Tips to Survive the Holidays

Sticking to a budget can be hard any day of the year. Add in the holidays, and it gets even worse! You may want to throw a lavish party for all of your family and friends. You also want to give your children the best holiday that they could have. Unfortunately, it takes extra money to do all of these things. However, you can stick to your budget even through the busy holiday season. Here are some tips to survive the holidays on a budget.

Know who you want to get gifts for. The best way to stick to a budget is to write a list of everyone that you would like to get gifts for. Don't just include your immediate family members. You may want to get gifts for your children's teachers, your co-workers, and your really good friends. If you don't want to narrow your list down to be more affordable, increase your budget for the following year so that you put money aside for next year's gifts.

Don't throw away the idea of making gifts. Homemade gifts can be a real treasure for people. Can you sew baby doll clothes for your children or niece? What about making ornaments for everyone's Christmas tree? People always love getting ornaments. Are you a mechanic? Can you spend a few hours helping your dad fix the dent in his car? Even little things mean the world to the people that you love.

Personalized gifts are also special. Though personalized gifts cost more money than making something, they don't have to. Even framing a special picture will make someone's day. You can also put your children's pictures on mugs, shirts, bags, or something else. These items make great gifts.  

Don't be afraid to talk to your family and friends about gifts. There is nothing worse than getting a gift from someone that you didn't expect. When you don't have anything to give them, it can be quite awkward. For this reason, you should talk to your family and friends about gifts. If you only want to do gifts for the children, that is fine. If you want to draw names instead of buying gifts for everyone in the family, see if everyone else feels that same way. 

Take time to enjoy the holidays. Too many people focus solely on their wallets that they forget to enjoy this time spent with those that they love. The holidays should be about doing things with your family and friends. It should be about relaxing and not worrying about anything else. So, give yourself a break and just have a good time over the holiday season. Take time to enjoy yourself before you head back to work and your daily life.

Though the holidays can be a hard time to budget, it often helps if you figure out who you want to get gifts for. Then, make as many gifts as you can. You might be able to brighten your grandmother's day just by framing a picture or baking her cookies.

Don't be afraid to talk to your family and friends about gift-giving. If you are struggling, maybe you can skip it (or just buy gifts for the children in the family). You could even exchange names to cut your list down to one or two presents instead of ten or twenty. Then, make sure that you take time to enjoy yourself during the holidays. Live in the present and take time doing fun things with your family.