5 Ways to enjoy the holidays without destroying your budget

The holiday season usually comes with dedicated time off to spend with the ones we love. Instead of going into debt doing expensive activities or forgoing any festivities altogether, how about finding a middle ground? Here are some affordable ways to enjoy the holidays without destroying your budget.  

1. Explore low-cost activities in the city. Whether you live in a big city or a small town, there are usually several low-cost activities in the area to explore during the holidays. Check out winter decorations in the city and Christmas lights as you walk around your local area. Spend the weekend going ice skating at a park or visit an indoor rink. If you work for a corporation or are in involved in various community organizations, you can also check out company Christmas party or some holiday soirée filled with young professionals in the community. Search the internet, ask your friends, and skim your local newspaper to find out about various affordable activities in the city around the holidays.

2. Buy inexpensive, meaningful gifts for friends and family members. Gift giving is a great way to show our gratitude for others. Many times it can be quite rewarding. Instead of lamenting over the realization that we cannot purchase new Iphones, designer clothes, or hefty gift cards, why not purchase inexpensive meaningful gifts for the ones we love instead? If you need some ideas, try giving a Christmas basket filled with the person’s favorite desserts, a holiday stocking filled with pajamas, hot chocolate, and other trinkets they can use to relax and watch a holiday movie, or even gifting them framed photos of a happy memory, wine they’d enjoy, or a book they’d find intriguing.

3. Search for discounts on holiday travel. With the holidays usually comes lots of travel. Oftentimes, it’s the travel expenses that end up being putting a serious dent our budget. In order to prevent this from happening search for discounts. Look to see if you have earned any rewards points from credit cards or if you qualify for any discounts on transportation services like Uber or Lyft. You could also search Groupon for affordable travel packages and skim AirBnb for reasonably priced lodging options. Regardless of which route you take, spending a little time searching for travel discounts may be worth your while.

4. Enjoy holiday festivities on existing subscription services. In this current digital world, many of us have a variety of different ways we entertain ourselves. Whether it is listening to Apple Podcasts on the way to work, dancing to our favorite playlist on Spotify, laughing at the newest comedy on Hulu, or watching a popular movie on Netflix, we have a variety of subscription services we use for entertainment. The majority of them are either free or some inexpensive bill we pay each month. As we look for ways to enjoy the winter season in an affordable manner, why not make use of the things we already have? Whether it’s a Christmas playlist, holiday episodes of our favorite shows, or adorable Christmas movies from our childhood, we could all find ways to enjoy holiday festivities on the subscription services we already have.  

5. Participate in fun activities at home. If you’re looking for ways to enjoy the holidays without leaving the comfort of your home, there are several things you could try as well. You could decorate your home and Christmas tree as a family. If you’re like me and crave a good amount of social interaction, you could invite some of your close friends over to watch holidays movies and drink hot chocolate. You could even adopt the mindset of some of my coworkers by hosting a holiday potluck for some of your associates. Lastly, you could play fun holiday games, do puzzles, or bake cookies with your loved ones as well. Either way you spin it, there are fun and affordable things to do during the holidays at home.

Tell me, what are some ways you plan to enjoy the holidays that don’t require you to spend a lot of money?  

Affordable gifts for co-workers and associates

It’s that time of the year. Along with warmer clothes and holiday decorations, the Christmas season also calls for gifts. It’s the time of year where we buy things for others to show our gratitude for all they’ve done throughout the year. While we may be excited to purchase gifts for our family members and close friends, we may feel obligated to pick up a few things for our co-workers as well. Whether it’s a “Secret Santa” or organized “Gift Exchange,” you may be at a loss of what to actually buy that won’t break your bank. Aside from mugs that break before Christmas arrives, socks we lose the match to before the year even ends, or candles full of awkward scents we’d never want in our home, we may need some new ideas on affordable gifts for co-workers and associates. Checkout some ideas below:

1. A book they wouldn’t think to get for themselves. Everything isn’t for everyone. BUT…if your co-workers are like mine, they might enjoy a good book every now and then. Whether it’s a non-fiction piece that inspires them to be a greater, a novel that allows them to escape into another world, or Do-It-Yourself guides that turn them into better cooks or workout specialists, there is something for everyone. The key with gifting a book is to understand what that person would enjoy and buy them something they’d like but wouldn’t think to purchase for themselves. If your co-workers like NBA basketball, a book about Lebron James or Michael Jordan might be great. If they love movies, getting them a book written by their favorite actress or comedian might be good.

2. Wine they would enjoy. If your co-workers are anything like mine, they enjoy a nice glass of wine every so often. Although wine is a staple “dinner-party gift,” giving it away during the holidays is usually well-received. The key to buying a good bottle of wine is getting something that you yourself have tried and know is good. It’s not enough to buy any Chardonnay or Merlot, you have to get a wine type they’d like from a brand you trust. In my personal budget-friendly opinion, wine bottles under $8 are hit or miss and many wine bottles over $30 are over-rated. However, I can always find a good bottle for $10-15. If your co-workers tend to like sweeter wines, try a Riesling over a Moscato, it’s still relatively sweet and bubbly so it may be something they’d like but haven’t had before. If your co-workers like red wine, try giving them a “red blend.” It’s a combination of 3-4 classic red wine types that provide a rich flavor and a tasty finish. If all else fails, find a sales associate, tell them the type of wine you want, and ask him/her what the most popular bottle in your target price range is. 9 times out of 10 they will lead you down the path of success.

3. Custom cards with handwritten notes. While gifts can be great, it is often the thought and meaning behind the gift that counts even more. Many of my physician colleagues aren’t exactly hurting for money and can buy themselves whatever they like so I try to stay away from super expensive gifts and instead get them something more meaningful. In fact, my brother and I try to give out hand-written cards. I’ll buy a pack of blank cards with a cute stock photo or picture of my family, then write hand-written words of appreciation, detailing how special they are to me. While this may sound a bit cumbersome, they are well-received. We all love to be thanked and valued, these words of expression can mean more than you’d imagine.

4. Framed memories of happy times. I love to give photos. With things being so digital nowadays, many people have pictures on their phones but very few have actual prints. One of the things you can do is go to the photo booth at Target or Walmart, or even the local drug store and print out one of the photos on your phone. Then buy a cute picture frame and gift them a framed memory of some happy time you two shared. As my grandmother always said, giving someone a photo with a frame is not only proper etiquette but it virtually ensures that the photo will be displayed someone in their home or office. In other words, it has a more lasting effect. Plus, it’s pretty affordable. You can get a decent photo print and an 8x10 frame for under $15.

5. Intriguing desserts that delight the palate. One of my other affordable go-to-gifts for the holiday season is dessert! If you’re a great baker than put your skills to good use, but…if you’re like me in that you usually purchase pre-made mixes, hold that thought. Instead of baking something from a box, or giving someone pre-made cookies from the grocery store, why not give them a dessert they wouldn’t think to get for themselves. Use Yelp or Google to find some of the best bakeries and chocolatiers in your city. Purchase an assortment of some of the most popular items and have them put it in a little gift basket with holiday themed wrapping and some hot chocolate mixes. We all love sweet desserts around the holidays.

Tell me, what are some other affordable gifts you give for co-workers and associates?