Saving Money on Christmas

Today starts the 12 Weeks of Christmas over at Modern Mommyhood, so today's post is about Christmas to celebrate this new carnival.

I recently talked about how to be more organized for Christmas and many of those concepts will help you save money too. I would love to hear how others save money so feel free to leave me a comment.

Budget: Make a budget and stick to it. Remember the list of gift recipients you made - go find that list and put a dollar amount next to each name. Also, make a budget for food and parties.

Intentional shopping: Have you ever gone to the mall or a store just to see what they have and come out with more than you planned on buying? I'm sure most of us have and this is where intentional shopping comes in. Do not go to a store just to browse around. Go in knowing what you intend to buy and then only buy that item(s). Since I began intentional shopping over a year ago, I've saved hundreds of dollars.

Buy ahead: Start collecting food and gift items now when you see them on sale. I save a lot of money at the grocery store by using The Grocery Game. Sign up now to begin creating a stockpile of grocery and toiletry needs for the holidays. Many of these great finds can be turned into a gift basket or donated to the needy. I've been watching the craft stores too for supplies on sale so when I get ready to make Christmas gifts, I have all my supplies for a fraction of the cost.

Homemade: Not everything needs to be homemade, nor should it be but you can save some serious dough by making a few things. Over the next few months (starting tomorrow) I will feature a few of the homemade things I am either doing or have done over the years. My problem this is year is that I have more ideas than I have people to give them to.

Have a few go to meals on hand: We all know the holidays are crazy and in my household there are many times I want to turn to fast food to save a few minutes. If I plan ahead though, dinner can be ready in no time and it will be much healthier. I'm planning on putting a few casseroles and soups in the freezer to have on hand for those crazy days. I will also be using my crockpot a lot. Nothing is better than coming home to a home cooked meal ready and waiting for you.

So, what are you doing to save money during the holidays this year?
If you signed up for The Grocery Game, I would appreciate you using me as a referral. My referral email is light52b at yahoo dot com. Thanks!