Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Yule/Christmas are all big deals here. Plus, in January, our youngest will turn 1! In total, between now and the end of January, I'll have FOUR birthday parties to throw.
Now, as a frugal woman, I know the danger in all of this. I know my system won't fail under the stress, but practicality sometimes gives way to convenience. Hopefully my successes can help you learn to live with less cash and more creativity. First, I'm going to post how I've made progress and managed to plan for holidays during the summer. Later, I'll put up some craft tutorials for truly great homemade gifts.
I've posted about saving money before and how to stock up for your child. Those principles can be used to prepare for holidays, birthdays, and any special occasion you know about in advance. I have one closet that I've dedicated to frugal storage, including holidays. I have one standing freezer for food storage (from which I have to parcel out a little corner for things to freeze for the holidays)
So what are my methods for a no-cash holiday. Well, here goes...
- plan ahead. If you get it early, you'll avoid any rush.
- Barter for things you need like toys, frozen turkeys, holiday decor, etc
- Watch the free section. Many people give holiday items away throughout the year. Right after a holiday, people will give away decor for that holiday, so pick it up and save it til next year!
- Make gifts. Homemade gifts don't have to be useless or cheap if you know what you're doing
- Planning ahead words for non-perishable food and things you can freeze too. I freeze stock, dried fruits, meats, and veggies throughout the year that can be used in a holiday meal. Canned goods you know you'll use can be picked up while that product is BOGO at the grocery store during the year.
- Make a "seasonal" section of your pantry to store the cake mixes, extra sugar, canned goods, disposable plates/cups/forks that you collect.
- Adopt freegan policies and hang out with those who do. Reuse what you can and don't buy what you can get for free.
I've been told that it's hard for people to do all this practically when they don't know how. In this interest, I'll list the things I have saved for the holidays and where I got them.
Fall decor, Yule decor, some toys, wrapping paper, a Father Christmas pie plate, storage boxes, ornaments, tree skirt, tree topper, window clings, and garland from various Craigslist free ads. This includes Craigslist free ads that offer yardsale leftovers, moving leftovers, a bunch-of-free-stuff-in-my-yard-if-you-come-right-now, and individual ads. Craigslist free section also got us a few bits of winter clothing for the girls.
Holiday cards, gifts, gift tags, and misc. nursery decor from Listia.com where you earn points to bid on free items. I only bid on ads with free shipping. I earned points by giving away handmade items on the site.
My barter groups and craigslist barter section gave me farm fresh produce and dried cherries that I packed in the freezer as well as a few gifts. From the barters, I also received paper plates, foam cups, plastic silverware, cake and cookie mixes, jello items, and other seasonal non-perishable food items. Finally, we got a ton of winter clothes for the girls including jammies, coats, and normal clothes... all in great condition.
Urban foraging gave me a few misc. items as well including winter clothes for one or two housemates.
A friend gave us childrens costumes that were not of use to them.
Closer to the holiday I hope to manage turkeys and more of the food for the season.
I hope this gives a better idea of how spending your time can replace spending your money. A few things still get bought, but the bulk of our special occasions involve putting lots of effort, thought, and love into the event rather than dumping money for convenient fun. I'm not trying to insult those who buy what they want. Everyone makes luxury purchases. I would like to help those who cannot spend that money or don't want to be anymore wasteful than they have to be.
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