If you’re anything like me, you have already considered your holiday budget and have started planning on how much the holidays are going to cost you this year.
It is so important not to lose momentum as we end 2020 (and what has been a pretty hard year for most of us). For those that have been fortunate enough to continue working from home, we’ve undoubtedly cut costs including travel and commuting expenses and buying meals and coffees at the office.
As we head into the holiday season, I encourage you to do a quick audit of your spending this year and take note of what you were able to cut out of your budget.
Be mindful and intentional with your spending this holiday season, one way to do that is to set a holiday budget or at the very least think of ways to save during the holidays.
The holidays are not about spending money (although it may seem that way) and trust me I have spent some broke holiday seasons during law school and I was still able to make my home feel festive with my Dollarama decorations.
Here are my top tips:
1. Reuse and repurpose last year’s holiday decor
I know it’s hard not to get caught up in the aesthetic of the holidays and excessive spending on decor, only to be used for a couple months (if that).
I think if you already have a good amount of decor from previous years I would try to find a way to reuse and repurpose that decor. I will definitely be reusing all my decor from last year.
Utilize instagram and pinterest for inspiration. To do a new themed Christmas tree each year is just not feasible is you’re not a blogger or youtuber that makes a living out of creating this type of content.
Instead, I would encourage you to reuse last years decorations and if you want to switch it up find ways to integrate your existing decor rather than just buying all new pieces. There are so many ways to DIY and repurpose your existing decor to change it up (think putting your ornaments in a glass vase for example rather than hanging them up).
2. Make your own gifts
This is a great one. I think a lot of people appreciate a handmade, hand crafted gift. I know personally, it becomes more and more difficult to give gifts as most of my friends are in a position where if they want something they would purchase it themselves. I know sometimes we get gifts that the recipient didn’t even know they needed which is also a nice surprise.
If you’re a baker, bake some cupcakes or a box of cookies to give as gifts, people love this! Or if you love to knit, knit a scarf instead of buying one. Taking the time to create a gift always makes it much more meaningful. If you are artistic consider creating your own holiday cards (there are countless youtube tutorials) and a great personalized holiday card may double as framed art for the recipient!
3. Repurpose holiday outfits
Ok this is a hard one for me especially since I am a shopaholic and love clothes. During a normal year when we’re not in a midst of a pandemic, I usually have a bunch of holiday parties to attend whether it be for work, with friends or with family. I always find it fun to buy outfits for these occasions but in true shopaholic fashion that usually meant an outfit for EACH party/event.
Of course given the situation this year, multiple events and parties are not going to be much of a concern. But in general, think of ways to repurpose existing pieces for events. The best way to do this is to use pinterest or instagram to discover new ways to purpose something you already have (ie outfit combinations). I know this is more difficult when you have more formal events where your outfit is a dress but consider perhaps wearing a different pair of shoes or accessorizing that dress/outfit differently.
4.Limit spending for yourself
Here’s another habit that a lot of us get caught up in. With the holidays also come all of these great deals (Black Friday and Cyber Monday). It’s so easy to make this holiday exercise a shopping one for ourselves. Here’s a way to avoid this: plan and budget and then stick to it.
If there are certain items you have been waiting to go on sale and you have planned for this purchase, by all means go ahead and bite the bullet! But I caution against the mindless adding items for yourself, unplanned just because its on sale.
When coming up with your holiday budget, keep a list of things that you need that you plan on purchasing if it goes on sale, that way there are no out of control surprises later when you’re auditing your spending.
5. Narrow your gift list by combining gifts
This is a great way to cut down your list. If you’re shopping for kids (I have cousins and a nephew), I think its cool to give them a shared gift that they can all use together. I like giving educational gifts (yes I’m that aunt LOL) because although they can sometimes be more costly, they are often well worth the investment.
In terms of buying for friends, buying gifts for a couple is great instead of individual gifts. Home gifts are great for a couple (think of decor items like a blanket or a gift basket with wine and other food items). This is something that is usually well used and enjoyed and way better for your wallet!
