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Budgets and Bargains
Cutting Costs at Christmas: Low-Cost, No-Cost Ways To Celebrate with Kids
Cutting costs at Christmas doesn't mean celebrating like Scrooge. It's not about what you buy--it's about what you do!
Putting "celebration" at the center of the season--and taking the focus off of gifts and giving--can be the key to happy holidays that don't break the bank.
Better, when it comes to kids and Christmas, cheap is good! Simple, inexpensive family activities can be as meaningful as pricey Nutcracker tickets--and no need for scratchy dresses or dress-up suits.
Try these no-cost, low-cost ways to celebrate the holiday season with kids:
Healthy and Frugal Halloween Treats
Handing out Halloween treats to neighborhood trick-or-treaters can be a pricey affair, not to mention that traditional Halloween candy is a nutritional nightmare.
Looking for ideas for Halloween treats that are both healthy and frugal?
Bankrate.com has some creative ideas for inexpensive alternatives the trick-or-treaters at the door. Save money and keep the children healthy with these tips:
Save Money On Christmas: 20 Tips To Cut Holiday Spending
With cold financial winds beginning to blow this Autumn, we're all looking for ways to save money on Christmas. If you're trimming your holiday budget this year, take a tip--or 20!--from Real Simple.
This compendium of money-saving ideas covers includes lots of common-sense solutions--and a few fresh and creative ideas to celebrate without breaking the bank.
We liked the clutter-cutting benefit of this tip:
Skip the tree skirt. Instead of buying a fancy tree skirt that makes an appearance once a year, buy or use a tablecloth or a piece of fabric that is four to five yards long. Wrap it around the tree’s base during the holiday season, then wash and reuse it as a tablecloth during the rest of the year.
Track Holiday Spending with an Online Worksheet
The darker side of the Christmas holiday season? Spending! Too often, sentiment and commercial pressures lead to overspending on everything from gifts to decor, food to festivities.
When the holiday spirit sweeps in, it's time to hold onto your wallet--and this online holiday spending worksheet from SmartMoney.com is designed to help.
With categories from gifts to travel to entertainment, it'll keep Christmas buying in check. Unlike our paper-based holiday budget planner, this interactive worksheet tracks spending as you go.
Because nobody needs credit card debt for Christmas:
Christmas is Coming: Summer Savings Tips
Summer's here ... time to think Christmas?
Sure--if you want to stay debt-free. The summer season is the right time to think ahead to the financial demands of the holiday season. Starting a savings plan during the summer months makes sense--and cents.
Get the summer savings how-to with this article from MotleyFool.com. Best tip? Pay Santa first!
Seasonal Saving: A Shopping Trick We Love
Reading shopping blog Consumerist, I found my head nodding in agreement as I scanned their list of "10 Shopping Tricks That Stores Hate". Number 9 is a strategy near and dear to the hearts of all OrganizedChristmas.com members:
Buying Seasonal Items at Clearance Prices (For Next Year): Seasonal items are a big deal for retailers and once the holiday is gone they need to make room for the next one. Their haste makes waste and you can take advantage of it. Buy now for next year. Another good idea is to buy "seasonal" candy after the season is over. So what if your M&Ms are brown and orange or red and green. Still tastes like awesome.
Why They Hate It: Stores want you to buy their seasonal crap at full price, when its most profitable, not during clearance when they sell it at cost or below."
Now, all they need is a Christmas notebook to remind them of the seasonal stash next fall, and the Consumerist kids'll be honorary OH Elves! (Catch the full article here.)
Free Online Holiday Gift Planner
Planning a gift list and tracking the holiday budget just got simpler with this online holiday gift planner from Zion's Bank.
Customer or not, if you're willing to register an e-mail address, you can use this free online gift list and budgeting tool:
20 Ways To Save During The Holidays
The holiday season can be hard on the budget. Find ways to save money shopping for gifts, decorating, travel and entertaining with these ideas from RealSimple.com:
Insider's Secrets for Holiday Shopping
From CNN Money, five insider tips to save money on Christmas gifts. Try these suggestions to beat the crowds and lower seasonal sticker shock this year:
Dealing with Holiday Credit Card Debt
Here at OC, we try--we really do--to support our members with festive AND frugal ideas for celebrating the holiday season. But for many families, holiday debt is a way of life.
Get a grip on holiday credit card debt with these tips from Getting Finances Done. You'll find ways to wrap up the past season--and prepare for a debt-free Christmas, 2007:
