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 met.
Save on Gifts
Set a spending limit on gifts. There is no need to get everyone on your list hundreds of dollars worth of presents. Nothing says that you have to pay full price for the gifts you give. After all you're the only one that will actually know what you spent on them. Sales, clearance racks and discount stores can all be a source of Christmas gifts if you shop carefully and examine what you are purchasing. Don't forget the optin of layaway if you are short on funds the day you shop, you can put a few of the items that are on sale on layaway to give as gifts at Christmas time.
If you are into arts and crafts you can purchase supplies and make a number of gifts for various people on your list. Candles, scrapbooks, and wind chimes can all be made to give a gifts in addition to a variety of other things. It doesn't matter if you paint, knit or write you can come up with something to create for those on your list.
Gift Wrap
Wrapping gifts can get expensive if you have to purchase new paper every year. If you don't purchase it on clearance at the end of the previous year it's going to be a large expense. You can use gift bags that you have saved from previous events to put gifts in. Newspapers can be used to wrap smaller items. It can be the comics for kids or news for the adults. You may wish to decorate the news paper or plain brown bags. There is nothing wrong with using plain white gift boxes and making your own tags.
Dinner
An alternative to Christmas dinner such as a potluck where everyone brings a dish will save on the costs while ensuring that you have a feast.
Saving money in a harsh economy is possible it just means being a little more creative than you have been in the past. Just don't put it on a credit card, you'll be paying for the Christmas celebration for at least a year with the interest rates they charge you.