The holiday season is upon us. Christmas decorations are up in the store. With holiday sales for pre-season shoppers and turkeys are in the supermarket, it is only a matter of time before I see eggnog and those yummy Christmas flavored coffee creamers.
Money & the Holidays
Money & the Holidays
Thanksgiving and Christmas are delightful! I spend the entire Thanksgiving week decorating the entire house for Christmas, taking everything off the walls and tabletops and replacing it with Christmas decorations. Holidays recipes are already sitting on my kitchen counters waiting to be chosen for the season's baking fests.
But, as I have begun stocking up for holiday baking and purchasing a few Christmas presents, I have to admit that I am a little stressed out about money. You see, I have five children and two additional people live with our family. Christmas is expensive in our house. Stuffing the stockings alone costs me a ton of money. Thanksgiving dinner is another big expense looming ahead.
You already know from my columns that I don't believe in borrowing, so we don't go into debt at Christmas, but we do spend more money every year than we plan. And truthfully, in past years, we've had enough money to save carefully and be able to lavishly spend on our children. (Well, lavish for us!)
Rein in Spending
But, as I have begun stocking up for holiday baking and purchasing a few Christmas presents, I have to admit that I am a little stressed out about money. You see, I have five children and two additional people live with our family. Christmas is expensive in our house. Stuffing the stockings alone costs me a ton of money. Thanksgiving dinner is another big expense looming ahead.
You already know from my columns that I don't believe in borrowing, so we don't go into debt at Christmas, but we do spend more money every year than we plan. And truthfully, in past years, we've had enough money to save carefully and be able to lavishly spend on our children. (Well, lavish for us!)
Rein in Spending
How about you, dear readers? Are your finances tighter too? We are probably all in the same boat of wanting to bless our families at Christmas, but feeling like we cannot afford it! Or, at least we cannot celebrate the holidays the way we want to.
So, let's make a plan for the holiday season together. First of all, realize that your desire to bless your family and friends is noble. Our Heavenly Father is generous. He loves to bless His children. We are made in His image, so we want to bless those we love too! The second thing to remember is that celebrations cost money! That's just the bottom line. Let's make plans to spend as little as possible while having a grand celebration!
You can find more practical ideas in the next article, 'is the Season to be Frugal II.
Wishing you a Frugal Holiday Season!
Merey
(Meredith Ludwig Curtis)
So, let's make a plan for the holiday season together. First of all, realize that your desire to bless your family and friends is noble. Our Heavenly Father is generous. He loves to bless His children. We are made in His image, so we want to bless those we love too! The second thing to remember is that celebrations cost money! That's just the bottom line. Let's make plans to spend as little as possible while having a grand celebration!
- Here are some ways to have a frugal holiday season.
- Commit the holidays to the Lord
- Resolve not to go into debt
- Decide how much you can afford and make a realistic budget
- Look for ways to cut corners and save money
- Pitch in with family and friends to rein in spending.
You can find more practical ideas in the next article, 'is the Season to be Frugal II.
Wishing you a Frugal Holiday Season!
Merey
(Meredith Ludwig Curtis)
RSS Feed
