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Each year we vow never to do it again and before we know it, it's November again and we rush into the holidays running up big debts, which ruin the New Year. You can avoid this by trying these simple ways to save money during the holidays, as you renew the true meaning of the holidays with sharing and love.

*Shop Early and Spend Wisely

Start shopping in January and watch for bargains all year long. Make use of coupons and sales as well as comparing prices before you buy. Use the Internet to compare prices before you ever leave home. Many sites offer free shipping as well as bonuses.

*Decorations

Don't spend a fortune on decorations, use inexpensive candles, cut greenery, gold sprayed branches in a vase, re-painted ornaments and crafts by your family. String popcorn and cranberries and make dried apple and orange slices to decorate your tree. Make chains of old Christmas wrap and hang your greeting cards.

*Parties and Get-To-Gathers

Coordinate with friends and family and have a potluck dinner where each person brings one dish. For parties, keep it simple with great music, fun games, good conversation and foods you prepare yourself. Set it up buffet style and let your home decorations suffice. Shop at Dollar Stores to find inexpensive but cute party favors.

*Give Your Time

Create some IOU gift cards on your computer and give them as gifts to busy Moms who need a break now and then, or the elderly who would appreciate help in cleaning their home. Even grooming the dog or pruning a tree would make a wonderful gift if paired with someone who needed the service.

*Give a Group Gift or Draw Names

Choose one gift the whole family will enjoy instead of trying to buy for each member. No matter what your budget allows, you can find a gift that fits. Encourage clubs you belong to, fellow employees and even family members to draw names. Then each person needs to buy only one gift.

*Give Gifts You Make

If you paint, sew, quilt, knit or craft, it should be no problem to start early and create the perfect gift for each person on your list. Make scrapbooks, mittens, jewelry, afghans, quilts, pajamas, a CD holder or one of a thousand useful things you can create inexpensively.

*Gift Wrapping

Your hard-earned money should go into the gift, and not the wrappings. Wrap gifts in the Sunday funnies and tie with red yarn, use sandwich or grocery bags and decorate them with paint, glitter, stickers, old greeting cards, stencils and more. Buy an end-roll of newsprint-paper and create your own wrapping paper with stencils and stamps.

Paint and decorate cereal and cracker boxes to hold gifts. Use mayonnaise jars to hold cookie and soup mixes. Sew up some gift bags from Christmas fabric scraps that can be reused. Give linens as are, stacked into a tower and tied with a festive ribbon and bow.

*Greeting Cards

Make your own greeting cards from card stock and decorate with photos, clip-art or artwork by the kids. Cut up old Christmas cards and use the images and text to make new ones.

Send out newsy Christmas letters instead of cards and let everyone know what your family has been up to for the past year. There are millions of free clip art images on-line with which to decorate the pages

Finding simple ways to save money during the holiday season will help relieve the stress that many feel this time of year. It will also put an end to the New Year's blues because you won't be faced with a mound of bills. Try some of these tips or come up with your own and have a very Blessed Holiday Season!

Learn more about this author, Pamela Kay.
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