by Beachbumwriter

Created on: December 03, 2010

Surviving Christmas while unemployed can be a real challenge, but it can be done.  Make sure that your family is aware that you are on a tight budget this year.  Don’t feel guilty that you can’t purchase loads of toys and clothes for your children.  It is better to teach your children the basics of finances when it comes to cutting back in difficult times, than it would be to sink far into debt at a time when you can’t afford it.  Find inexpensive gifts to put under the tree by bargain shopping.  Make sure that you set a budget limit and stick to it, even if it means fewer items. 

Some traditions are not that expensive.  Make sure that you purchase your Christmas tree early enough to get the discount prices.  You can buy a nice five foot tree for about twenty dollars.  After decorating with your packed away decorations, or with home-made popcorn strands and ornaments, you will give your home a bright cheerful Christmas feeling and your children will be delighted.

On Christmas day, attend a religious service.  This is a great way to bring back to the family the true meaning of Christmas and save money.  After church, take a stroll through the park, or spend some time outdoors with the children.  Children will have fun just spending quality time with their parents.  Any game would work from tossing a football, Frisbee, or baseball, to riding bikes together.

After a long day of outdoor play, cook a nice affordable meal for the family.  A great choice that I’ve done one year was to make a beef stew.  No matter what you make, you will save money by cooking at home instead of eating out. 

Finally, toward the end of the day, there are inexpensive choices.  I recommend playing a game of Monopoly or other game board of your choice.  Games get the family interacting and if you already have one in your collection then it costs nothing.  If you don’t have any game boards, then this would be a wonderful selection for an inexpensive Christmas gift.  Other evening options would be to watch a Christmas movie from your collection of DVD’s.  Some of my favorites that I enjoy watching over and over are Home Alone starring Macaulay Culkin, Christmas Vacation starring Chevy Chase, Fred Clause with Vince Vaugh, Tim Allen’s Santa Clause, or Trapped in Paradise with Nicolas Cage.

Try to avoid too much window shopping.  Children typically have a laundry list of I wants.  If you avoid the malls then they will not see all of the items that you cannot afford this year.  It will only make them feel sad, and at Christmas, they should be having too much fun to notice what they did not get for Christmas, but instead, to be enjoying themselves.

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