How to Spend Christmas on a Budget

Is there such a thing as Christmas on a budget? Sure there is. You just have to put a little more thought into it. Start off with making a list of everyone you have to buy a gift for. Then set a price limit you would like to stay under. If you can, break down your dollar limit between those on your list. My husband and I always set a limit on how much we'll spend on each other. Every year we say we won't exchange gifts but I always end up buying something for him. So we set an amount that we can't go over.

Now it's on to shopping. I think this is harder than the first 2 steps. Now you have to enforcer your budget. Start online. You can find some awesome prices online. Look for discounted merchandise or online catalogs. I get one in the mail that is wonderful. I spent $90 and got 6 presents. It was good quality too. You can search for one online. I know in my city, St. Louis, the news channel stations have dining deals. You go to their website and can purchase gift cards to restaurants for half price. That is a great deal.

I am known for my cooking and baking so at Christmas time I bake enough cookies to share as Christmas gifts. I will give a tray to our neighbors we talk to all the time, to each family member and friends. I make it very pretty by getting a Christmas plate, arranging the cookies nicely and then topping it with some Christmas candy. I'll pair it with a bargain gift I found.

Another great idea is drawing names. This I think is a must for large families. What you do is put everyone's name in hat once and each person draws a name to buy a gift for. This would help out everyone. It is a great way to save money.

I think for must of us moms buying gifts for our children is the hardest part of staying in a budget. If you really think about it your children probably have tons of toys sitting in their room or toy room they never play with. So what I do is have a garage sale in October to clear out the toys. This does two things for you; makes room for the new toys and gives you money to buy those new toys. While you are at it go ahead and clear out some of your things too.