Between purchasing gifts for others and spending money on decorations, the Holidays can become expensive. In reality, most of the memories that are made around the Holidays have little to do with expensive gifts or lavishly decorated houses. They have to do with time spent with others and the memories that are made. Since the Holidays are just around the corner, I thought it would be useful to share a few ideas of how to enjoy the Holidays without breaking the bank.
Go Sledding or Snow Tubing
You can buy a cheap sled for about $10-15, and you can use it basically for the rest of your life. Going sledding with friends and family can be a lot of fun and really doesn’t cost anything once you have made the initial sled purchase. Alternatively, you can borrow someone else’s sled if you don’t want to spend any money.
Play Games
My Mom dang-near begs for us to play games every Holiday. Usually everyone at my house is so drained from their busy lives that we just end up napping or watching TV after dinner. Nevertheless, we have played games and it can be a good way to spend time with relatives and create a competitive environment – because family members never compete, right? ;)
Watch Christmas Movies
I have already enjoyed my fair share of ABC Family Christmas movies over the past few weeks (they run a marathon every year of pretty much any and every Christmas movie ever made). DVDs are relatively inexpensive, and if you really plan ahead you can save money by getting them at the library ahead of time. It can be a great way to relax and have fun with friends and family. Can I recommend National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation?
Attend a Church Service
I hate to say that Church is free, but donations are voluntary and many regular attendees do not even donate. There is no obligation to donate to the church – most will just be happy that you decided to attend! As a Christian, attending Church on Christmas Eve has been a great way to celebrate Christmas and helps me focus on the true meaning of Christmas.
Bake Cookies
Baking Christmas cookies can be a relatively inexpensive way to celebrate the Holidays. Not only do you get to spend quality time with whoever you are baking with, you can give these cookies as gifts to friends, families, or neighbors. I particularly recommend this if you live in a cold climate like Minnesota where everyone hibernates and you do not see your neighbors until Spring. We plan on making fudge and giving it to our neighbors for as a Christmas gift.
What does your family do to celebrate the Holidays without breaking the bank?
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We do many of the same things, if not all of them. One of our favorite things to do is going to the “nice” neighborhoods and look at all their Christmas light displays.
@FrugalRules I like to look at lights as well. My parents neighborhood goes all out when it comes to Christmas lights, it’ll be fun to see a few tomorrow night.
We like to watch lots of movies! I’m not one for the cold, so I mostly stay inside.
@SenseofCents I don’t like the cold much either. I’m happy staying indoors during the winter.
We find ourselves playing older Wii Games when we’re bored on Holidays. It’s a great way to have some fun and laughs – especially with people who have never played a Wii game. One of our favorites is Wii Golf.
@Veronica @ Pelican on Money Do you play Wii bowling? There’s a certain way to do it where you pretty much get a strike every time. I’ve had a few friends get multiple 300 games in a row.
I tend to play a lot of games. Since I am on vacation from work, I like to play some of my older xbox games and just relax. I don’t spend money to enjoy myself, I can do that by just sitting and doing nothing. Relaxation is my enjoyment.
@DebtRoundUp There are a lot of things I want to do, like reading, that cost nothing, so I’m in the same boat. So much free entertainment.
I’m definitely looking forward to several good board games!
@Ugifter It gets pretty competitive in my family! Sometimes it’s a good thing when we don’t get around to them.
We went sledding last weekend and it was so fun! We were actually in Minnesota visiting Greg’s parents!
@Holly at ClubThrifty Ah yes I remember Greg mentioning he’s from here. Last weekend was a good time for sledding…we had plenty of snow from that massive snowstorm the weekend before ;)
I think we will follow your direction and watch some Christmas movies to keep within our budget. We love to watch “Elf” and “Die Hard” around this time of year; both are great Christmas classics :)
@deaconhayes Haha I’ve already watched Elf this year.
Great tips. For me, the best part of getting together with family is we don’t usually spend much money. We are too busy playing football in the yard or other various games, hiking, or watching movies. I figure once the gifts and food are bought we don’t need to spend more money to have a Christmas to remember.
@KyleJames1 Good points, gifts and foods are enough spending for most people.
Check, check, check. I know we’ll be doing at least three of the items on your list. Sledding is out of the picture for us. And since it will just be the husband and me this Christmas, I’m not sure how many two-player games are out there. We both get super competitive during games, though, so it’s probably for the best ;)
@Joanna@OurFreakingBudget Haha we have the same problem with games :)
I would love to be able to have a white Christmas one day so that I could go sledding. Instead i’ll be enjoying a swealtering summers day.
It is minus 18 here so we will be staying in and watching all of the Christmas movies that we love, like Santa Clause and Santa Clause 2. Already baked some cookies, but have along list of ones to bake this weekend. Merry Christmas to you and your family!
I suspect the grandparents and I will be playing a fair amount of card games and board games when they’re here. I always forget how much I like to play games until they’re in town. Pop some popcorn and you’ve got a full night of entertainment for free.
When Straight-A college student Jeff Chang’s two best friends take him out for his 21st birthday on the night before an important medical school interview, what was supposed to be a quick beer becomes a night of humiliation, over indulgence and utter debauchery. Watch the Full Movie of 21 and Over here :http://21andoverfullmovie.blogspot.com/