It is human nature to want your children and family to have a fairytale Christmas. But are all the expensive gifts worth it when the bills come pouring in? For many people it takes months to pay off those bills. In the meantime what happened to all the expensive gifts? Oftentimes they are forgotten after the first thrill wears off even before you have them paid for. Does that seem sensible to you? Just imagine no bills coming in after Christmas. Doesn’t that sound good? Here is the way to do it with no debt staring you in the face come January.

First of all look at your budget. See how much money you have to spend and how many people you have on your gift list. Go to the bank and withdraw the amount of money you can afford to spend. Decide how much money you will spend for each person. If you have too many people listed see which ones you can just send a Christmas card with a cheery Christmas letter. Get out your envelopes and put a name on each envelope for that gift recipient and put the money in the envelope for that person. Now you are ready to go shopping. Look over all the sales in your area and find the best prices. If you spend more for one person than you planned then you will have to spend less for the next person, no exceptions. It is so simple to stay within your means. If you don’t have it, don’t spend it. Some gifts don’t cost anything. You can give a gift of baby sitting for a couple after the holidays. Bake a cake for an elderly friend or neighbor, (doesn’t cost much.)

See how many ways you can save money. You can save money by buying fewer groceries. Look in your pantry and fridge and use what you have on hand. Even if you have to buy milk and a few veggies you will still save money. Use the Christmas decorations you already have. You have plenty of clothes in your closet. Don’t buy more. Don’t go out for expensive dinners. If you want to have dinner for family and friends, bake a roasting pan of chicken thighs and have everyone bring a side dish or dessert.

It takes courage to put away your credit cards. But you must, if you can’t pay off each credit card when the bill comes in each month. Credit cards give you a false sense of security and encourage you to spend more money than you have. No gift gives you or anyone as much pleasure as the debt gives you grief. Explain to your children there will be no big items under the tree, that the theme will be family togetherness, a more meaningful Christmas, and a happy new year with no debt to harass the family. Spend time together; go out to see the Christmas lights in the neighborhood. (No paying tours) Sing Christmas carols. Tell your friends that you are enjoying an old fashioned Christmas and teaching your children they don’t have to have (stuff) to have a merry Christmas. It would be a learning experience to take your children to a homeless shelter or a soup kitchen to help out. Let them see how lucky they are and that many people have no home or food much less expensive Christmas presents.

In earlier years Christmas wasn’t a big holiday as it is now. Parents bought nuts, fruit and a gift for each child if they had the money. Mom made a few cakes and pies. Dad bought a bottle or two of whiskey. Relatives dropped in to visit and see the Christmas tree. The children played, parents talked and a good time was had by all. It was very seldom that people exchanged gifts. Parents bought their own children gifts if they could, and that was it for gifts.

We have let these huge department stores greediness lead us astray with their ideas on how to make us spend money at Christmas… We are brainwashed and so have we allowed our children to be brain washed. I am as guilty as anyone. I give Christmas gifts but I know what is in my budget. I look for sales and I don’t buy anything I can’t pay for. I hope everyone will do the same this year. So many jobs have been lost and many others will be lost in the near future. It’s a time to tighten our belts and stay out of debt. We have gotten used to so many conveniences that now we take them as our due. It might be time to get over that delusion. I wish you all a good healthy Christmas with courage to stick to your budget and have a happy debt free New Year.