Categories

Content Type

Sources

10 ways to save money this holiday season

By Amy Bertrand, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Source: MCT News Service

1. Make a budget and stick to it. Plan everything you need using a notebook or an Excel spreadsheet. Write down everything you will need to spend time and money on, including decorations, parties, gifts and even travel.

2. Use real silverware and plates for your holiday dinner. The price of disposable stuff can really add up.

3. Buy in bulk. Stock up on wine or fancy olive oil by the case to use as hostess gifts or gifts for co-workers.

4. Shop early and mail your gifts using standard postage. Also, if you are mailing heavier items, mail them at a flat rate, which means you pay the rate based on the size of the box, not how much it weighs.

5. Draw names. There are several ways to do this. You could do Secret Santa in which members of a group are randomly assigned other members to whom they anonymously give a gift. Or you could draw names and purchase gifts for that one person. Or you could do a White Elephant exchange in which each person contributes one gift and ultimately walks away with one different gift from the game.

6. Give fancy wrapping paper the heave-ho. It's much more eco-friendly to wrap your gifts in recycled newspaper or butcher paper anyway. For an added personal touch, buy a roll of brown or solid colored paper and some ink pads, make some potato stamps with your children (simple shapes like trees or bells are easy to carve), and then let them embellish the presents with the stamps. So cute ... and it also gives an "organic" feel to the packaging.

7. Re-gifting is becoming more socially acceptable since the days of "Seinfeld." Just make sure you don't forget who gave it to you.

8. Have a covered dish party rather than making everything yourself. Or have your party earlier in the day and serve only hors d'oeuvres. Or have the event later in the evening with only desserts.

9. Instead of going out to buy new things, trade decorations with a friend or neighbor. Hey, it's new to you.

10. Personalize your Christmas tree by reusing the ornaments passed down through generations. Decorate your home in family heirlooms rather than the newest store decor.