It’s been some time since I wrote a Christmas in July post. However, I was thinking about Christmas gift ideas a little bit last week, so I decided it is the perfect time to write another post of this variety.
As I’ve noted previously, I don’t write Christmas in July posts to usher in the Christmas season prematurely; I write them to facilitate early planning so that the Christmas season will be less chaotic. Today’s topic, which is how to take steps throughout the year to make Christmas affordable, is a great example of this.
These ideas have the potential to make Christmas a lot easier on the wallet, but they require a little bit of planning and organization. Would any of these strategies be beneficial to you?
Steps to take throughout the year to make Christmas more affordable
Budgeting
Most of us receive the same paychecks in December that we do the rest of the year. This means there will be no influx of money to make it easy to pay for Christmas. Saving a little each month is typically the simplest approach for making sure money is available once December arrives. To make this work, determine how much you need for Christmas (for gifts, food, travel, etc.) and divide this amount by how many paychecks you receive each year. Set aside this much each payday.
Another thing to consider is that there may be times when you have a little extra available. For example, my husband gets paid every 14 days, so we base our monthly budget on the amount he receives in two paychecks. Because some months are longer than 28 days, this means there are a couple of months when he receives a third paycheck. This pay isn’t figured into the monthly budget, so we can set some aside for things like Christmas. This may be an option for you, or you may have other times throughout the year where you have a little extra money on hand, such as if you receive a tax return or if you earn money by having a garage sale. An additional option is taking on a temporary job to earn a little extra.
Gifts
Depending on your family’s approach, gifts can be one of the pricier aspects of Christmas. Thankfully, there are many ways to do budget-friendly gift giving.
Consider an alternative gift exchange
There are many ways to do fun gift exchanges that don’t require family members to buy expensive gifts and/or gifts for each family member. Options include Secret Santa, White Elephant, gift auctions, and stocking stuffer exchanges. Check out this post for a long list of gift exchange ideas (and instructions for how to complete each).
Buy gifts when they are in season
Once you know what you are doing for gift giving, you can make a list of what items you want to purchase as gifts. Having this list means you can purchase gifts when they are “in season.” When something goes on sale, you can snag it and cross it off the list. For example, if you are buying art supplies for a child, you might be able to find these on sale for great prices during back-to-school sales. If you are buying camping gear for an outdoorsy cousin, you might be able to find these on sale at the beginning of summer or on clearance at the end of summer. Items like ties and aftershave are typically on sale in June (for Father’s Day). Likewise, paper shredders are often on sale in April. This chart provides a good overview of when various items are likely to be priced well.
Keep generic gifts on hand
One useful thing my husband and I did early in our marriage was to keep a few generic gifts on hand. If we were given a nice item that we had no use for, we’d set it aside and consider giving it later when we needed a gift for a family member we knew would love the item. I know folks who shop for items on clearance for this same purpose. When they find good gift items (travel mugs, bathrobes, slippers, wireless headphones, etc.) at low prices, they purchase them for gift giving later in the year.
Travel
Travel can really drive up the price of Christmas. Thankfully, there are ways to moderate the cost. If you plan to fly, remember that fares tend to increase as Christmas nears. To get the lowest airfare, it is best to book at least 3-5 months in advance (source). In other words, you’ll want to purchase your tickets by October. For a comprehensive look at ways to save on flights, as well as numerous ways to save when traveling by car and on lodging, check out this post.
Food
Planning your Christmas menu in advance can also help you save money. Nonperishable items (canned vegetables, many baking supplies, crackers, etc.) can be purchased months in advance, so stock up on these whenever they go on sale.
Next year’s Christmas
Stores often have great clearance sales after Christmas. If you know you will need particular items next year (artificial trees, lights, wrapping paper, bows, etc.) the days following Christmas are the best time to grab these.
Final thoughts
None of these ideas are specific to July, of course, but now is a great time to get started planning if you need to be careful with Christmas spending. I already stocked up on wrapping paper during clearance sales after Christmas. I’ve begun working on our gift list so we can watch for sales on the items we’ll be purchasing for gifts.
What things do you do to afford Christmas? Please share your ideas with us!
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