How To Afford Christmas On A Tight Budget

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Christmas: It’s the most wonderful time of the year! It’s also one of the most expensive!! With gifts, food, and decorations to buy, this is the time of year when we can all go a little overboard with our spending. This is also the time of year when our household bills go through the roof, thanks to the devices we will have plugged in, and the heating that we turn up to the max to protect us from the winter chill.

It’s the most expensive time of year indeed, but if you’re living on a tight budget, there are things you can do to make savings. 

#1: Take advantage of any bargains you can find. Black Friday has come and gone now, and so too has Cyber Monday. But there may be other sales happening in your area, and many online retailers will be looking to improve their fortune by offering discounts and special deals in the run up to Christmas. Check out the clearance sale on these tees shirts, for example. So, when you’re looking to buy gifts, foods, or any other item for your Christmas festivities, shop around for bargains instead of buying everything at premium prices. 

#2: Make your own. “Make your own what?” we can imagine you asking, to which our response has to be…everything! You can make your own Christmas decorations, instead of adorning your house and your tree with decorations from the store. You might be able to make your own gifts too, such as baked food gifts, homemade beauty products, and anything else that you can turn your hands to. And you could make your own Christmas cards too, and probably a few of those other things that you regularly buy from the store at this time of year. 

#3: Unplug from your electronic devices. Many of us spend a lot of money adding technology to our homes, but there is one caveat to this: The devices we buy can also be expensive to run. We are thinking of our TVs, our games consoles, our iPads, and any of the other devices that we might spend more time with over the Christmas period. To save money, unplug from your devices during the festive season, and encourage others in your household to do likewise. We aren’t condoning a 24/7 ban, but as Christmas is all about being with the people we love, you could arrange games nights, winter walks, and other activities that will encourage bonding while not running up your electricity bill.

#4: Find other ways to save on your household bills. Do you need all the lights on over Christmas? Why not choose candles instead. And do you need to have your heating on high? You might not need to if you can all wear your Christmas pullovers, and if you can fix any draft problems ahead of time. You could use LED lights on your Christmas tree too, as they will be cheaper than the more expensive alternative. These are just some of the ways to reduce your household bills at Christmas, but consider what else you might do to make savings. 

Christmas: It can be the most wonderful time of the year if you don’t have to worry about the expense, so follow our suggestions to make savings in your home this festive season.

Photo by Kari Shea

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Mavian Arocha-Rowe

Mavian Arocha-Rowe

Editor-in-Chief at Chispa Magazine
Mavian Arocha-Rowe is known as an asset to the business and communications industry and is motivating and advocating “your authenticity should be your strategy,” for all women, regardless of their season and roles. For the past 20 years she has directed magazines, plus multiple art and marketing departments as creative director and brand manager. What supersedes all of her great career moves is her role as wife and mother living in Atlanta. Challenging herself to discover and bravely pursue the calling for her life, Arocha-Rowe helps other women discover and pursue their life’s assignment. She is a passionate, and loud-laughing speaker on the topic of purposefully redeemed, and mentors young women so they can exercise a mind that is doctrinally pure, along with a heart that beats toward sanctification. She will almost never turn down Marlow’s Tavern double-tavern cheeseburger, a cooking-demonstration from Leaning Ladder, or any opportunity to head to Miami to spend time with family.
Mavian Arocha-Rowe

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Mavian Arocha-Rowe

Mavian Arocha-Rowe is known as an asset to the business and communications industry and is motivating and advocating “your authenticity should be your strategy,” for all women, regardless of their season and roles. For the past 20 years she has directed magazines, plus multiple art and marketing departments as creative director and brand manager. What supersedes all of her great career moves is her role as wife and mother living in Atlanta. Challenging herself to discover and bravely pursue the calling for her life, Arocha-Rowe helps other women discover and pursue their life’s assignment. She is a passionate, and loud-laughing speaker on the topic of purposefully redeemed, and mentors young women so they can exercise a mind that is doctrinally pure, along with a heart that beats toward sanctification. She will almost never turn down Marlow’s Tavern double-tavern cheeseburger, a cooking-demonstration from Leaning Ladder, or any opportunity to head to Miami to spend time with family.