially not comparing our family celebration to the ones on TV/social media). Thanks again. Nancy from Northern California
Buying a few items each week is a stellar idea ! Great tip !
I don’t have kids of my own.So sometime around the first week in December I offer a couple of of friends who are solo parenting to watch their kids for an afternoon. That way they can go and get some Christmas Santa shopping done. I check with the parent first to make sure it’s OK. If it is, I take ingredients for the kids and I to make several batches Christmas cookies. When mom or dad is due back we make some hot chocolate so we all can sit down and enjoy it while taste test some of the cookies we baked.
And I go home with a plate full of Christmas cookies.
Fun and practical ideas. Thank you 🎄
Christmas to me is all about making memories with family, when my children were little we used to go to my aunt's on boxing day for tea, she was a widow and had no children so my 4 used to lift her roof of for her🤣 but it was the memories that even my children remember, all sitting round the table on mismatched chairs, her best china out, including the cut glass, me praying the kids didn't break anything, the party hats, the dancing to 80's music and looking up realising the curtains were open and her neighbours could see in, now it's my turn to entertain the grandchildren and make our memories, love your tips, especially number 2.
When my children were growing up and I was hosting big family Christmases, I started planning for it months in advance. Starting in October I would start buying the non perishable things, collecting them bits at a time. I polled my family and we all agreed that we only really liked turkey breast, this was wonderful because I didn't have to deal with a big turkey. I would roast 2 of them, one for Christmas dinner and the other for sandwiches later. A few days before our out of town family arrived to stay with us, I would cook and freeze what ever I could. This made Christmas dinner SO much easier. Through out the year I would save up my credit card points for gifts. In 2009 my husband passed away, in 2016 my Dad passed, in 2018 my Mom passed. I rarely do Christmas dinner like I used to anymore. Now we go out for Christmas dinner with family. I do host a small holiday party on Christmas Eve. This has been really fun, because I get to do everything I want to do on a smaller scale. My 2 children are grown, so gifts are just a few each, usually gift cards for my daughter and some electronic thing for my son. The Christmas season has been greatly scaled down over the last few years, and the recent years still have everything we love, but I wouldn't trade the huge Christmases we used to have for anything. The memories of those years are precious. Thanks for sharing. I've been really enjoying your videos, as a new subscriber 🥰🎃🍃🍂🍁🎃🌞🌛✝️🥰🎃🍃🍂🍁🎃🌞🌛✝️🥰🎃🍃🍂🍁🎃🌞🌛✝️ Denise in Arizona !
Ho Ho Ho! I initiated that conversation re no longer doing a gift exchange and it was very welcome.
Hi Claire
Thank you for those tips
The final one was very good
You are right some people only have small families and I think there is a lot of pressure put on families at this time
I just say it’s only one day and one meal
Thank you again I’ve really enjoyed all these videos today what a good idea you came up with take care xx🍷🍷🍷🍷
Great tips Claire! I like the one to budget for the extra expenses not just the gifts. Many people forget about the taxis and tips, the increase in the electric bill and the postage for mailing cards and gifts.
Starting the sinking fund in January is a very good way to make sure that you have money for the holidays.
You are so smart to not compare your celebration to what you see on television or what others do to celebrate.
Thanks ladies for this great collab.
Some very good tips not only from yourselves but in the comments too.
Really enjoyed all your videos.
The pressure to go overboard with buying food items is crazy in the run up to Christmas. Nothing like your list too to keep us on track!
My holiday buying starts the day after Christmas. I watch for sales and seasonal clearance items that would be perfect gifts for someone and buy those for my "gift stash". Every year around this time, I pull out the stash, decide who will get what, and make note of those whom I still need to buy for. My stash often clears most people off my list, leaving very few left to buy for.
I also use this stash for birthdays or other celebrations throughout the year. Came in real handy during the first Covid Lockdown, as I was able to give my Autistic teen daughter a nice birthday present, even when no stores were open and we had little income.