The holiday season is upon us, its the most magical time of the year. But for some people, the holiday season can be a little overwhelming and stressful, especially if you have a budget to follow. But it doesn’t have to be that way, I will give you some tips on how you can save this Christmas season and enjoy the holidays like its meant to be enjoyed.

1.Secret Santa.

My first tips to help you save money this Christmas is, Instead of buying individual gifts for all of the family members in your family, switch to secret Santa gifting. Me and my husband both come from big families, and just buying gifts for all the family members took a big chunk out of our Christmas budget. That’s why secret Santa style gifting is so perfect, it will help you save money and give you more room in your budget for other things, and it’s a win-win because everyone in your family still gets a gift.

2. Use Cash.

It’s very easy to get carried away and go over your Christmas budget when using a debit or credit card as a form of payment. What I recommend is, setting up a budget for Christmas gifts and stuffing cash in envelopes and only use the amount of cash in that particular envelope for purchasing gifts. It would be even better if you created a gift budget for every family member and created individual cash envelopes with their names and expense amount to keep you on track. Having money physically in your hands will make you aware of your spending and will prevent you from going over your budget.

3.Plan Ahead.
My number one recommendation when it comes to saving money during the holidays is being prepared from the beginning of the year, start as early as January.I recommend setting up a direct deposit for your paycheck and setting aside a certain amount of money from your paycheck to go into a “Christmas Savings” account. And even if you can just afford $20 or so it eventually adds up throughout the twelve months. If your budget allows then I would suggest setting aside $100 each month towards your Christmas spendings, and when the time comes being prepared will pay off.

4.PutLock.
If you are hosting a Christmas party this year then why not have it potluck style. Most of my family does Christmas dinner this way, not only does it help you save money on your grocery bill but it takes off the burden and stress of cooking all by yourself. Why my family loves to have potluck dinners, is because when it’s their turn to host a Christmas dinner they know they’re not alone and have helped since they helped in the previous year.

5. Consider Shopping Online.
While I do love going to the mall especially during the Holiday Season and enjoying the Christmas Decor all round, but when you are running short on time, online shopping can be very convenient and saves you money on gas especially if there is free shipping available. AMAZON is one of my favorite places to do my online shopping, they have unbeatable prices and if you are enrolled in their Prime membership then you get free two day shipping. If I am not able to find what I am looking on Amazon then I would look at other online retailers and if you find something you like somewhere else but its cheaper on amazon then ask them to price match amazons price.

6.DIY.
I personally find a gift made with your own hands the is the best gift, I truly feel special knowing that the person who gifted me a DIY gift poured out their precious time, effort and creativity. Its easier to buy a gift than to make something yourself, that is why it’s more valuable in my opinion. Make it a fun memorable experience, and get your kids involved and create memorable Christmas traditions by helping out and creating the perfect DIY gift.If DIY is not your thing, then find something that you love, for example, my sister loves baking and usually, she will bake me a special cake or dessert I love and who doesn’t love sweets? Make use of your interests and hobbies and create a magical gift this season your loved one will enjoy.

I hope these ideas will help you to save money this Holiday Season, and I wish that you have the best Christmas. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to comment or contact me, thanks for stopping by.