A monthly online magazine chock-full of insightful articles for busy mothers.

Holidays are coming… fast. Christmas is nearly here and we all know that it can be an expensive time of the year. After all, it is the time when we all spread joy, give love and rack up horrendous credit card bills. So many people worry, with the credit-crunch and trying times, about how to save money this Christmas. Here are some ideas on how you can save money and celebrate the holidays.

Make a list.

List down the names of people you have to buy gifts for to help you make a budget. In your list, include only the people whom you feel are essential. Try your best to narrow it down as much as you can.

Set yourself a budget and stick to it.

Take a realistic view and figure out just how much you can afford to spend this year. Try to avoid using credit cards for your Christmas shopping as much as possible and also try not to deplete your savings. The moment you have the amount that you feel is realistic and honest, consider that amount as your budget. Spread it out among the people in your list. The most essential thing is to figure out your budget and strictly adhere to it.
Consider an “exchange gift” policy.

When was the last time you ever received a gift that was really good? If you have a large group of friends or have a large family, you can reduce costs dramatically by buying just one gift. An “exchange gift” will mean you will get just one gift too. You can even make it fun and pool all the gifts under your tree and have a raffle on who gets which gift. This can be exciting and also very affordable.

Make your own gifts whenever possible.

If you are good with your hands and enjoy making stuff like knitting scarves, sewing pretty throw pillow covers, making fancy slideshows or even baking cookies- just do it. Give them out as gifts. There can be nothing more touching than receiving a gift that was lovingly made. You can save money too.

Consider buying vintage gifts.

It may not appear to be such a good idea to buy used stuff to give as gifts, but there are so many wonderful items that you can buy inexpensively and give as gifts. Consider checking out garage sales. Pretty brooches that are generations old can be great gifts. What about getting a copy of an out-of-print book? An old ornate jewelry box can be affordable and unique. There is no harm in trying.

Wrap your gifts yourself and recycle.

If you are like me and you open gifts carefully and preserve the wrapping paper for future use, this Christmas is the best time to use those wrappers. You can also use those brown paper bags, they are great for wrapping gifts. Just cut them neatly and wrap your gifts. You can make them fancy by adding ribbons or colored yarn. Some people use leftover yarn from their knitting and make colorful bows. You can make plain paper look like fancy giftwrapping paper by drawing squiggles, in different colored ink, all over. Be creative. Have fun while wrapping. Ask the kids to help make designs.

Shop just for the children.

Christmas means a lot to children. While adults don’t mind getting gifts, they won’t mind much if they only get a card or a simple box of cookies. Concentrate on the children and buy gifts for them.