Learn ways to keep the holidays centered on the family rather than your wallet. Planning ahead can help with budget concerns and even relieve stress.
Every holiday, getting organized and creating family fun are big priorities. However, for many families, budget is also a concern. So how do you stay organized, work within a budget and still have fun? Here are a few tips:
Holiday Activities
- Get the family together to write letters and make holiday cards for those serving overseas in the military, hospice patients or in senior citizen homes. Many of the recipients do not have family nearby or at all and a card or letter would be welcome. You do not need a name just an address. (example, send to: A Recovering Soldier c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center).
- Put on a holiday play or talent show to debut at the family gathering. Planning for such an event can keep the younger ones quite busy and excited!
- Create a family internet site to upload holiday pictures and exchange comments. This can be a password protected site for family members only. Be creative and have fun adding content (pictures, comments, recipes, etc.) to be shared by your family members throughout the holidays, no matter where they live!
Organize for Time and Money Savings
- Many retailers that are closing are still selling gift cards, however, the ability for them to make good on those cards is in question. Due to such unstable financial times, avoid gift cards from individual retailers and instead opt for Mastercard or Visa gift cards which can be used anywhere those credit cards are accepted.
- Match your gift list with the sale items in retail stores, then find out which stores will price match. Many stores already have an instant price match program (bring in sale paper of competitor) that they do not advertise. Other retailers will do it to compete effectively during the holiday season, so always ask! Organizing your shopping list can condense the time spent traveling around town for the best bargains to visiting stores ready to price match. Also, keep your receipts since many times you can get a price match even after your initial purchase.
- Organize a holiday to do list and assign to family members. Not only does this get everyone involved, but it also helps to relieve the holiday stress by sharing the responsibilities.
Budget Help
- Shop for quality and price on items like electronics before hitting the stores. Sites like Shopper.cnet.com will not only do value comparisons, but they also offer user reviews and price lists from various stores.
- Check out money saving programs offered by your credit card company or banking institution. For instance, Bank of America has teamed up with retail stores to offer cash back and other discounts when shopping through the bank’s online mall. These programs allow you to shop with cash from your bank account and still get cash back rewards. Also, familiarize yourself with your credit card perks as they also team up with retailers to increase benefits.
- For teens as young as thirteen, give a re-loadable Visa debit card like VisaBuxx. It comes with perks such as zero liability if lost or stolen. You can initially load a small dollar amount (to match your budget) but continue to add funds beyond the holidays. Long distant family members can also add funds to the card.
By planning ahead, you can save time, money and still have plenty of family fun without ruining your budget. You might even be able to give the gift of "budget help" by paying the monthly bills or providing groceries for the holidays for your friends, family or neighbors in need.
The copyright of the article Ways to Save Money at Christmas in Family Budgeting is owned by Nina Guilbeau. Permission to republish Ways to Save Money at Christmas in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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