Investing In Christmas : Domestic Cents

photo credit: Jason Pratt

When you’re on a tight budget the thought of Christmas may evoke feelings on anxiety instead of anticipation. The Thanksgiving/Christmas season is a big deal in our family. Remembering Jesus and all He’s done for us and bringing our family together are two important things in our home, but the commercialism of Christmas has really snatched a lot of the true meaning away from us. Our culture has promoted a lavish, expensive holiday, drowning out all the wonderful things we are truly celebrating. I want to give you some practical tips to help you remain grounded, spend responsibly on gifts, and have an anxiety-free holiday, investing in what’s really important to you. Here are some guidelines to keep in mind. More specific tips will follow in the weeks ahead.

Emphasize what’s really important. Celebrating Jesus and family togetherness are the two most important themes for our holiday season, so we give gifts and plan our schedule with this in mind. Giving of your time, talent and thoughts are more concrete investments into the lives of those around you. Make a choice to contribute toward what is lasting, freeing yourself from spending gobs of money on things people will forget.

Anticipate more than gifts. A big reason for the excitement of the season is the anticipation it creates. Have some family traditions or activities that you can look forward to. Is there a special recipe you only prepare at the holidays? Perhaps you could cut down your Christmas tree as a family. Maybe you could go volunteer somewhere, helping others less fortunate. This goes back to the emphasis. Anticipate the things that are truly important.

Make a plan and don’t overspend. This takes time and creativity. You can do it, but you have to start now. Figure out your budget and make a list of everything you’ll need to spend money on from gifts to decorations to special events. I suggest you make your list in order of priority. If your budget is especially tight you may have to cut out an event or the least important thing on your list. Do not go into debt over Christmas. I’ll have some practical tips to help you celebrate the holidays on the cheap. It can be done!

Why I do what I do ~ When tucking my daughter into bed, I mistakenly called the leopard that was snuggled in with her a cheetah, and with the most serious little face she said, “Mom, it’s not a cheetah it’s a leopard.” I could have died.

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Tagged as: Budget, Christmas, Family Life, Parenting, Saving Money