Almost everyone overspends in the run-up to Christmas and regrets it in the lean month of January. The good news is that there are some very quick and easy ways in which you can make your hard-earned cash go further this Christmas.
Send Christmas e-cards or Print Your Own Christmas Cards. You may not wish to send Christmas e-cards to everyone on your Christmas card list, but, if you are on a tight budget, it makes sense to send at least some e-cards. You will not only save money on buying paper cards and envelopes but you will also save money on postage, especially if the recipients live overseas. Another option is to print your own Christmas cards using designs that can be downloaded free of charge from the Internet. Some designs allow you to incorporate your own photos, which is a nice idea if you live far from family and friends. It is also possible to print out envelope shapes and fold and glue them together to make your own envelopes, This is more cost effective than buying them and gives your Christmas greetings a personal touch too.
Don’t Buy Any New Christmas Decorations This Year. Most families already have several boxes of Christmas decorations, yet it is easy to be seduced by the Christmas spirit in the run-up to Christmas and buy even more decorations Take out all of your Christmas decorations well in advance and decide which ones you will re-use this year. If you have some time, look on the Internet for instructions and set aside some time at the weekend for the whole family to make new decorations together. Try and use only materials that you already have. Paper chains, for example, are a great decoration to make, as you only need paper, scissors, and glue or scotch tape.
Buy as Much Own-Label Food as Possible. Food bills over the holiday season are always high, whether you are just having a few friends over for a small party or whether you are inviting the whole of your extended family. In order to reduce your spending on groceries at this time of the year, buy as many supermarket own-label products as possible. Own-label products are usually of a similar quality to branded products with the only difference being that the packaging is plain. Your guests will not be able to tell the difference unless they see the packaging. If you are in doubt about the quality of a certain own-label product.
If you recently lost your job or had unforeseen expenses, you may find it difficult to pay for all the extras that you normally provide your child. It may be painful to trim your budget. One of the places to trim excess immediately is the amount of money that you spend on holidays. This brief blog entry explores three ways to save money in the specific context of Halloween.
The second method to save concerns the purchase of seasonal merchandise. When you want to decorate your house for Halloween, you can be tempted to go to the dollar store or super-center and buy things for inside and outside of your home. All of these expenses are in addition to Halloween candy, your child’s costume, and toys that you typically buy. One way to save money is to buy one or two decorations and a decent toy for your child to enjoy. All of the trimmings for your home’s interior and exterior are really unnecessary unless you are hosting a Halloween party.
With gas prices rising ever higher, it has become more important than ever before for every driver to save money and gas wherever he or she can. After all, buying less gas not only helps you have a fatter wallet, but in these uncertain times it helps make the country as a whole less dependent on foreign oil. In addition to reducing the country’s exposure to volatile parts of the world and saving money, cutting down on the burning of fossil fuels may even help to protect the planet and keep it clean and green.