Christmas Debt
One of the things I decided this year was to not go into debt for Christmas. I try very hard to stay out of debt anyway, but this year’s added expenses have just made it a very important thing to not add any others.
So, just how do we do that?
Well, there are some ideas over at Woman’s Day online magazine. And, even some ideas about how to shop for those on your list - and still save money.
One of the ideas that particularly grabbed me was to periodically throughout the year purchase a $20 gift card from your favorite shopping place. Stash them in a safe place and then when the holidays come along you will have those cards to use. Make sure, of course, that the cards don’t expire before you use them. Better yet, make sure you get ones that do NOT expire.
You might also utilize the type card that you can continue to add money to over the year, saving a plastic card tree in the process. (heh, punny, I know)
Talk with your children and extended family members - decide ahead of time your expense limit and then stick with it (ack! so hard to do!). Choose some ways WITH your family of toning down expenses so that the big headache won’t come the week after the festivities have blurred away.
Maybe you can all make your gifts - that can be so much fun. The hurried whispers and giggles and paper rustlings and the spilled paints and paper cutouts strewn across the floor - just look at it as fun and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. It’s the thought that counts, you see.
In the making of all of the grandbabies’ hats and their mamas’ goodies, I utilized some of my stash of yarn, and didn’t buy a whole lot extra. There was a cost decrease in that.
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