For many, the holiday season always means financial stress because of the many expenses at hand, and others even go deep a few dollars more because of holiday spendings. So if you find yourself among the holiday buddies that can't keep off scanning the stores on holiday, you surely need to hold back. 

Don't get caught with the fancy ways to enjoy the holidays. There are many ways to celebrate the season without breaking a bank. Read below and be informed on some practical ways to enjoy your holidays:

Create a Budget Plan

Regardless of the simplicity and practicality of the celebration, a holiday season budgeting is necessary. You still need money to fund your celebration, of course, at a minimal expense. So, it would be best to create a budget plan. 

What you should do:

  • Write down your planned activities

  • Make an estimated amount of your projected spending for that particular activity.

  • Determine how much amount you can spend and allocate for your estimated spendings.

  • Plan where to get the funds.

  • Make necessary adjustments if needed.

  • Track your spendings.

Be Creative

During the holidays and in every situation that calls for it, you need to bring out your creative juices. Holidays are among those times of so much financial strain but the best opportunity for you to be creative. 

Creativity includes the way you plan on your financial spendings. Don't strain your pockets; make sure to secure your resources and be creative. Make use of these ideas:

  • Reusing and repurposing 

There must be some items in your house that are no longer in use or have been outdated that you can reuse or repurpose. You can convert these things into something usable, giving them a new value. For example, instead of buying decors for your house, you can always reuse the old ones and put in some embellishments to provide the set with a new life, a new face, and a new glow.

Suppose you want to give some holiday presents, instead of buying new items, you can dig through your closet for some old but unused or slightly used items, repurpose it, and give them a new face value. So there, you now have a gift without necessarily spending too much. Remember: your thoughts and the priceless effort count a lot.

Bake or Cook an Old Recipe 

You or your family members surely have a recipe that you can prepare best. So instead of buying from restos or bakeshops, you can prepare food yourself. You only need to buy the required ingredients and bake or cook. It would save you the amount you supposedly spend for the whole amount of the goods.

Celebrate virtually

The COVID -19 pandemic is not yet over, so if mass gatherings are not possible, there's no reason to postpone the celebration. You can still spend those precious moments with family, friends, and loved ones without meeting face to face. Get up, find time, and use technology to celebrate the yearlong traditions virtually. 

You can bond online while cooking, setting up the dinner table simultaneously, or hanging festive balls on the Christmas tree together. Most of all, you can chit-chat virtually over a holiday-themed dinner, eating that traditional meal together all at the same time from all over the places. 

After dinner, you can extend the celebration by playing fun games. You will need to plan and prepare the tools and equipment you will use for your virtual celebration.

Focus On What You Have and What You Can Do

Focus on the essence of the celebration, not on commercialization. Celebrate and make the holidays memorable by using the things and resources you already have, including your skills, expertise, items, and money.

You can overstretch but not compromise your happiness. You can always make ways but make sure you do not overstress yourself. Let everyone understand that time is not as it was, so you have to live within your means. Please utilize what you have and make the most out of it.

Have an Intimate Family Activity 

It may be very seldom that your family gets together on a shared activity. So for a holiday, it's an excellent idea to have an activity together or redo a traditional family activity that you didn't do for some time. It may be done indoors, like a movie night over popcorn and chocolate treats, or it can be outdoors on a camping site. It can be a simple celebration yet full of memories for every member of your family.

Be Financially Responsible During the Holidays

Memories should be made and must be cherished, especially during the holidays. Creating a memorable holiday doesn't have to cost you much and stress you in the process. Make it as practical as possible by following some of the tips listed above.