Budgets & Bargains

Looking to keep the jingle in the holiday season this year, but still celebrate with style? Try these tips from ParentDish.com to prune holiday expenses while keeping the joy.

We love this one:

Discover holiday magic. Think of low-cost ways to celebrate. Let your children sleep under the Christmas tree. On a snowy evening, fill a thermos with hot cocoa, bundle up and take a walk to look at decorations around the neighborhood. If it's too cold to head outside, make a CD of your family's favorite holiday music or find a low-cost arts-and-crafts project that will keep your kids busy for hours.

Sound familiar? That's because our own Organized Christmas editor, Cynthia Ewer, was among the experts interviewed for the story. Check it out:

Trim the Tree, Trim Your Budget

Thinking ahead to the holiday season--but dreading the financial impact on a tight budget? Be of good cheer! Small savings in the weeks ahead can add up to big dollars by December 25.

Money Channel's Andrew Housser has assembled nine ways to free up Christmas cash, starting now. Here at Organized Christmas, we love this right-out-of-the-gate savings tip:

Before employing any other savings tactics, create a holiday budget. Calculate how much you can and want to spend for holiday festivities. Make sure to include everyone you'll give a gift to; cards and postage; decorations; entertaining, year-end tips for service providers; and travel costs.

Make it work for you with a free printable holiday budget planner, then check the link for eight more ways to stay debt-free by saving ahead for the Christmas season:

Save $750 in the 100 days leading up to the holidays

Summer's here ... time to think Christmas?

Sure--if you want to stay debt-free! The summer season is the right time to think ahead to the financial demands of the holiday season. Starting a savings plan during the summer months makes sense--and cents.

Get the summer savings how-to with this article from MotleyFool.com.

Best tip? Pay Santa first!

Christmas is Coming! Hurry Up And Save!

With cold financial winds beginning to blow this Autumn, we're all looking for ways to save money on Christmas. If you're trimming your holiday budget this year, take a tip--or 20!--from Real Simple.

This compendium of money-saving ideas covers includes lots of common-sense solutions--and a few fresh and creative ideas to celebrate without breaking the bank.

We liked the clutter-cutting benefit of this tip:

Skip the tree skirt. Instead of buying a fancy tree skirt that makes an appearance once a year, buy or use a tablecloth or a piece of fabric that is four to five yards long. Wrap it around the tree’s base during the holiday season, then wash and reuse it as a tablecloth during the rest of the year.

20 Ways To Save During The Holidays

Reading shopping blog Consumerist, I found my head nodding in agreement as I scanned their list of "10 Shopping Tricks That Stores Hate". Number 9 is a strategy near and dear to the hearts of all Organized Christmas members:

Buying Seasonal Items at Clearance Prices (For Next Year): Seasonal items are a big deal for retailers and once the holiday is gone they need to make room for the next one. Their haste makes waste and you can take advantage of it. Buy now for next year. Another good idea is to buy "seasonal" candy after the season is over. So what if your M&Ms are brown and orange or red and green. Still tastes like awesome.

Why They Hate It: Stores want you to buy their seasonal crap at full price, when its most profitable, not during clearance when they sell it at cost or below."

Now, all they need is a Christmas notebook to remind them of the seasonal stash next fall, and the Consumerist kids'll be honorary OH Elves! (Catch the full article here.)