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Holidays on a Budget: Money-Saving Ideas
The holidays are fast approaching, and this year lots of people are watching their budgets very carefully. Here are a few tips to save money without losing the spirit of the season. Homemade Wrapping Paper
Instead of buying expensive wrapping paper, use what you have in the house. Wrap smaller gifts with colorful magazine pages (or tape pages together for larger boxes). Use colorful comic pages from the newspaper to wrap children’s gifts. Brown paper sacks from the grocery store with raffia or twine for ribbon makes an old-fashioned looking wrap. Use your children’s art as wrapping paper.
Bows and Ribbons Lots of household objects can be used for ribbons and bows. Instead of ribbon, you can use colored yarn, embroidery thread, string or twine (for an old-fashioned look). To replace expensive, store-bought bows just tie a simple bow with yarn or twine; use silk flowers or plants to clip a flower, bud, or leaf cluster to use as a bow. Make a bow using strips of fabric, felt, or colorful paper -- play with different shapes then tape them nice and tight. Got an old boa around? The feathers can brighten up any package. Gift Tags Gift tags can be made from almost anything – old Christmas cards, wrapping paper, or just pretty paper you have on hand. Simply cut to the size you want, fold in half, write your message, and tape to the package. You can make the tags fancier by using scalloped crafting scissors or a hole-punch to add a special flair. Limit the Number of Gifts to Buy Many families opt to draw names for gift-giving rather than having everyone buy an individual gift for everyone else. Put all the names in a hat and have everyone draw one. That way, each person only buys a gift for one family member. A Family Get-Together Instead of Gifts If your family buys gifts for every extended family member, you might consider having one big family get-together instead of purchasing individual gifts. Make it a potluck and everyone can bring food and drinks. If you gather at someone’s house, have lots of board games and movies for the kids to enjoy, or meet at a place that offers lots of fun – like an ice skating rink – the only cost is the skate rental and hot cocoa. Decorations If you need additional decorations this year, consider having your children make holiday art from construction paper and craft items you have on hand, like beads and sequins. You can also use natural items to decorate. Pine cones, pine needles, dried grasses, nuts, and berries can be used to create a pretty Christmas mantle or centerpiece. Or try your hand at making a holiday garland out of pieces paper, fabric, or felt cut into the shape of mittens, wreaths, Santa, stockings, holly leaves, snowmen, etc. String them together being sure to tie a knot on both sides of the cut-out to keep it in place.
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