To me, going frugal and cutting out excess at Christmas has always been a good idea.

As you know, over spending causes a lot of stress and can take a lot of the fun and joy out of Christmas – and the entire year ahead.

Sometimes when we have so much, ironically we don’t appreciate what we have.

Sometimes we get carried away in the moment and regret it later.

REMEMBER – CHRISTMAS IS NOT A CONTEST 

So the first thing that we can do to have a frugal Christmas is to remember that Christmas is not a contest.

Many times when we are stressing about our Christmas budget, our family may be too, but don’t want to be the first to say it, or they may be worried about letting you down.

If you are concerned that your family is going overboard, it may not be a bad idea to suggest a reasonable budget per gift or choose names.

After that, a great way to save money is to really keep an eye on the sale flyers that come through the mail and in the newspaper. 

These often have great deals, and will allow you to compare the sales at different stores so you can save your gas and know exactly where to go. 

You do have to make sure to stick to your plan and not get caught up in the other sales once you’re in the store.  And you may want to go shopping when your kids are not with you if possible.

During the holidays, major retailers quite often send out coupons. If you find one that you want to use, put it right in your purse so that you don’t forget it and go to the store as soon as possible to get it while it’s in stock.

You can save a good amount of money by shopping the sales and using coupons.

Additionally, you might want to do a bit your Christmas shopping on the internet. 

Many different websites offer purchase incentives like the offer of no sales tax or free shipping. 

Additionally, if you are ordering quite a bit you might be able to get a bulk discount. 

By shopping online, you can also get registered with several different retailers so that you can receive coupons and advanced sale notices from them.  

And if you search around, you can get some very unique gifts that you could never buy in a store, and support home or small businesses while you do it. Who knows, you may be helping someone else out to make their own frugal Christmas purchases for their family. 

Not to mention the gas savings and time savings of shopping at home.

Just be sure to order early to allow plenty of time for shipping. 

You might even free up some time to make something yourself instead of buying it at all. 

HOMEMADE CAN BE MAGICAL 

There is something magical for any recipient when receiving something that a loved one has put a lot of time and effort into making, especially in today’s hurry up world.

The amazing thing is that although we may be thinking that store bought is better,the mere gesture of time and effort will quite often make it an even more special present to the recipient. 

Additionally, by making it with your own two hands you will be able to enjoy your creativity and take more pride in what you are going to be gifting your loved ones with. 

You will also be able to keep the cost of your Christmas presents down by hand making them.  You will not incur additional sales tax or retailer markups. 

Instead, you’ll be able to determine a budget for your supplies and you’ll be able to stick with that.

You may even be able to recycle a few items that you already have at home into something beautiful to give. 

Money worries can really suck the fun out of the holiday season, and beyond. 

You will still get to play Santa Claus without going into major debt if you consider your frugal options at Christmas. 

You might be surprised at how much fun you can have while your at it!

IS CHRISTMAS GETTING AWAY ON YOU? 

Or worse, do you wish Christmas would just go away? 

There is always so much to do during the Christmas Season that it can easily get out of hand.

I found myself awake one morning at 3 am stressing and worrying about what I had to do.

I realized that part of the stress was that I didn’t even know what I needed to do?

So I got up and created my Big Christmas List.

After I made it, it occurred to me that you might need some help too, so I put it on a printable file and have made it available as a Queen of KAOS Christmas freebie.

Join the list and get a bunch of other stuff to help you stay organized this Christmas :0) Remember, one of the best ways to save money and take the frugal approach is to be organized. Start now, there’s still time.

Get your Big Christmas List.