Be Honest With Your Finances

The first step is to be completely honest with your financial situation at the moment. You aren’t looking for handouts. You just want a dose of empathy and maybe a hug.

Just like everyone else, you want to give your family the world and shower them with gifts.

However, the center of Christmas is about our Savior, Jesus Christ, and coming together as a family and spending time with one another. You don’t need money for that.

Decide on a frugal Christmas budget and stick to it.

With gift exchanges, you don’t need to go out and buy a brand new present. This is a chance to find something in your house that will make a great gift for someone else.

Here are various types of gift exchanges that cost little or no money:

• White elephant gift exchange
• $5 gift exchanges
• Unused item gift exchange
• Cookie exchange
• Used toy, puzzle or book exchange
• Coffee mug exchange
• Charity donation exchange
• Craft supply gift exchange
• Dollar Store finds gift exchange
• Fabulously fashionable clothing exchange
• Dropped that hobby gift exchange

There are just a few ideas on how you can get creative with holding gift exchanges. Not everything must be expensive to be an awesome winner!

Buy In Bulk And Divide Up For Gifts

A frugal trait is buying things in bulk to save money. When the holidays roll-around, this is where you use your DIY skills to come up with frugal Christmas gifts.

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If you find a lot of people on your list to buy small gifts for, you can create nice packages of presents to give. Typically, these holiday gifts are ideal for teachers, neighbors, co-workers or other special people that you want to wish a Merry Christmas.

For example, you can buy scented candles in bulk and wrap a beautiful bow on the glass jar. That is an easy way to divide them up for multiple gifts.

Another idea is to buy Christmas treat bags and divide up assorted miniature candies to quickly put together many small presents.

Talk to your families about the idea of only giving gifts to the kids, not the adults.

Frugal Christmas gifts for adults

1. Socks

No you won’t get any awards for creativity. But it is almost guaranteed the recipient will use this gift.

2. Workout clothing

3. Books

Cookbooks and inspirational books are great choices. 

4. A nice pen and journal

5. Bath bombs and soap.

6. Insulated coffee mug.

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Holiday lights tour

🔹Bundle up the kids in the car and go for a family drive when it gets dark. Drive your neighborhood or find out the best neighborhoods in your city and go for a festive drive.

🔹Make a holiday letter and send it to family with important highlights from the past year.

🔹Attend a local Christmas event: parade, lights, Church or other holiday happenings.

🔹Get Christmas coloring books and color with your family.

🔹Decorate the Christmas tree.

Secret Santa

🔹Have each family member draw a name and only give a gift to that one person.

🔹Make mason jar cookie mixes to gift.

Forgo wrapping paper altogether

🔹Just wrap gifts with some ribbon or a bow.

Reuse Christmas wrapping and Christmas gift bags.

Make a coupon book for gifts

🔹From cooking a special meal to a foot massage to experiences out.

Write a list of what you are grateful for

🔹This is a great exercise any time of the year but especially at Christmas when there can be excess. It’s a good reminder of how lucky the majority of us are.

Learn to make candles with your children

🔹This is a fun activity and could also be a homemade Christmas gift.

Buy Christmas lights from a dollar store and hang them from your outside trees.

Write a letter to Santa

🔹Mail it to Santa Claus 325 S. Santa Claus Lane North Pole, Alaska 99705

Have a puzzle day

🔹Get a puzzle that’s challenging enough for the whole family but easy enough that the little ones can participate.

Have a Christmas pajama day

🔹Stay in pajamas the whole day on a Saturday or Sunday

Make homemade Christmas ornaments.

Cookie swap.

Go Christmas caroling.

Watch Christmas movies.

Snuggle up with your family and play favorite nostalgic or new Christmas movies. Favorites that come to mind are A Charlie Brown Christmas, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.