With so much focus this season on saving while shopping for presents, one can easily forget how holiday events themselves can entail significant costs aside from any wrapped gifts. J.D. at Get Rich Slowly provides some excellent advice on Christmas frugality. Two of his best tips are:
1. Hold the family gathering after December 25th. The full range of supplies for the any celebration is heavily discounted.
2. Focus on family traditions, not the gifts. Kids enjoy consistent traditions and relaxation with family as much or more so than expensive presents with fleeting value.
Other great ideas for holidays on the cheap include:
- Sharing meal preparation with your guests to help even out the costs of food and supplies
- Building a family history
- Playing board games that you already have access to
- Watching and playing sports
- Sharing family stories and telling jokes
- Burning CDs of holiday music for enjoyment the next couple of weeks
- Playing in the snow, hitting the beach, swinging by the park, or hiking – depending on location and weather conditions
- Building and enjoying a fire in the fireplace
- Singing carols
There are many more options than these that make the holidays fun, enjoyable for everyone, and all at little or no cost. Brainstorm a list of your own and you can easily fill several days with memorable experiences.
Raj Patel writes for DebtGoal.com, a do-it-yourself system for getting out of debt and lowering your interest costs. DebtGoal.com incorporates all of the techniques discussed in this post and can help users understand and get visibility to and manage their debt finances.
