Most people love Christmas. I know I do with gorgeous tree covered with ornaments collected over many years, the wonderful food and best of all, FAMILY. What I don’t love is the January bill orgy. Even though it seems like heresy to think of “frugal” and “Christmas” in the same sentence, there certainly are ways to include all of the joy and none of the debt.
Christmas Decorations
That all-important Christmas tree and its decorations can be very expensive. However, you can save money and spend time with family by cutting your own Christmas tree this year. Many nurseries offer special pricing on their Christmas trees if you cut and haul them yourself. You get to have a traditional family Christmas outing and you also get to save money what could be better than that? You can even turn it into a special occasion where a different member of the family gets to choose the tree that year.
You might also wait until Christmas Eve to purchase your tree. Christmas Eve is the last day of sales for most nurseries and so the prices are much lower than in early December. I can’t imagine doing this, myself, but lots of folks do it.
Take that tree home and decorate it with your favorite ornaments, but be sure to add some homemade crafts to the tree. Add some punch and merry music and you have a mini-celebration even before the actual Christmas holiday.
If you live in an area where Christmas trees are not commonly grown, buy an artificial tree. These trees can last for several years and will save you money every time you use them.
Save Money on Gifts
Instead of buying many presents, buy just one or two that have special meaning for each member of the family. You can also purchase one large gift for the house, like a television or games console, instead of many smaller presents. This will keep everyone pleased and you can even ask family members for those essential items like games and Blu-Ray discs for your new purchase.
If you’re really short on cash this year, simply skip the presents and try to focus on quality time with the family. This can include caroling with friends or taking in a Christmas play at your local church.
Frugal Fun
You might travel to see the Christmas light celebration in a local town or even drive through the neighborhood and admire the houses that are decorated for the holiday.
Having the whole family together is a wonderful way to celebrate the holiday. Stay home together and watch a Christmas movie. Pop some popcorn, wear your pajamas and drink some eggnog while you admire your Christmas tree.
Holiday celebrations are often free or very low cost. Your local library or community center might put on a show. Instead of spending a fortune on holiday gifts, take the whole family to see the show at great budget prices.
Decorate your home with pine boughs and pine cones rather than plastic ornaments. String popcorn with cranberries and use them as your garland. Save the comic strips from your newspaper to give yourself an inexpensive and “green” option for wrapping the gifts that you buy.
You can easily have the best Christmas ever and still spend very little. Those precious moments with your family and the memories that you will keep for ever cannot be bought.
Homemade Gifts For Women
There are many homemade gifts for women that are simple to make and cost very little.
Incense and Potpourri
Incense and potpourri are excellent gifts for any woman. You can sew aFrugal Christmas Ideas For Anyone and Everyonen elegant potpourri pillow with just a bit of floral printed cloth and some lace for the edges. Fill your pillow with potpourri scented in pine and cinnamon and then sew it closed. Edge the pillow with lace or fringe to create a lovely decorative item for any household. The entire project can be created with less than a yard of material, but if you buy a few yards you can create several gifts at once!
Scented Candles
Scented candles are another wonderful gift for the women on your Christmas list. You can mold your own candles from soy, beeswax or even gel materials. These can be scented with any fragrance, including a favorite perfume or an essential oil. The best part about handmade candles is the personalization. You can add beads or wraps to your candles, you can create molded designs or elegant tapers and you can choose the colors to suit each gift. Personal gifts like candles are always appreciated.
Sewing Kits
A medium-sized Mason jar containing all of the essentials for a sewing kit is another terrific gift. Place a handmade pincushion in the jar and then fill it with colorful spools of thread. A pretty thimble and plenty of sewing needles will complete the kit.
Wrap the jar with a piece of lace or ribbon and hot-glue it in place. You can also design a custom label for your jar. Use your computer’s printer to print the label on sticky paper and you have a card as well as a gift! The Mason jar can be stored easily and the sewing kit is always handy.
Fabric Flowers
Fabric flowers and homemade journals also make excellent gifts for women. You can create a whole bouquet of flowers from several colors of leftover fabric. These flowers, when placed in a pretty jar or vase, make a cute and decorative gift.
Journals
A journal printed on elegant paper and bound with a ribbon is perfect for the intellectual woman on your Christmas list. She will appreciate the time that you took to choose the paper and create the custom cover. You can adorn the journal with fabric or make a cover from a canvas painting. Journals are one of the top-selling gifts from craft stores, so making your own special journal will be sure to please.
Homemade Gifts For Men
A homemade gift might not be the first thing you think of when you are preparing for the Christmas holiday. Homemade items like candles and journals are the perfect way to save money on gift-giving for women. But what about homemade gifts for men? Although it does take some creativity, homemade gifts for men are not impossibility.
Barbeque Bags
A simple present for the barbeque fan in your family could include a barbeque bag. You can make a drawstring bag or mesh bag with very little cost or effort. Choose a manly fabric in his favorite color and add a zipper or drawstring closure.
The bag can be filled with barbeque utensils and you might even want to add his favorite sports team’s logo to it. A barbeque bag is perfect for picnic season when the whole family spends time grilling outdoors.
A Day Planner
A day planner is essential for most busy men. You can create a planner on your computer and customize the graphics with photos of the family. Adding one or two family photos to each month’s pages gives him a constant reminder of how much he is loved. This gift is perfect for Christmas and can be used throughout the New Year.
You might also purchase a day planner and customize it with cut-out photos. This present is a little pricier, but well worth the effort. Also, your time and effort in creating it is part of the gift.
Handmade Soaps
Homemade shaving soaps and scented candles can be terrific for the man on your Christmas list. Soaps and candles are simple to make and easy to personalize. With both crafts, you can choose the colors and the fragrances for your gift.
Larger batches of soap can be divided into several gifts, saving you even more money.
Shaving soaps can be luxurious when you add cocoa butter or essential oils to the creation process. These types of gifts are great for men who enjoy a bit of luxurious “spa treatment”. Theyre also great for men with sensitive skin because you can see exactly what is going into the products that you make.
Homemade Gift Certificates!
Homemade gift certificates for special meals are another excellent gift idea for men. You might issue several certificates that he can trade in for his favorite meal or a special dessert. If the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, these gifts are sure to hit the mark.
Other Ideas
Personalizing something that he already owns is another fun idea for Christmas. Maybe he has a favorite wallet or an antique watch. Having a watch inscribed or embossing a leather wallet yourself can make that special item even more unique and you also wont have to buy a new product. Inscriptions and embossing are free or cost very little if you have some basic tools or, simply take it to a professional at a good price.
Everyone appreciates the time and effort that goes into homemade gifts. This Christmas, make it a point to spend your time creating something personal rather than emptying your bank account. Christmas is the season for family and friends; show them how much you care by creating homemade treasures.
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