Ready, Set, Holiday Shopping!!! (Creating a wonderful holiday experience for your family on a budget)!
What are your favorite Christmas memories? Do you know how to have a memorable Christmas on a tight budget?
It is possible to have a memorable Christmas, even if your budget is small. My favorite Christmas memories are not due to the gifts I received, but the time I spent with the people I love. In my opinion, precious memories come from spending quality time with the ones you love. This does not require, spending any money.
Have you been thinking about your holiday budget this year? 2020 has been tough, unpredictable and a challenging year financially for a lot of people. Some good news is, we can change that even if this year brought out a little Grinch in us!
I truly LOVE Christmas and the holiday season that comes with it. I especially LOVE Christmas shopping. I have learned over the years to shop on a budget and STICK TO IT while creating lasting memories for my babies and family!!!
Christmas shopping…you either love it or love it!
Here’s how you can win at shopping on a budget without sacrificing the quality of gifts you buy.) If you’re looking for ways to create memories and enjoy Christmas without feeling the pain of it in your bank account, here are some simple tips for Christmas shopping on a budget.
Before we dive into the tips for planning Christmas on a budget, let me say over the years I’ve used these tips to save money. I believe keeping a reign on your finances during the holiday season is important, especially if you have children. So if you’re wondering whether these money-saving tips for the holidays work, I can tell you they absolutely do. I guarantee there’s at least one thing here that can help you save money during the holidays.
Christmas shopping on a budget – how to save money on Christmas gifts while creating wonderful memories.
Set a Christmas gift budget
Set your priorities
- Spend quality time with my kids
- Reach out to friends and family we haven’t seen in a while
- Make sure the people we care about know we’re thinking of them
- Create some lasting memories as a family
Start planning early
Now, I start planning for the holidays immediately after the holidays are over when everything is on clearance. Smart to me!
I keep a separate savings account just for holiday spending. At the end of December or the beginning of January, I decide how much money I want to save up for the next holiday season.
Then I start adding money to it little by little each month. By the time October rolls around, I’ve got all the money I need to tackle holiday spending. Set your budget and be very realistic about what you can afford. This is why it helps to have your Christmas budget planned out before you shop which also avoid going overboard on gifts.
Do Christmas Activities on a budget
A drive around your community to look at Christmas lights is a nice free and exciting outing. The cost of gas is your only expense. Listening to holiday music while driving around and looking at lights is still one of my favorite childhood memories. Another thing I love to do is making crafty gifts with your kids instead of buying them!! Doing this is enjoyable and creating memories with your babies.
Do a gift exchange to cut down on spending
Gift exchanges like White Elephant or Secret Santa can introduce a little fun into the holiday season. You can also save money since you’re only buying one gift instead of a bunch of them.
Get cash back when you shop
If you’re shopping for the holidays and you’re working with a tight Christmas budget it only really makes sense to find different ways to save money. There’s a excellent simple way to do it! Years ago I started using cashback apps to shop! Cashback apps pay you a percentage back of what you spend. It’s really is almost like you’re being paid to shop, how amazing is that?
My favorite cashback app and a app that deserves 5 stars is Rakuten! This app pays you cash back when you shop top retailers, either online or in-person. With Rakuten deals, you could earn as much as 12% back when you shop. So for every $100 you spend, you get $12 back! When you sign up for a new Rakuten account, you can get a $10 bonus after making your first purchase.
It’s free money to shop so if you’re not using Rakuten yet, here is a link to sign up.
https://www.rakuten.com/r/TIFFH6?eeid=44749
Take advantage of dollar store finds
Some of the best things to buy at the Dollar Tree for the holidays include:
- Wrapping paper
- Boxes and bags
- Ribbons and bows
- Tape and scissors
- Holiday cards and stickers
- Stocking stuffer items
- Holiday placemats
- Holiday decor
You can even order these item online!
It saves you money and time during the holidays, which is a score.
Watch high shipping cost this Holiday Season
Shipping charges can really increase your holiday spending budget and they’re such a headache you don’t need when your shopping on a budget for Christmas. If you’re shopping online, try to stick with stores that offer free shipping for the holidays or some great sales that are so good the shipping isn’t affecting your budget.
Support small business and shop small
Find sales online
Right now Momma Full Circle store is having a Black Friday all November Long Buy 2 get One 50% Off sale!!! Click link for more information: www.mommafullcircle.com
Christmas on a Budget at Home
A Delicious Breakfast with Family
Make a delicious breakfast to enjoy as a family. Survey your family to see what they would like to have. Pancakes and muffins are easy to make from ingredients you have on hand.
At the Movies Holiday Movies
Take a poll for favorite Christmas movies and then watch them at home as a family. I have so many unforgettable memories of doing this with my parents and siblings when I was a child. As a result, I continue the tradition in my own family. There are some amazing options to choose from that will give you a memorable Christmas on a budget.
Here are just a sample of movies you can watch as a family.
- It’s a Wonderful Life
- Miracle on 34th Street
- White Christmas
- A Christmas Carol
- Elf
- The Year Without a Santa Claus
- The Nutcracker
- Santa Paws
- Frosty the Snowman
- The Polar Express
- A Charlie Brown Christmas
- I Want a Dog for Christmas Charlie Brown
- The Santa Clause
- Home Alone
- The Muppet Christmas Carol
- Muppet Family Christmas
- Meet Me in St. Louis
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
- The Christmas Chronicles
- Noelle
A Visit with Santa
Here’s what I’ve learned: people who can afford Christmas on a tight budget are the ones who are willing to get creative. This year due to covid19 we are not during our annual tradition to go see Santa at the americana in Glendale,California. Instead my father is going to dress up as Santa and we got a background from Amazon for $7.99 to take holiday Santa pictures with all of our kids which ultimately saves you money and continues to create those lasting memories.
Holiday Games
You want to do fun & exciting stuff during the holidays, right? Making memories with your kids and spending quality time with your love ones is a big part of it. Christmas Day Family scavenger hunt to try to find scratchers/ loose coins you collected within the year or dollars is so much fun!!! This is something my dad started during for us when we became teenagers!! Every year we look forward to it because it is very amusing and we are created great memories. Below are other examples you could do:
- Roast marshmallows in the backyard
- Read holiday-themed books together (my kids love when my husband and I read, “The Polar Express”, and “The Night Before Christmas”. We’ve been doing this every year since they were little babies!)
- Do some random acts of kindness for people who could use some holiday cheer.
Take advantage of dollar store finds
Some of the best things to buy at the Dollar Tree for the holidays include:
- Wrapping paper
- Boxes and bags
- Ribbons and bows
- Tape and scissors
- Holiday cards and stickers
- Stocking stuffer items
- Holiday placemats
- Holiday decor
You can even order these item online!
It saves you money and time during the holidays, which is a score.
Plan a Holiday Potluck
Holiday dinners are a great way to get together with the people you care so much about. We all know buying all that food can get very expensive and put you over your budget.
So instead of planning to host the holiday dinner this year, suggest a potluck instead.
This way, you’re only responsible for bringing one dish instead of spending tons of money on groceries to make everything. This is a big win-win for everyone involved.
Please feel free to leave comments,and ask questions. I would love to hear what you and your spouse do! Don’t forget to subscribe at www.mommafullcircle.com for my weekly newsletter along with my Tiff Talk Tuesday Blogs. There is also a couple more days to enter for a chance to win this cozy Momma Full Circle Motherhood sweater for not only you, but for one of your mommy friends as well!!!!! To Enter:
- Follow @mommafullcircle
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This giveaway ends Wednesday 11/25/2020 at 11:59pm PST. Winners will be selected at random and the Winners will be announced and notified via email & social media on Thanksgiving 11/26/2020!!! GOOD LUCK!! 🤞🏽
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Best,
Momma Full Circle
Tiffany