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Whether people are directly affected or not, times of economic downturn give people enough pause that they are forced to re-evaluate their budgets and purchases. The challenge is that many people are locked into spending patterns that seem to be inflexible, which means that they have to look for unorthodox ways of saving money. The challenge is less about coming up with ideas, and more about having the discipline to follow through with them. Here are a few thoughts regarding "uncommon" ways to save money at Christmas.

Don't buy gifts

This idea may seem fairly normal, but in our society the idea of skipping gift giving seems almost unheard of in some family circles. The truth is that some people will literally rack up thousands of dollars in debt just to "get in the Christmas spirit." Sometimes saving money is about making drastic decisions, which causes some families to agree that gift giving should be put on hold for the year. If families want to spare the kids from this disappointment, they might think about skipping "adult" presents and spending their assets on the children.

Minimize the feast

Cutting back on food may not seem all that strange, but we live in a society where food is extremely common. In addition, the quantity that we consume is almost always a high volume. An uncommon way to save money would be to skip the big Christmas feasts and parties. These events can be expensive because they can include pricey items like the Christmas ham, the wine, and the highbrow desserts.

Stay home

This may seem rather "Scroogeish" but traveling costs a lot of money. Therefore, people who want to save money may resort to staying home over the holidays. Again, this is uncommon because Christmas is often about buying plane tickets or driving hundreds of miles to see friends and family. But, if people are serious about saving money, they may just turn on the webcam and say hello to everyone via the Internet.

No tree

For some people Christmas just isn't Christmas without the decorated tree in the living room. However, that tree is getting more expensive every year and it isn't the most environmentally friendly act to cut down a tree and then watch it die for three weeks. Again, it may seem almost sacrilegious to suggest a holiday that does not include a tree. But, sometimes budget constraints demand that people give up certain items in order to afford those things that are the true necessities in life.

Tough choices

None of these ideas are very fun, but some people do genuinely struggle during the holidays. Christmas is a time to give thanks for what we have and for many people it represents a time of real celebration. When it comes to expenditures, people have to ponder that which is really important. Are a certain amount of presents really necessary? Will life cease to have meaning if there are fewer parties? Again, some of these are tough decisions for people who love tradition. However, when life hits financial bumps, people have to be prudent and make decisions that will help them in the long run.

Learn more about this author, Todd Pheifer.
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