10 Ways to Save More Money by Having a Minimal Christmas

[@donnaallgaier-lamberti3933]

My husband and I are seniors on a fixed income. Money (and space in a tiny 1,258 sq. ft condo) can be tight between medical needs, maintenance and repairs on our condo and our one, 2012 vehicle. We made a decision a few years ago to no longer buy presents for each other or our other family members. What we do instead is I cook a homemade Sunday dinner one Sunday a month for my son and granddaughter and we spend the day together. Then at Christmas I write a modest check for my granddaughter's college fund and buy her one small "open me up" present. That is it. My son understands and my and daughter is proud of how much is in her fund now. Often time her present is a high-quality piece of jewelry that becomes both a family memento as well as a gift. She has plenty of toy/presents from other family members, many of which she outgrows quickly or give or tosses away. This works for us and allows us to stay on budget.

[@adawilliams9791]

When my kids were little I was a broke single mom so we've always done the "4 gift rule" plus their yearly ornament. Now that my kids are older they appreciate it because everything they get is truly a gift they will use.

[@Clean-N-ShineInDfw]

Good idea. Thanks for sharing

[@tracyd2598]

I contacted my brother and his girlfriend about exchanging gifts this year. We are all adults, and have enough "stuff", so we're going to go out to dinner together instead.

[@michelleprice5945]

Great idea!!

[@jordanwright2030]

I live in a small town near small towns in Ohio. We have free to the public Christmas themed events going on in different communities. So in the town over we had a parade and my kids were in it cuz we did it with our church they gave out candy you know that was something that was festive and free. Something even more special was actually is this week is a free event in another community next to us they have a live nativity and you can sign up and be a part of it they have ice skating and then they have cookies with Santa and stuff like that but they do have food trucks and such if you wanted to spend a little bit of money that you had in your budget the ultimately it's free to go.

[@janicelovett5457]

I add up all the people I need to buy for and divide by 12. Each month I save that money and have the cash on hand to spend throughout the year when I see sales and know it’s something they would like. I have a notebook with each name and then write down what I purchase so I don’t forget and put it in the Christmas save totes in my closet. I also get the grandkids an ornament each year and purchase them after the holiday on sale for next year.

[@lifebeyondthesalary2458]

We do that too… we’ll, technically we have a certain amount to spend & that’s all we are spending but we get things throughout the year. Generally we have an idea of what we want to get everybody by June & start looking for those items on sale throughout the year

[@kaelaleedaley]

I heard yesterday a giving amount guided by the gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh given to Christ as a child by the Magi. People propose giving 3 gifts maximum to Children to remind them of the true gift that is Jesus Christ and the reason for the season

[@laurenelban6106]

I make my own amaretto and gift it in cool bottles I've saved and repurposed. With a couple cans of ginger ale and a bow 😊

[@The_forest_tales]

I love the idea of giving up presents as an adults. And always diy things could be the best especially thoughtful, useful and from heart. Most importantly remember that good present does not mean expensive present.

[@michaelcarter266]

Shop at marshall’s (or any store like that) over the mall. They sell the same stuff but for way less. I learned that the hard way last year after spend money at the mall and then stoping by Marshall’s and seeing the exact same thing for less. The mall puts it on display and charges you more.

[@JJJ-zf8ri]

That is a good idea but you have to be careful, especially considering beauty and bath items, I have bought way too many items from Marshall’s and TJMaxx that are expired. They sell expired perfumes and makeup all the time. That’s why they’re so cheap, so just check the batch codes to see when it was made.

[@maritbudgets7353]

My husband and I are buying things for each other that we truly need for the house. I've been saving since May for the new no-frills fridge we need. It doubles as a gift. One of my favorite gifts to get from him was a plastic ladle for soup!

[@sarahshriver4805]

We decided years ago, that we (as adult kids) would not do gifts, only gifts for the kids. My parents never wanted us to spend money on them either. Last year in September, my father passed away. My Mom has been decluttering over 50 years of "things" that they have collected or purchased. My Mom told me this year, please dont buy me anything, help me declutter and organize a certain room or area. It is so important to spend time with people. That is what they will remember. Experiences and time together, not a "thing" that takes up space.

[@joelfuselier9731]

Told our adult kids , 15.00 gift for each of us. Harbor freight for dad . Target for mom. Christmas done for 30.00 each.

[@Jss766]

Last year we did matching plaid shirts, so my son will need a next size up every year but husband and I hopefully will be able to use ours multiple years.

[@allymonte7295]

Why do some people buy all this stuff for the holidays? It's a waste. Spending time with friends and family is all I need.

[@juliapearse1514]

Love these ideas! I make fancy shortbread and give these as gifts 😊 small but made with love 👍

[@egr3071]

My husband and I don’t buy each other gifts either. We treat each other all year round. Helps ease the stress

[@desertfish6239]

I no longer buy for co-workers. I use the money to buy for a needy child instead. I have reduced the number of holiday cards I send out. I use to bake several kinds of cookies now I only bake two or three. I make my own centerpiece each year using things I already have around the house. And finally, this year we bought our first artificial tree on sale for $50 (7.5 feet). The real trees were $100 or more.

[@90Stay]

When our kids started middle school, we started getting the old navy Christmas pajama bottoms Then everyone wears some kind of white shirt with them . We hand them out Christmas Eve and go see the Christmas lights in them while eating donuts . It’s one of their 4 gifts and It fits our budget and is a fun tradition we all look forward to .

[@amychirinosphotography]

Planning for us is the key.

[@Christine-cs7xi]

We used to have all our kids (we have5) buy each other gifts, but that really added up and they didn't need extra stuff anyway. Last year, my husband had each if them draw a name and now they just buy a gift for that one sibling. It saves money, it saves on stuff, and it's saved on stress too. They have a lot of fun keeping it a secret who they're buying for and picking out one special thing. We also have the kids make homemade gifts for grandparents, aunts and uncles, so they can give something but it's not super expensive. (They've also learned some neat skills this way.)

[@esgiegee9576]

With my hubby - every year we commit to give each other a 10$ gift. Just so that we can open a gift to each other by the Christmas tree

[@militaryhomes6292]

I told my husband that my gift i want this year is to continue to save up for our down payment for our house.

[@Lindy7069]

I love Christmas It was always such a worrisome time of year for me I wanted to get my kids that really cool what ever you make them happy Christmas morning. I never had the finances for it and did not have credit cards then so it was a blessing !! Grandpa and grandma would mail a huge package for us every year Well now the kids are grown and the grandfolks have passed away. We made it my kids say they always enjoyed their Christmas morning I miss grandpa and grandma. 😢😢

[@Lindy7069]

They were very thoughtful caring people

[@thenewwayhome]

Excellent tips, Rachel! Celebrating this Holiday season is not about how extravagant we're celebrating it, how grandeur of the food we are putting on the table, or the gifts we give to our loved ones. It's all about the quality and memorable time we are having with our family, it's the center of this celebration. Happy Holidays, everyone!

[@lynnshepard7485]

As a grandparent of seven, I’ve finally realized that I don’t have to provide a ton of gifts for the grands. I’m going to let go and let the parents take care of that. 😊 I’m also making as many gifts as I can from my fabric and embroidery stashes. This has been a difficult year financially with food and gas prices rising and paying for so many prescriptions.

[@tracyd2598]

I know the feeling. Many drug manufacturers have programs to help with drug costs. I think it's definitely worth it to contact each one to see about that. It may even be free depending on income. Good luck.

[@lynnshepard7485]

@@tracyd2598 Now that I’m on Medicare, unfortunately the free programs have ended. 🥴

[@tracyd2598]

Some manufacturers do still have programs that can help. You lose nothing by asking.

[@raycruz23]

In my family all of the adults do not buy anything for each other only for the kids which is only 3 (4 next year) of them. It has lifted so much weight off all of us doing so. It also allows us to get better gifts for the little ones than before when we were all buying for everyone and also less clutter for me to deal with.

[@thaimuayshoo1171]

I usually run my wife's credit card through a paper shredder this time of year. Huge savings

[@sfa8uss]

I love Rachael 😊

[@teenindustry]

My partner is French. Christmas is much more minimal. Gifts are more for children. There are parties etc but no need to get an outfit for each one. Matching pjs aren’t a thing. It’s completely done to bring baked goods as a hostess gift. I’m Australian so a bottle of wine is the done thing.

[@kelseyjensen2462]

Is there any chance you could comment where you got that great jacket from?

[@laurenelban6106]

I was thinking the exact same thing!

[@Trissysdollhouse]

I buy a lot of second hand for gifts! Kids do not care! The grownups are the ones that think it has to be new 💯 I spend less than $300 on all 9 kids I buy for! I have never broken the bank over Christmas 🙌🏻

[@jangle318]

One of the things we love doing each year is driving around to look at all the lights. It’s been a tradition since I was little and I love bringing my kids up with the same tradition. What’s even better is some of those houses have Santa (and even Mrs. Claus) and even give little gifts to the kids!! We don’t have to spend any more than a little gas money to have the kids experience meeting Santa (and can get just as good pics on our phones then at the mall, lol). My biggest struggle right now is my daughter asking for an Elf when we’ve never taken part in that tradition and I don’t have it in the budget to keep up with the Joneses on that one. 😩 She sees all her friends with Elves and doesn’t understand why we don’t have one. In the past I’ve used the excuse that Santa knows her twin brother (they are 8 years old and he has autism) wouldn’t take care of the elf if he was in our house, but I don’t know what else to tell her. 😢

[@tracyd2598]

Is there a way to create your own tradition? Similar to, but not exactly the same as the elf thing.

[@paulacrocker9019]

They have a cute little stuffed elf at Dollar Tree you could use.

[@bubbaloo_loo_loo]

Honestly I would just tell her the truth about the elf. I get if you don't want to break the whole Santa story to her but the original Santa didn't have elves anyways. If you don't want to tell her the truth then maybe something along the lines of Santa only sends his elves to the houses of children that have been both good and bad this year so he's not sure which list to put them on yet, so no elf means she's been a very good girl and she is on his nice list

[@Bobby_The_Cat]

I feel so much pressure to buy gifts. Some years I go all out and spend a ton and others I don’t buy anything. I haven’t found a happy medium. FYI I don’t have kids this is just for friends and close family 😅

[@tracyd2598]

Can you get together and have dinner out? Most of us have enough stuff at this point in life.

[@jenniferdavis6346]

I like the idea of using cash, but I’m finding more often that I can’t find what I want at the store and have to order online.

[@susandermond9254]

The music is really distracting

[@schrdngrskat3847]

I can barely even hear it 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@dlee9079]

Quit moving camera!!!