I’m sure we’re all in the midst of Christmas shopping and planning. ‘Tis the season of giving and I believe in giving generously to the ones I love. It’s possible to be generous and have a frugal Christmas.
This week, I’d like to feature a collection of ways to give during Christmas while sticking to a budget.
For me, the key to a stress free Christmas is making a budget ahead of time. During our last budget date, Josh and I worked out what we can afford to do.
This year, we are using our FSA money to finance Christmas and some of our India/Malta trip. This money is a nice cushion at the end of the year. See below.
So much of living frugally is planning ahead. It’s open enrollment season, so it’s a good time to think about next Christmas. We opted to contribute to a Dependent Care FSA throughout the year. We generally take the money out at the end of the year, so our Christmas is paid for by pre-tax dollars- a painless way to save! Read more here.
If you have a big ticket item you’d like to buy a loved one, it can pay off to set a price tracker on camelcamelcamel.com. That way you can can buy it at the best price.
Our family exchanges holiday cards. To frugal down on holiday photos, we invested in a studio setup. The whole thing cost less than the price of a professional photo shoot and we have used it so many many times, it has paid for itself.
Here is an excellent compilation of ways to save money during Christmas from our neighbors in Vermont, the Frugalwoods, and their readers’ suggestions. I also used the Frugalwoods’ cheap Christmas Card Hack to make 100 Christmas cards for a frugal $34 dollars this year. Frugal win!
This list is bound to get your frugal juices flowing. Sometimes, thinking outside the Amazon box can save us a lot of money! Here is an excellent list of frugal gift ideas from Get Rich Slowly. I might be using a couple of these myself this year.
I hope you enjoy! Stay frugal and Merry Christmas!
Disha
Standard Disclaimer: Not meant as individualized financial or medical advice. Some photos from Unpslash.com
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