Christmas in September
If you’ve known me for any time at all you are not surprised that I’m talking about Christmas in September. Nothing lights me up like the holidays and at the first site of a yellow leaf I go full festive. Don’t worry, thanks to Jacob the Christmas tree stays down until November (Grinch). It isn’t just Christmas though. There are seven birthdays in our family from September first through the end of the year. Cram Halloween and Thanksgiving in there and that is a lot of fun! And a lot of money. If you’re anything like us, the last 4 months of the year are easily the most expensive. There are gifts to buy, comfort foods to make, cookies to bake and lots of decorating to do. It’s easy to break the bank this time of year. Then along with January comes the mound of debt we’ve accumulated and we have no choice but to create a New Year’s resolution centered around living as close to the poverty line as possibly in order to unbury ourselves. Not this year, friends! Let’s do better. I’m going to share some tips I’ve learned over the years, some from my parents and some I’ve picked up from friends or just on my own to help prepare for the holiday season and enjoy it to the fullest without paying for it long after that weird neighbor of yours finally takes down their Christmas tree in March.
The best and most important money saving tip I’ve learned is to take a step back and really remember what this time of year is about. The gifts and traditions are so much fun, but there’s much truer meaning behind each holiday and to take the time to celebrate that meaning is free. Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful for the ones you love, to give thanks for the incredible life you lead, because no matter how ordinary you may feel it is there’s someone out there who would kill for it. Take a second every morning to make a short list of the things you’re grateful for that day. It might just be the fact that you woke up, and that’s enough. Christmas, while filled with some of my absolute favorite traditions, is of course the celebration of the birth of our Savior, the greatest gift of all. The best part… it’s free.
I learned the next tip from my parents and it’s the crazy Christmas lady inside of me that is willing to watch the Christmas in July marathon on Hallmark that keeps this tip alive. Don’t wait until December to do your Christmas shopping. This tip won’t just save you money, it will save your sanity as well. Now, my child is 2 and so his Christmas list is comprised of whatever I choose to put on it (sorry kiddo). There is no rapid mind changing like with older children. So, I understand that some gifts can’t be purchased too far in advance, but think about the staples that you get your kids each year. Roman usually has a new outfit or two under the tree and I buy that outfit in March when stores start marking down their winter items. I’ve scored hats and gloves for like $2 and sweatshirts for $5; can’t beat that. Fall can be a good time to buy as well to help spread out the costs. We also do Christmas jammies every year. Guess when I buy those. Yep, December 26th. Rudolph, Santa and red stripes aren’t going out of style anytime soon. As far as gifts go, buy them when you find them on sale. Craft supplies, books and toy cars are favorites at our house and are easy to hide away for months. While everyone else is fighting the crowds and the cold in December you can pull out your hidden treasures and get to wrapping. I should note that prior to taking this picture there were two small cars in this pile that Roman of course found and decided he needed. So be better at this than me, parents.
Now just a quick piggy back off that last one, avoid Black Friday shopping! I know it sounds fun and everyone enjoys scoring a great deal, but the majority of Black Friday purchases (with the exception of a few well thought out and planned gifts) are impulsive and unnecessary. Yeah, the fuzzy socks were only $1, but did you need eight pairs? I’ve bought my fair share of the $5 DVDs only to get home and remember that it’s 2018 and we don’t even own a DVD player. Just stay home!
If you read my most recent post about budgets this next tip won’t come as a surprise. Save early! Christmas gets added to the budget in July at our house. My husband learned early on in our relationship that living with a crazy Christmas person is expensive. So, we save early and we tend to revert back to the envelope method for the holidays. It keeps us (me) honest. When you’re thinking about how much you want to have saved try to think about ALL the expenses that come along with the end of the year. Baking, for example, can be really expensive. Budget for it. If you host parties or dinners don’t forget to include extra money for those. I’ve recently learned that Halloween costumes can be insanely expensive. Having some extra money saved up can help stomach the ridiculous price tag on that plastic Paw Patrol outfit that he’s inevitably going to have to wear his winter coat over anyways. And of course, don’t forget any extra charitable giving you do this time of year. Don’t let something you forgot about throw off your whole holiday budget. Make a list and check it twice (see what I did there). Or check it like 4 times.
The last tip is one that I got from a friend and I thought it was such a fun idea. So, she has a close-knit group of friends who do this, but you could do this with family, neighbors, whomever you want. Everyone loves decorating for the holidays and we all like to switch it up a little every year. In November each year she and her friends do a Christmas decoration exchange. Each lady goes through her decorations at home and brings a few of the items she wants to part with, ornaments, garland, village pieces, trinkets, lights and so on. Over wine, appetizers and Christmas music they swap decorations and each lady gets a little different look in her house every year. She said there are a few items that have spent a Christmas in each of the ladies’ homes. How fun! Even better, whatever doesn’t get snatched up gets donated. What a great way to make some subtle changes to your decorations without spending any money! You could always do this with fall decorations as well. Maybe I’m just a bad person, but I think it would be fun to do an annual drawing for one terribly ugly decoration, like I’m talking allllll the red glitter, and whoever loses MUST display said decoration somewhere in their home. So friends, if you join my decoration exchange you’ve been warned.
I hope you can take at least one of these ideas and apply it to your holidays this year. How do you save money during the holidays? I love hearing, trying and sharing what other people do! Drop me an email if you’ve got any great tips or traditions you love this time of year. And even more importantly, I hope I put a festive little bug in you so we can all be crazy Christmas people together. Don’t let the stress of finances bog down even a minute of your holiday celebrations, plan early and get creative. And focus on what really matters during this time. Always remember, smart savers make smart investors.
Views Expressed are the current opinion of Molly VanBinsbergen, but not necessarily those of Raymond James or RJFS. Opinions are subject to change without notice.
