Christmas season

Save Now for a Simpler Christmas Season

May 6, 2025 by Barb Leave a Comment

Springtime is a great time to begin a savings plan for the holiday season. By making a budget, and saving just a little bit each week, you will be ready for holiday shopping. Save now for a simpler Christmas season later!

Start Today

Start by making a comprehensive Christmas list. Include not only the gifts you buy, but all the extras you will need (decorations, lights, wrapping paper, etc.) Now, put what you want to spend on a gift next to each name. Add a rough total amount that you’d like to spend on the extras. Once you have your total, make any adjustments to arrive at an amount that you are comfortable with and that is affordable. Then divide by the number of months or weeks that are remaining until Christmas. That is the amount you must save each month (or week) between now and December.

Shocked? That’s good! So often, we shop under pressure during the holidays. We don’t even realize how much has actually been spent until the credit card bills come in January. With this budget in hand, you can save now and pay cash for many, if not most, holiday expenses. You will also be able to take advantage of early gift sales when you see something special.

Take Simple Steps

Let’s say that you’d like to save around $1200 for Christmas, and you have nine months (or 36 weeks) to do it. If you save roughly $33 a week between now and mid-December, you can pay for your holidays and avoid the shock of January bills. Sounds good, but how?

In his article, “How to Save Money: 20 Simple Tips”, Dave Ramsey suggests ways to “find” money that can be saved for a special purpose, such as a holiday fund:

Cancel subscriptions you don’t use. A recent look through Amazon charges showed a subscription to a movie service that I had signed up for when renting a film. I was also paying for Kindle Unlimited, which I had never used. By cancelling these, I save $25 each month. What subscriptions do you no longer use?
Cut your grocery bill. This could be an easy place to save at least $50 – $75 each month. Plan a few meals each week, review what you have before you shop, stick to the grocery list, and buy generic when you can. You may find your entire Christmas budget at the supermarket!
Explore cell phone and TV options. Limit streaming services to what you actually use, or look for bundled services. Consider switching cell phone carriers or eliminating features you don’t use or need. These strategies can save $50-60 per month.
Borrow the things you need or buy them at a discount. When you do need to purchase something significant, check online marketplaces or a Buy Nothing Group. Often you can find what you need for free, or at a greatly reduced cost – and save something from the landfill in the process.

Saving for Christmas may seem strange when spring has just arrived, but when the holiday crunch hits, you will be glad you did!

The Perfect Time to Make a Gift List

March 25, 2025 by Barb Leave a Comment

Winter is almost over, and maybe you are thinking ahead to spring planting or a summer vacation. But now is also the perfect time to make a gift list! By planning ahead, you can take advantage of unique gift ideas and late season or other sales or make handmade gifts for a lucky few. Most importantly, you can spread the shopping out over the year, which will save you time and money in November and December.

If you have a created a Christmas planner, you may already have a gift list started. If not, creating a gift list is a great way to begin planning. I keep a running gift list on my computer, which I usually update once immediately after Christmas, and again in September or whenever I start looking for gifts in earnest.

For Family First

I love waking up on Christmas morning to a huge pile of presents under the tree. I always have numerous gifts for each member of my immediate family to open. My gift list reflects this. Next to every family member’s name, I add spaces for the number of gifts I want to have for them. I can also use this to keep track of what I have already bought and to make sure I have a good variety of gifts for everyone.

My immediate family page also has a section for stocking stuffers. Here, I also leave spaces for the number of small gifts for each stocking. Extended family and friends are on a separate page. Their names are simply listed down the side, with one space for gifts beside each name.

For Everyone Else

The second page also lists the more general gifts that I know I’ll need. These include small hostess gifts, gifts for exchanges, something for neighbors, work colleagues, or household helpers (babysitters, dog walkers, etc.). I often also include a couple of “emergency” gifts, good for last minute giving to anyone. By putting those smaller items on the list, too, no occasion or person is forgotten and you will always be prepared for any last minute needs.

Giving the right gift to everyone on my list is, for me, the most fun part of the Christmas season. By making my list early and keeping it updated throughout the year, I can be sure to find something special for everyone.

Christmas Combos: Spend Less, Give More

October 1, 2020 by Barb Leave a Comment

Want to spend less this Christmas, but give more? “Christmas combos” can help make shopping easier, more creative, and less expensive.

Shopping for kids at Christmas can be daunting. Buying multiple gifts for multiple children can be expensive under the best of circumstances. If you are someone who finds gifts throughout the year, it can be hard to make sure that everyone has an equitable sort of Christmas. But those old Christmas guidelines your parents used can be a helpful way to keep the shopping – and spending – under control.

What are Christmas Combos?

What are Christmas combos? Remember the adage of “Something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read”? This is a what I call a Christmas combo. It does three things that make your holiday shopping easier.

First it sets a limit on the number of gifts that each child will have. Second, it sets categories, which can be flexibly applied, but ensure that each child has an equitable set of gifts. Lastly, if you set a budget for each child or each part of the combo, this plan can help control your spending. Think creatively about filling each category and look for sales throughout the year.

Building your own Christmas Combo

In the past I always thought that four-part Christmas combos we too restrictive. Besides I wanted my kids to open more than four gifts on Christmas morning. But my thinking on that has changed, especially as my kids have grown. I start with those four categories (need, want, wear, and read) to cover the basics. Then I add other gift categories to complete the combo. The process is creative and fun!

Other Categories to Add

Here are some other ideas for gifts to add to your Christmas combo:

Something to do: An experience, such as concert tickets, a trip to a museum or gallery, music lessons, an online class, an overnight camping trip, or a hike on a new trail, makes a great gift. The choices are endless and don’t have to cost much or anything at all.
Something to eat: A variety of Christmas cookies, homemade jam or chocolate sauce, their favorite dinner with a friend once a month, or gift cards to a favorite snack spot are all easily made or reasonably purchased.
Something homemade: A sweater, scarf, blanket, pajamas or doll clothes, if you like to sew, knit or crochet; gift baskets of skin or shaving products, yummy snacks, or art materials – these DIY projects become cherished gifts. And they are fun, creative, and generally inexpensive especially if you start early!
Something to learn: Sewing or guitar lessons, a session with a personal trainer, online language courses, computer coding classes, a gift card to Masterclass, Udemy, or Skillshare – now is a great time to give the gift of a new hobby or a familiar passion.

While you can see that each of these categories can overlap, that’s OK because it allows you a little flexibility when tallying all the gifts and making sure each child is receiving something for each part of your combo.

Have fun creating your own Christmas combo, and see how much easier and less expensive your Christmas shopping can be!

Get Organized for Next Christmas Season

January 29, 2020 by Barb Leave a Comment

By the end of January, Christmas is a happy memory. The decorations are put away, Christmas music has ended, and the house is back to its normal state. But don’t put the holiday out of your mind just yet because now is the perfect time to get organized for next Christmas season!

While there are certainly obvious things to do in January, like hit the after-Christmas sales or return gifts that didn’t work out, it is also a great time to sit down and think clearly and strategically about next Christmas season.

Organize Your Thoughts

Grab a pen, and write down your ideas as you consider these questions:

What worked this Christmas?

Your party was a hit or you finally baked the Christmas desserts you’ve always wanted to make. Maybe you started gift shopping earlier and therefore, were less stressed in December. This year I invited the neighbor’s kids over for cookies and a craft, which was really fun. Which activities went so smoothly this year that you want to repeat them next year?

What didn’t work this Christmas?

This year I wasn’t able to make gifts for my kids like I wanted to. I never planted the paperwhite bulbs I bought to be in bloom on Christmas Day. Those are two things I’d like to do differently next year, and I am sure there are others. What will you want to do differently next year to make Christmas as special as possible?

What will you need next Christmas?

As I put away my Christmas decorations this year, I paid attention to what I have and what I will need next year. I keep this list handy on my phone. Already it lists “Lights for the tree” and an “Extension cord for outside” among other things. What do you know that you’ll need for next season? Don’t try to remember everything later. Instead, start a list now and keep it handy all year.

What do you know you want?

Maybe you’d like to host a party next year, or like me, you’d like to make more of your gifts. Maybe you know you want a family portrait taken for the cards or you want to do more baking. Write down whatever will make your holidays ideal. Then try to schedule what you can during the year. Getting ahead where you can will save stress next season.

What are your Christmas priorities?

For me, it is celebrating Christmas Day with as many family members as possible. It is being personal in my gift-giving and as stress-free as possible come December. Whatever your priorities are, keep them in mind as you go through the year!

Use these questions to help you get organized for next Christmas season!