Money Saving Mom®

Guest post from Kalyn of Creative Savings Blog.

We budget for groceries, household supplies, mortgage payments, and even entertainment funds. But have you ever thought about budgeting for Christmas?

I mean, it makes sense, right? The busiest time of the year can also be the most draining on our wallet.

While those beautiful decorations might be impressive to guests at your Christmas party, and expensive gifts loved on by your kids {for that day, at least!}, none of it is truly necessary.

It’s time to take a break from all the stress, and put a halt to the spending.

Even though a budget seems constricting, it’s actually quite freeing, and you might even have fun trying to create the best Christmas you can on a small budget.

Start saving for Christmas… now!

For years, Christmas has become another column in my budget spreadsheet {I’m an Excel geek!}, but for those of you who follow Crystal’s cash envelope system, that works perfectly fine too. Just set aside a specific amount each week or month, exclusively for Christmas.

Then, when it’s time to start buying gifts or holiday treats, you’ll have a good amount saved up to freely dip into for whatever you need.

And even thought it’s already November, don’t think it’s too late to start saving. Although I personally like to start saving in January, it’s certainly better to have a little stash saved up than none at all.

Calculating a Christmas budget

If you’re not sure exactly how much you spend on gifts, decorations, etc. make your best guess and divide the total amount by how many weeks we have left before the BIG day.

That’s the amount you’ll need to set aside each week to afford your kind of Christmas.

But what if the number is too much or too high for your budget to handle right now?

Then a few things need to happen:

• Reassess what you really “need” to have an enjoyable Christmas season
• Pare down the gift giving
• Look for ways to cut costs, and reduce the amount you usually spend
• If you don’t want to pare down or cut costs, then find a part-time income to help pay for the extras

It’s certainly not fun to deal with a huge bill after the Christmas festivities are over, nor is it the smartest thing for our budgets. But if we plan for those expenses in advance, we can be much better prepared when they do come.

In the meantime, continue to maximize every dollar, scout out the deals, and follow frugal blogs to help make Christmas more budget-friendly.

And if you need a little help in the gift-giving department, I’ve just released a FREE frugal gift guide based on personality types. Every gift included is $25 or less, so you’re sure to find something in there!

Do you have a Christmas budget? When do you start saving?

Kalyn Brooke is a full-time writer and blogger, living in beautiful Southwest Florida with her news photographer husband, and one super adorable bunny, named Twix. She works from home as the owner and author of CreativeSavingsBlog.com, and as a virtual marketing assistant for a variety of bloggers and websites. Small budget living is her passion, book hoarding her weakness, and a well-stocked freezer full of ice cream an essential luxury.

Guest post from Jessica of Manna on My Path

When I first learned about buying in bulk and all of its money-saving potential, my Type-A, overachiever nature kicked into overdrive.

I researched every blog, website, book, and frazzled-homemaker tutorial to find out how I could have a miniature grocery store in my very own basement or garage, full of items that were free or mostly-free. I was pumped!

There was just one little problem — I don’t have a garage… or a basement. And while we’re at it, I don’t have a pantry, a place to put a deep-freezer, or even shelves in my freezer! I live in a glorified town home that looks as if someone sliced it off from its neighbors as an afterthought to technically make it a “house.”

My personal grocery store dreams were dashed. No space = no savings, right?

For awhile I persisted with this negative mentality and gave up on bulk buying, knowing I was missing out on some serious long-term savings. But then I was surfing and salivating through Crystal’s pointers and tips one day and came across her vlog on keeping a positive attitude.

I realized I had literally been moping and whining for months, blaming something I could not change (my house) to excuse something I could (my spending). I resolved to suck my lip back in, roll up my sleeves, and take up Crystal’s challenge to create space for inventory even if it doesn’t naturally offer itself up to you on a silver platter.

I tackled my shelve-less freezer first (and really, NO shelves?? I really do not understand that design idea. But I digress…)

We took on the mentality that we would need to invest a little money in order to save money in the long run. So we made room in the household budget for some inexpensive organizational tools like freezer-friendly baskets, over-the-door pantry organizers, and plastic shelving.

For the freezer, the following tips were major space-savers:

• Freezer-friendly baskets
• Freeze bagged items flat first, then turn them upright once frozen to make a file-folder system of sorts
• Use matching plastic containers so that they stack easily
• Break down larger items into small containers or bags whenever possible.
• Instead of freezing raw meat, which takes up a LOT of space, cook it first (like shredded chicken), then freeze it.
• Do bi-weekly or monthly freezer clean-outs. Consistent re-organization is crucial to small spaces.

I now can fit several pounds of different meats, veggies, and pre-made soups and sauces; several pounds of butter, cheese, and milk/creamer; and, of course, the ever-important ice cream collection.

I then moved on to creating a pantry for bulk items.

We transformed our coat closet for this purpose, using an over-the-door organizer and a simple wire shelf. With just 30 minutes of my time, my dream was partially realized: a mini-store right in my closet!

I still dream of the day when we will be able to afford a house with a garage, basement, and walk-in pantry. But until that day comes, it is my responsibility to take what I do have and transform it into a thrifty haven of savings.

Jessica is a full-time stay-at-home, money-saving mom of two little preschoolers. She loves to write, cook, read, and enlarge her ever-growing collection of coffee mugs. She appreciates finding the Divine in the mundane, the spiritual in the ordinary, finding God’s Path filled with grace, peace, and strength for her calling. She writes a momentary blog Manna on My Path.

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Testimony from Aliesha of Feathers In Our Nest

When my husband and I were first married, we didn’t have a set grocery budget. It wasn’t until we started running into problems that we realized we needed to do something different.

There were weeks where I would spend a little too much on groceries and then we would be tight in other areas, and there were other weeks where, because money was tight, I didn’t have much (or any) money to spend on groceries until the next pay check.

My husband and I came up with a plan. Every week when he deposited his paycheck, he withdrew our weekly grocery money ($50). I placed this cash in an envelope, kept it in my wallet, and used it to buy groceries. If any was leftover, I kept it in the envelope and it rolled over to the next week.

The first few weeks were scary! What if I got up to the register and didn’t have enough cash? (Sometimes I shopped with a calculator just to make sure!) It always worked out just fine, though, and we discovered some great benefits to our new cash envelope plan!

• Instead of overspending, I now have a budget that I need to stay within, which helps me be a better steward of our family’s resources.

• Even if money is tight towards the end of the pay period, I am still able to buy groceries since we withdrew the money as soon as we got our pay check.

• I can shop at the time it is most convenient for me, not just right after pay day.

• Anytime I have extra grocery money, I can save it for the next week so I can stock up on a sale item or a great markdown.

• If I am able to skip a week of shopping (eating out of the pantry/freezer), I can save up for larger purchases, such as 50 lbs. of wheat or other bulk foods.

Currently, I have a good amount of money in our grocery cash envelope since I’ve been keeping our weekly budget significantly under $50. This will allow me to buy groceries for a big freezer cooking day and to stock up on holiday sale items (November and December are great months to buy pantry staples).

We have been using the cash envelope system for groceries successfully since January 2012!

It has worked so well that we have also started cash envelopes for several other funds and budget line items. In the near future, we hope to move to an exclusive cash envelope system for everything!

Aliesha is a stay-at-home wife and mom with three precious blessings ages three and under. Her blog home is Feathers In Our Nest, where she writes about family, ministry, food, and frugal living. Aliesha loves to read, shop thrift stores, drink coffee, and cook for her “foodie” husband.