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The holiday season is fast approaching but in the current economic climate how do you ensure your holiday generosity isn't squeezed as tight as your budget? Here are a few money-saving tips to make sure the season is a success.

1. Decorating Tips

Make your own gift-wrap. Use your imagination! Reuse wrapping paper and ribbon. Try wrapping men's gifts in the sports page or a map. Add a bow and your gift will be a stand-out. Even plain brown wrapping paper can be dressed up with stamps, images from old cards or magazines, or kiddie drawings.

Recycle cards. Save your old cards, cut out the images and recycle into new cards. Or you can back the images with tagboard, add a string, and make tree decorations.

Let nature decorate for you. Natural branches, leaves, holly, or flowers bring the outside in. Decorate with a little glitter and a few ribbons or use those old strings of lights. Pine and holly boughs look great and with a few cinnamon sticks give your house that holiday smell.

2. Plan Ahead

Start a holiday bank account and start saving now for next year. Open an account especially for the holidays and get the whole family involved. Have a jar for spare change that gets deposited in the bank once a week. You will be surprised at how much you can save.

Split the holiday into two. Why not have two celebrations instead of one? Have a second Christmas in July and buy smaller gifts. You can utilize sales and take some pressure off the 'one big holiday'.

3. Gift Savers

Shop early and shop sales. After the holidays almost everything is on sale. Buy as early as January but don't forget where you store the gifts! If you shop early do it before Thanksgiving for the best deals.

Give family gifts. Why not give a board game or gift certificate to a family? It reduces your spending and sets the stage for family time.

Personal gift certificates are a great idea and hardly cost a cent. Sometimes a lunch or dinner is better than an unwanted gift. A promise for a massage, foot rub, carwash, or home-cooked meal gives you something to look forward to after the holiday-hype.

Give homemade items. Get the kids busy making holiday decorations and gifts early. Christmas isn't about buying it's about doing and giving. If you don't have the time to make it yourself there are many websites dedicated to homemade arts and crafts. Check out Etsy for some original gift ideas.

Make a charity donation in someone's name in lieu of a gift. Does Uncle Max really need socks, again?

The websites below will give you some ideas for homemade gifts. Saving money during the holidays shouldn't put a damper on the season. Get your family into the spirit early. With a little planning you can reduce your expenses so you are free to spend on the things that are important.

http://www.etsy.com/

http://blog.makezine.com/

http: //www.instructables.com/

http:/ /blog.craftzine.com/

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