by Laurie Childree

Created on: October 27, 2009   Last Updated: November 20, 2009

Christmas is approaching fast, the bad economy is still taking a toll on daily life and now you are afraid the holidays will be the ultimate victim. The effects of being unemployed for an extended period of time are beginning to show as families begin to worry about more than just making it through the day. Now they are starting to wonder how to save money and still celebrate. Some people that are planning to be alone during the holiday may opt to skip the celebrations all together but those with small children are determined to find a way to squeeze as much Christmas celebrating as they can into the season so that the children don't realize there is anything wrong. There are ways to save money in even the harshest economy without canceling the holidays; you do have to make sure that you don't go overboard however.

Look at the Budget Again

Reexamine the budget that you have set for yourself. You may have made the budget during better financial times which means there may be some things in it that you don't need anymore. Searching the budget will find places that you can reduce the amount that you're spending and possibly increase your income. Savings should be included in the budget to begin with, this is the one area that you don't want to reduce but you may want to add another category of savings. This category is the one for Christmas, setting a little money aside will help to cover the expenses of the holiday. This doesn't have to be a temporary catergory, you can simply make it the money that you get back from recycling or the change you got back at the grocery store that week.

Expenses such as the light bill can be cut in preparation for the holidays. Turning off the lights that you aren't using, washing clothes in cold water and hanging them to dry will help to achieve this goal. If the local utility company mails you one of the books with the tips in it each month look at it before you throw it out, sometimes they include services that aren't of any cost to you in it than can help you to celebrate the holiday. You can even save money on transportation to help you prepare for the holidays.

Those fortunate enough to be employed during these difficult economic times can carpool to prevent spending numerous amounts on gasoline. When it comes time to go shopping a group trip can be organized with a few neighbors taking the vehicle with the most room for gifts. The group can spend the day going to several stores until they have all of their holiday needs

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