It's that time of the year when we spend a lot of money, right? Want to save a little? Most people have that mindset that they MUST buy themselves something for Christmas. You could ask yourself this question: do you really need what you intend to buy for yourself? If it's just for Christmas then it's much better to not buy at all. In short, if you want to save some cash, don't buy yourself anything this Christmas.
My Christmas present to myself is to not gain any weight. I will actually save money rather than spend it.
Also, don't bother with Christmas decorations if no one is coming to visit. I prefer to visit other people instead, so I get to save money on not buying new decorations or Christmas trees (which can be very expensive). Also you get to save electricity on those Christmas lights (which are less efficient then newer LEDs!)
Although I won't be able to avoid doing some spending, I am also taking into consideration ways that I can save back money and not spend too much to shop by shopping more cautiously in terms of budget and value. Thankfully Christmas is not being held at my house this year and any decorations that were done, the items are already owned and being re-used.
Spending money during Christmas is inevitable. I try to save as much as I can at the start of the "ber" months. (September to December). In my country, it is typical to give gifts or presents to families, relatives, friends and especially to godchildren. To save money, I only give presents or gifts to children, adults excluded. I need to prioritize my list cause if not, I am sure I would go bankrupt. With regards to Christmas decorations, well, I always love to put up Christmas decorations so I can feel the presence of Christmas at home. To minimize expenses, I used the same old decorations every Christmas. It is just a matter of variety and style.
I am trying to only purchase gifts that will be used. No toys or games this year, mostly clothes for the grandchildren and a few dollars so that they can get what they want.
Well, you could simply try to sell things you don't need anymore and use that money to buy yourself a Christmas present. Or you can detract from a few things you purchase monthly as a want for cheaper things, and then use the extra money to buy a Christmas present with the saved money. Or, you can use the saved money to do a Christmas swap with another person for a certain price value, that way you will get a surprise when opening your gift - you can also do it with a online friend and shop through Amazon or whatever you find that works.
Here is how I save bundles of money. I refuse to purchase presents for any adults! Years ago, I had so many complaints about the Secret Santa gifts that I bought, that was when I vowed never again to buy gifts for adults.
That's what I was thinking as well. I thought of buying myself a Christmas gift, but I know I certainly don't need it at all, so I decided not to spend money on myself at the moment. But I won't be depriving myself of food this Christmas, that's for sure!
I slightly disagree. I think in some cases this is alright but mostly I think it really is important to give yourself a gift especially when you are doing so much to give gifts to others. Personally I have been skipping myself for theist few holidays and after a while I now feel a bit awful about it since I feel like I am putting others first too much and I am sacrificing too much of my own enjoyment and I don't feel like I'm getting as much as I should from the hard work I'm putting in. In my opinion it's still important to treat yourself especially around the holidays when it gets most stressful but I do agree that you should make sure that you are buying something you actually like instead of buying just for the sake of it.
I fully disagree to this thread because I pamper myself during the Christmas season. We are given bonuses by the office so I have money to spend. But don't get me wrong, I am not being wasteful, just buying what I had wanted. Like the shoes that I have been checking from time to time since April or the appliance that I longed for like a new TV. But in saving money in Christmas shopping, I just depend on the discounts and special offers that I would get.
For a while now, my husband and I have not been buying each other any Christmas presents. It's something we agreed on, and instead tend to put a little something aside if there's any to spare, which we then use on the January sales. Now however, we live in another country where we don't have January sales, so we'll have to just do without. We'll go for a nice evening meal, if we don't travel 1 000 km to be with my family.
I used to pamper myself on Christmas season as a way of reward myself after a whole year working and not spending at all, but saving to buy myself some gifts that had the additional value of this festive season. However since I started to pursue a frugal living lifestyle, I don't longer buy anything for me on Christmas, but I still pamper myself cooking and baking things I don't use to prepare any other time of the year.
Well, I think it is important to give yourself a gift. Who knows what you want more than you right? I think if i didn't buy myself a gift I would feel deprived. I think it is important to love yourself as well as others. Besides with some of the great sales that are going on it would be silly not to. You will be paying more for whatever you would buy in a month or two.
