A familiar family traditions that aids the whole clan in spending less during the holidays is the drawing of names for buying gifts. Yes, it's true, you won't get a pile of gifts to open, but everyone gets a nice gift while also only needing to buy one present for the individual whose name they drew. No, it's not depressing and what a nice relief for everyone involved who can put the pocket book away or have a few dollars left to participate in giving in smaller ways elsewhere.
Which brings us to the next concept for saving money during the holidays, and that is asking family and guests to participate in providing the make-up of the holiday meal. Creating a potluck out of it brings in a wide variety of dishes, gives everyone something more they can do after buying their one gift, and gives the host a break financially, while divvying up the work of putting on a holiday event so everyone can equally enjoy the festivities.
An additional money-saver is to consider staying local for the holidays. Cutting out the expense of travel, be it by airline or car, can keep needed money in the bank for personal needs at home, such as the higher grocery costs right now and the need to preserve funds for any future expenses that might arise in the new year such as car repairs, unexpected home needs, or costs for the predicted rise in healthcare expenses coming in 2026.
Thrift stores are also a great place to find things that are of good quality, reusable, and interchangeable, meaning you can donate them back and buy again next year at reasonable prices, such as ornaments, artificial trees, electric lights, and gift cards. But thrift stores these days hold so much more promise in that many nearly new items can be found that also make for great gifts for loved ones and friends, and help the environment by not participating in the constant need for materials for more products.
It's also helpful to not fall into the "must" or the "should" trap during the holidays in which you buy into false beliefs that everything must be perfect and no one should go without top-cost items. The holidays have a lot of potential completely outside of money and purchases.
So, give yourself a break this year, and give those around you a break as well by simplifying things and reducing the financial pressure to break the bank and stretch the wallet beyond its means in an already strained economy. Take a breath and let this year capture a simpler concept of the holiday season that doesn't leave you and those around you paying for it for months to come.
You can find another one my older blog entries about finding ways to reduce holiday stress here
"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough." ~Oprah Winfrey
Thanks to David Geitgey Sierralupe for the great photo (cropped and reversed), https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en
