We all know how January can be difficult due to all the expenses of the last days of December to have a joyful and merry Christmas, buy the gifts, do the long distance calls or offer a variety of good food to guests and family members for the Christmas Eve dinner.
But no worries, with the below tips you will be able to save a lot and continue being happy even with your January financial balance.
1. Plan everything
You may think that this is so obvious and logical that you even get to wonder why we placed it as a useful advice. Well, we did, because it actually is. Some people tend to ignore how important planning ahead is. It will help you be prepared, use all coupons and promotional offers out there and save a lot without risking to pay high prices and buy everything you need at the very last moment.
2. You can do lots of things yourself
When it comes to decorating the house, remember about all those craftworks you used to do together with your mom and dad when you were little. All that knowledge could come in very handy now. You can spend just a little money on paper and other crafting materials and become a kid while creating sparkling decorative starts and flowers for your home or Christmas tree. Doing so, you can create joyful playtime moments for your kids too and at the same time save a lot of money.
You can prepare some greeting cards or do the gift-wrapping yourself too. Parents and relatives always appreciate the time and efforts you placed on preparing something for them.
3. Spread your shopping
To avoid buying everything during one month and risking to go crazy on December, try to do separate shopping sessions even months ahead and put everything in the freezer. While for the gifts, you can anytime buy them online or even directly in the local shops if you don’t expect further seasonal sales on them.
4. Nothing’s more precious than good memories
Do not underestimate the ability of a child to appreciate good and joyful time spent together in the family. Rather than buying expensive gifts or trying to organize expensive trips to Disneyland, you can look up the local events that include Santa and other seasonal activities and offer that kind of entertainment to your children. Skiing, making the snow angels on the backyard, building up Frosty or doing the Christmas tree together will always remain in their hearts and minds.
On the same principal, you can decide to print out family photographs or gift stamped t-shirts to your family members. It will definitely put a bigger smile on their faces than bringing some expensive staff from the shopping center.
5. It can’t be Christmas if you don’t cover up in blankets
Remember those sweet romantic movie scenes where she is wearing woolen socks and covered in thick blankets when he knocks on her door to wish her Merry Christmas? Well, you can somehow try to reproduce the same feeling of coziness and also save at the same time. You have to buy gifts to family members, so why not woolen socks or blankets? This way they will all feel like exactly that movie scene and you will also save on electricity bills until spring.