Christmas on a Budget
Looking to celebrate Christmas on a budget? All of our Christmas activities, gift lists and holiday recipes help you enjoy the holiday season for less money.
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Celebrating Christmas can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. There are plenty of ways to celebrate the holiday on a budget. One way is to focus on family time instead of gifts.
We like to focus on spending time together away from the stresses of work and school. My family enjoys trying new recipes and playing board games together. See more family fun activities below!
As for gift giving, you can get creative and still stay on your family budget. All of our gift guides keep this in mind. With a little planning and creativity, you can celebrate Christmas without breaking the bank.
Family Christmas Fun Activities
Free and low cost Christmas bucket list ideas
Free printable Christmas coloring pages
Holiday charades (coming soon!)
Snowman with Tea Light ornament
Favorite Resources for Christmas
Christmas decor, wrapping and more from DollarTree.com
Ugly Christmas sweaters from Fun.com
Advent calendars from Calendars.com
Christmas Foods
Another fun activity to do with your family is make yummy treats to enjoy on this special holiday. You can enjoy them at home or share at a cookie exchange or Christmas party.
Christmas candy recipes
3-ingredient candy recipes for the holidays
Christmas cookie recipes
Peanut butter trees (naturally gluten-free)
Holiday sugar cookies with sprinkles
More Christmas recipes
Christmas gift ideas
Giving gifts is one of the best parts of the holiday season! But gift-giving can also cause stress, especially when you’re living on a budget. All of our moneywise gift guides keep that in mind, so take a look whenever you’re seeking the right gift:
Stocking stuffers for tween boys
Christmas craft kits for teens
Stocking stuffers for tween girls
Men’s stocking stuffers (coming soon)
More Christmas budget articles
Last minute Christmas shopping tricks
How to save money for holiday shopping
Shopping after-Christmas bargains
One of my favorite traditions at the end of each holiday season is visiting stores to pick up any after-Christmas bargains that I can use right away or store for the following year. There are always a few great finds!
You’ll find clearance prices of 50%, 75%, or even 90% off at stores like CVS, Walgreens and Target. My top categories to find on clearance are:
Food and Miscellaneous
Look for holiday-shaped foods and packaging marked down for big savings. You’ll find Christmas tree-shaped pretzels, snowflake-shaped crackers and other snack foods included in holiday clearance sales. You may also find Ziploc containers, paper towels and household products with holiday prints.
Holiday-themed clothes
Check out Target, Old Navy and Children’s Place (both in-store and online) for cute holiday clothes in next year’s sizes. Often you can pick up themed shirts and leggings for $2-4.00 as opposed to the $8-15 price you’ll pay next December. You may also find holiday-themed socks, pajamas bibs and other items that will make great gifts next year.
Wrapping paper
Look for solid colors that you can use for birthdays throughout the year, not just holiday prints for next year. I typically pick up plain red, green, or brown kraft paper to use during the year. You can find clearance sales at Hallmark Stores for very high-quality wrapping paper.
Toys & other gifts
Hit up the toy clearance aisles for any kid birthdays happening in the first months of the New Year, since stores will need to reduce the inventory they stocked up for the holiday season.
I like to pick up little gifts that will go to teachers and friends next season, like holiday cookie cutters, kitchen towels, and other holiday-printed products. If you buy stocking stuffers each year, pick up holiday puzzle and coloring books on clearance. And at drugstores like CVS and Walgreens, look on the top shelves for gift-packaged toiletries that you use now.
