You want the glitz, you want the glam, you want the adventure and the bonding that comes with the holidays but, you have a budget and would want to stick to it.
In this article, we will discuss several ways that will help you make the most out of your holiday without breaking the bank.
Host a Zoom Party
We are living in an amazing global village, traveling and touring can be quite taxing at times, and meeting with family and friends is close to impossible or just not the same.
Seeing that having access to the internet is the only thing that is keeping us connected all over the world, you could organize a zoom party.
This way you will be able to connect with friends and relatives spread throughout the world. You get the chance to see each other, talk, and fellowship together.
Cook Together as A Family
You may have some treasured family recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation. Making a forgotten family recipe together would be a perfect way to bring the family together during the holiday season.
This would be the perfect time to pass down these family recipes to the kids all while having fun and bonding. You could also try making that same usual food that you love but in a different way.
If you usually slice your vegetables, cube them. If you usually steam the vegetables, this time fry them.
Just play around with the recipes, both new and old. Of Course, with the younger ones, you will have to take all the necessary precautions to ensure their safety.
11 Quick Dinner Recipes When On a Tight Budget. Click here to read.
The four gift rule
With the trend of shopping for boat loads of gifts slowly dying off, social media has started picking up on the ‘four gift rule’ gaining.
Although it would require that everyone in this exercise sign up pretty early, it certainly did solve the expenses issue. You pledge to each other that you will only get each other four gifts;
- Something you need.
- Something you want.
- Something to read.
- Something to wear.
You explain beforehand about the rule, as it is meant to create an atmosphere of sitting together and carefully thinking about each gift that one will get the other.
- Click here to check out: Unique Gifts Under $50 for a Budget Holiday.
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Have A Fun and Intimate Game Night with Friends and/or Family
I am sure we all love games and just how competitive they can get. The comradery and creativity that comes with them.
Take charades for example, did you know that you can make sounds during the game? Yeah, just not oral sounds.
Now just imagine all the fun you would have if you played everything from charades to Jenga, to uno and monopoly.
Drive around
Imagine this, pack a thermos of hot cocoa, a few snacks. Dress up warmly if it is during the wintertime and drive around.
During this time, there are a lot of holiday lights that are put around and some houses spare no expense to outdo their neighbors.
Some neighborhoods even have competitions to see who has the best lights put up. If not the lights then just look up and see the fireworks that are set off to celebrate the festivities.
The last resort would be to go window shopping to see the amazing window displays that different stores used. One thing you are sure of is that you will get to see some amazing stuff on that drive.
Wrap the gifts in something other than normal holiday wrapping paper
To start off, the majority of the wrapping paper brands in the market are not recyclable.
Instead of spending so much to get the wrapping paper that might not be used again, you could decide to go with the brown kraft paper and top it off with ribbons that will make it look sleek and stylish.
Or you can replace the brown kraft with newsprint paper that will give it that edgy modern look. As an alternative, you could choose to make your brown decorations and further reuse them for later parties.
This will not only save you some dollars but also act as a means for you to bond with your family as you work together toward coming up with the wrapping and decorations that you need.
Also, Check out: The Best Gifts For Someone Who Loves To Cook.
Organize A Different Kind of Party and Have A Potluck
You have heard it said that many hands make for light work. Instead of going bankrupt buying and preparing all the meals, you could invite friends or family over and have each one bring one meal.
For instance, one person brings the chicken, another the beef, and yet another the cookies for dessert. That way, you have a buffet of sorts.
What is really great about having a potluck is that it not only saves you money in the preparation of the meal but it also helps you in cutting down on the amount of labor you would have to put in in order to come up with the whole holiday for the whole group of family or friends that you plan to have over.
Host A Movie Night
For this idea, instead of going out to the movie theatres or cinemas, you could just throw your pillows and cushions all together in the living room in front of the television and host a Netflix party where you have movie or series marathons at the comfort of your own home.
Alternatively, to make it more sentimental, you can choose to watch old family movies as you reminisce on the old days and times. These family movies will be a huge hit and bring joy to everyone present.
You will be able to relive the times when our parents and grandparents rocked those crazy hairstyles and had that awkward fashion phase.
This way, not only will you have saved the money that you would have used to purchase the tickets with but you will also get to spend quality time with your loved ones.
And not to worry if you do not have any home movies as yet, it's never too late to start and you could use this as a good time to start.
Go Camping or Glamping in Your Backyard
I know, it seems impractical and sort of silly but trust me, you will not regret it.
Just picture this, the fun of camping, staying up late, roasting marshmallows over the fire, telling all manner of scary stories, looking up at the stars, all snuggled up in your sleeping bag and tent, the fresh outdoor air.
I mean, who would not want to enjoy all these things? I know I would.
Select a price limit and/or theme for the celebrations
In this day and age, the majority of adults have already stopped the tradition of buying gifts and unwrapping them. But if you were to host a party you could set a price limit on the gifts to be brought for each other.
If people resist this, then you can set a theme that will still ‘control’ the price of the gifts that are brought.
Themes like Consumable gifts, Handmade gifts, Personalized Album, Second-hand gifts, or even books.
You still have the party, no ‘price limit’ but still manage to keep the spending to a minimum.
Help someone in need
If you have leftovers from that thanksgiving dinner or the Christmas dinner this would be an amazing time to also teach the kids one of the most valuable lessons that we can teach; How to do something to help someone else.
All you will need to do is put the food in Tupperware, add a fork, and give it to someone in need.
The kids learn to give rather than take, and in this process, they learn how to value the act of giving as well as experience how it makes them feel inside.
Create your own traditions
Instead of taking that expensive trip abroad, or making all the plans of driving down to spend the holidays with the larger family, how about you start making your own family traditions.
Prepare the children, if they were looking forward to playing with all the cousins, by telling them that as a family you will be trying something different this year.
Mention things like going to the town festivals that happen, discovering parts of the town you usually do not go to. Or you could stay at home and celebrate in your own unique way.
Ask everyone in the family to write down what they would like to do and as a family, decide which ones to go with. Limit it to at most two suggestions to avoid unwanted stress. Have a healthy balance between the fun, the going to festivals, and quiet time as a family.
Of course, this list is not exhaustive as there are so many more things that you can do that will go a long way in creating memories that will not leave you having to take out a loan at the bank just to survive after the holidays.