Frugal yet festive. Those on tight budgets may wonder whether the two can combine for a happy holiday, but with a little creativity it's possible.
"Most of my Christmas decorations came from the dollar store or were things I already had and I spray-painted," says Marsha Segalla of Little Rock, a single mom who works as a dealer services specialist with Automotive Finance Corp. "Think outside the box," she advises. She collected the small branches in her decorations from her yard and the pine cones from a nearby golf course. She used paint to change their colors.
Segalla only spent about $30 on all the Christmas decorations adorning her home.
Re-examining what's important during the holidays can help those wishing to pinch pennies and celebrate more sensibly, says Laura Hendrix of Little Rock, assistant professor and an accredited financial counselor with the University of Arkansas System's Division of Agriculture's Cooperative Extension Service.
"I really like to take the focus off the things that cost money," says Hendrix, who specializes in household finances. "It's those other things, the family traditions, that matter the most. What did you get when you were 10? When you were 12? We may remember some of those things, but the things that are more meaningful are the things we did together as a family -- baking the cookies, watching our favorite holiday movies together, decorating the tree together.
"Those things are the best money-saving things you can do and are also the most meaningful," she says.
The challenge is keeping rational choices in sight and not getting caught up in emotions stirred by the holidays.
"Planning ahead, setting a spending limit, and deciding where that money is going to go and not going over that amount are key," she says. Shopping in advance and recognizing good deals ahead of the season also help stretch dollars.
SENSIBLE SPENDING
"When I used to buy for all my extended family, I'd start shopping before fall," Hendrix says. "One year, I found $130 strands of pearls on sale for $29.99, so all the women in my family got a pearl necklace that year."
When it comes to children, she suggests having them make a wish list.
"I had my kids do a list and prioritize it so they knew up front they weren't going to get everything," she says, adding she made a point to try to get something from their top priorities.
Those who also give children stockings need to be mindful of the costs that can accumulate there.
"My children loved it because it was a grab bag full of little stuff," says Hendrix. "I could stuff them full with Matchbox cars and Pez candies and dispensers, but I also put things in there like a new toothbrush and holiday boxer shorts."
Allowing necessities to do double-duty as gifts also stretches the holiday budget.
"My kids always got Christmas pajamas. I was going to buy them some winter ones anyway, and it gives you a little more bang for your buck if you wrap it and put it under the tree."
FRUGAL FEASTING
When planning the menu for meals and parties, Hendrix suggests looking for grocery store sales and using coupons.
"Potluck is the cheapest way to go if you're having a meal; that's what we always did in our big extended family."
She adds it's a good idea to track what everyone is bringing to make sure every desired dish is covered.
"Table settings can be real easy," Hendrix says. "One year, my mom got pine cones and things you find in nature."
Old holiday traditions often revolve around food, says Kris Boulton of Benton, an extension agent for the UA system in Saline County.
"For the meal, you really don't need multiple items," Boulton says, adding that a main dish -- a turkey or a ham -- and a couple of veggies is all that's really needed.
If one member of the family always hosts, others can help with some of the expenses, Boulton suggests.
"They probably won't take money but if you leave them a grocery store gift card, that will help them with costs through the holiday," she says.
REINDEER GAMES
In Boulton's family, games have been incorporated to take the place of some previous food-based traditions.
"We found word phrase games online where you fill in the blanks with nouns and adverbs to make funny stories and we also played holiday bingo using pennies as the markers," she says, adding that little inexpensive gifts, some of them handmade, served as prizes.
She also recommends traditional games like checkers and dominoes. "Get a jacks game and have the adults teach the kids."
Children expect gifts but it's important to set guidelines and limits, says professional organizer Becca Clark.
"The average child in this country gets 70 new toys a year, and from what I see, their rooms are overflowing with them," she says. She suggests parents set expectations in advance and include some activity to share with less fortunate children.
For children who already have a lot Clark suggests "The Four Gift Rule" -- one thing they want, one thing they need, one thing they'll wear and one thing they'll read.
THINKING OUTSIDE THE (GIFT)BOX
One of the real keys to celebrating sensibly is to examine the family budget and decide how much can be spent on the holiday.
"I've gone back to setting a spending limit and creating an envelope for each person with their name on it, putting that amount of cash in it and once it's been spent on them, putting the receipts in the envelopes," says Boulton. "Hopefully that will help us to not overspend."
Frugal but thoughtful choices include homemade gift jars filled with the ingredients for cookies, hot chocolate, chili, soup, coffee or tea, and the recipe for the item attached to the jar.
"And I don't always go to the store and buy new containers," Boulton says. "My rule is it has to be clean and safe but doesn't have to be new. If I can reuse a canning jar or go to a thrift store and get a container and clean it in the dishwasher, I will."
"We've given gifts of time too," she says, adding those could include coupons for baby-sitting, cleaning or making a meal. "One year, I asked one of my brothers who does wiring if he could come over and help with a light switch I was having trouble with. That's what I really needed."
This year, her family is drawing names for gifts with a price limit set in advance, and those who wish to opt out having the chance to do so.
Sometimes just pulling together the money for gas or a plane ticket to get home eats up a family's budget and then they don't have money for gifts.
"But I think with almost every family, if they had to choose between you being there with no gifts or you sending the gifts and not being there, they'd rather have you there," Boulton says.
HomeStyle on 12/10/2016