Well folks, we are into the Holiday season with Thanksgiving coming up and Christmas and all the other holidays right around the corner. While most of us will probably feel overwhelmed by the massive advertising efforts retailers push during the next month and a half and the strain Christmas gifts can put on our budget, there are many ways to enjoy the holidays without breaking the bank.
This post is the Christmas/Holiday version of my Frugal Summer and Frugal Fall activity posts. I hope you find my suggestions useful and as always please share your ideas in the comments.
1) Watch Christmas Movies – for Free
While some people collect movies and purchase most of the movies they watch, there is a frugal alternative to buying movies. I’m not talking about RedBox or DVR’ing movies as they’re played on cable; instead, consider requesting DVDs from the library that you think you and your family would like to watch.
I take advantage of the online request option at my library and usually only go to the library to pick up books/DVDs when they are ready. For the Holiday season consider logging in to your library’s website, picking the DVDs you want to watch, and waiting for the email telling you the DVDs are ready to be picked up. It’s an easy process and typically there are no penalties if you decide to not pick them up.
Of course, if there’s a movie like Elf or National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation that you know you will watch 5-10 times like I have over the years, it might make sense to throw frugality out the window and purchase it.
2) Ugly Christmas Sweater Party
Ugly Christmas Sweater Parties have become a Holiday staple for many. Some think it’s overdone, but the popularity of ugly Christmas sweaters has hardly decreased the past few years. I already know of at least one ugly Christmas sweater party that I will be attending this year (and it’s only early November).
Most thrift stores will be stocked full of ugly Christmas sweaters once they clear out their Halloween inventory. If you want to make participating in ugly Christmas sweater parties even more frugal consider re-using the same one year-after-year. If you are hosting a party consider doing it potluck style where people bring various parts of the meal and/or various desserts/drinks. Potluck-style parties are wildly popular in Minnesota and it can really make hosting very inexpensive.
Bonus Tip: To make your costume stand out, add something extra to your costume, like a Santa beard, elf hat, or reindeer antlers
3) Volunteer
Volunteering is not only frugal, but something that is needed more than ever during the Holidays. For about six years when I was in high school and college I volunteered Thanksgiving morning with Meals on Wheels. Not only was I doing a good thing (and getting free doughnuts in the process!) I was able to spend time with a friend who I usually do not see throughout the year.
Organizing a volunteer outing with friends or family can be a great way to celebrate the Holidays. It can be a small commitment, such as delivering meals on a Holiday morning, or a bigger one where you volunteer a couple hours a week for four weeks.
While this post is specifically about frugality, organizations are always in need of financial contributions. If you have a busy schedule as it is and have trouble fitting in time to celebrate the Holidays, consider donating financially. As an added incentive, donations are usually tax deductible.
4) Sledding or Ice Skating
Especially if you have children, sledding or going ice skating can be a great inexpensive way to celebrate the Holidays. Even if you don’t have kids, ice skating or sledding can be fun as a date or large group activity. Sleds and snow tubes can be relatively cheap if you buy them at a big box retailer, and can last for a long time. These are good alternatives to expensive Winter activities like snowboarding or skiing.
I realize that there are many places in the US where it doesn’t get cold enough to take part in outdoor winter activities. In that case you may have to pay to go ice skating indoors (if there is a rink available). Otherwise just be happy you don’t have to deal with the frigid cold that some of us have to deal with ;)
5) Holiday Baking Party
Another fun and frugal option for celebrating the Holidays is having a baking party. My wife does one of these each year with her side of the family where they bake lefse (which is a traditional soft, Norwegian flatbread). Baking can be relatively inexpensive and provides plenty of time to spend time with friends and family while also baking some delicious food.
Splitting the cost or responsibility of supplies between participants can help keep the overall cost down. You also get something in return – baked goods – that you can eat or give to others as a gift. We plan on baking fudge or cookies for our neighbors this year as it gives us a reason to stop by and say hello.
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I want to hear from all of you: what do you do to celebrate the Holidays? Feel free to offer up not-so-frugal ideas as well ;)
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Photo of ugly Christmas sweaters by TheUglySweaterShop.com
Photo of Ice Skating by petercruise
Photo of Baking by Ashley
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Oh my gosh – Victoria’s family bakes lefse?? My mom would be SO jealous!!!! We are lucky that we know of a great (albeit expensive) place to buy awesome lefse and have it shipped here (from Osakis :-) ) for the holidays. Great ideas here, David. Ironically, I am going to a baking party on the 9th. Can’t wait!!
Laurie TheFrugalFarmerOh man Osakis…small town life! I know someone who recently moved there, believe it or not. But yes they do make lefse and it’s definitely tasty.
These are all great options DC! We love the Holidays and do a number of these things starting with watching Elf the week of Thanksgiving. We like to go look at Christmas lights. There are a number of neighborhoods here in town that spare no expense and it’s fun to go see all the lights and see the kids enjoy it all.
FrugalRulesChristmas lights, how could I forget! I haven’t driven around looking at them for a while now but when I was younger it was a tradition with my family. Definitely a nice frugal way to celebrate the holidays.
Love the idea of a baking party! That’s a perfect way to get together with friends or family for a low-cost event and like you said, have something to take away as a gift for someone else. I think I’ll have to try and organize one of these this year!
CSMillennialYou should! Make sure you blog about it ;)
Christmas vacation!!!!! LOVE that movie! We have a tradition in the Pizel home where we put up the tree, and then watch Christmas Vacation. Then, and ONLY then is it the Christmas season!
DebtChroniclesYou simply can’t beat Christmas Vacation. The movie is pure gold!
I love ugly sweater parties!!! Most of our Christmas celebrations are frugal…we mostly just get together with families and have a pitch in. I finally talked family members into giving up the gift exchange traditions a few years as well. Now we all just buy for the kids.
Holly at ClubThriftyChristmas gift exchange is a battle I am not willing to fight in my family, mainly because my Mom and Sister love it. Only bad thing is that they expect you to put a lot of thought into the gifts. Being a practical guy this was difficult, but now that I’m married it works out :)
DC @ Young Adult Money Holly at ClubThrifty My family finally stopped doing the adult gift exchange when we reached the ten grandkid level. That’s a lot of nieces and nephews to buy for! Fortunately, it was a mutual decision and no one was angry. We’re all adults now and there’s no reason for me to buy something for my brother who makes 200K. I still buy for my parents, though. I refuse to give that up!
Holly at ClubThrifty Hmm that definitely makes sense! I only have 2 cousins (who are younger, under 10) and 2 siblings both of which are not married, so we have a very small family. None of us make anywhere remotely close to 200k so perhaps if our family dynamics ever change I’ll push for the limited gift exchange ;)
I love potlucks any time of year, but they are especially fun during the holidays when everyone is bringing really delicious treats. I love that feeling of everyone being in the kitchen, drinking wine, and heating up or giving their dishes last minute preparations.
brokeandbeauIf only I could fit more than three people in my kitchen :P But I agree, it’s always fun to share food/drinks with others and the cost is usually less than going out to eat and you get way more variety.
I love this list, especially the ugly sweater and baking parties! I am going to combine both and bake in ugly sweaters!
blonde_financeGreat idea – you better blog about it – include pics!
Great list. I am still laughing at the ugly Christmas sweater party idea. Seems like an oxymoron, aren’t all Christmas sweater ugly by nature!
RatherBeShoppingHaha great point, just make sure you don’t tell my grandma that!
We watch Christmas movies every Christmas Eve as a family tradition!
HeatherShueWhat a great tradition. When Christmas rolls around all I want to do is relax so I love just sitting around watching movies or sports.
We’ll definitely have to do some sledding this year. I think my son will love it.
Matt @ Mom and Dad Money I’m sure he will! I don’t even have kids but I’m well aware of the fact that they absolutely love the snow.
Some ice skating is even cheap in NYC (if you have your own skates). For example, Bryant Park is free if you BYO Skates. I’m a sucker for those stop-motion/claymation Christmas movies and own them all.
BrokeMillennial Oh man, the claymation movies are classic! You aren’t the only NYC resident who mentioned Bryant Park in the comments – looks like Adam at Live Rich Cheaply also recommends it as a frugal NYC activity.
LOL I’ve heard of this ugly sweater phenomenon but I’ve never been to one of the parties. I have to tell ya, I am such a scrooge around the holidays. I really don’t like Christmas, but the hubs has been working on me to enjoy it for the past few years and I’m coming around!
BudgetBlonde I’m glad you are starting to enjoy Christmas. Victoria absolutely loves Christmas and my family celebrates it pretty hardcore. I’m sure you will have fun getting gifts for the twins in the coming years ;)
I like the movie idea. You have to watch the movie A Christmas Story. The holidays just don’t feel right without watching that movie. Anyone who doesn’t know that movie most likely lives under a rock.lol
MonaSez”A Christmas Story” is classic! Definitely love watching that movie and will have to find some time to watch it this year.
I have never been to an ugly Christmas sweater party but what a hoot! It’s been a family tradition since I was a little girl to decorate Gingerbread houses and I always like to kick off the season making orange marmalade. I make the girls help, even though they don’t like the jam. :)
ShannonRyan Orange marmalade….hmmm….can’t say I’ve had that? I haven’t decorated gingerbread houses often, but I do enjoy eating gingerbread cookies :)
I love reserving things from my library. It’s super convenient now that I have a branch a 5 minute walk from my work.
Also for Christmas movies, there’s a good chance some are on either Netflix, Hulu or some other streaming program you might already pay for too.
I hadn’t thought of a baking party but that sounds like a lot of fun!
Tara ZeeThe library is literally less than a mile from our house and is on the way to many places that we go, so making a quick stop after work or on the weekend usually isn’t much of a bother. I love that I can request things and simply run in and out without much hassle at all. Good points about Hulu and Netflix. I have neither which is why I probably don’t immediately think of them.
I travel to back home to celebrate with family. Not so frugal but so fulfilling. When I was single and did not travel, I actually worked sometimes. Joys/pain of working in healthcare.
BorrowedCents I can’t blame you for traveling back home, I know I would do the same thing in your spot. That’s an expense that is definitely justified in my eyes.
We go… to the beach! Doesn’t feel much like Christmas under the sun, except a few days before, I prefer that rather than the crazy frenzy two months before.
RFIndependenceI have to say, I wouldn’t mind a Christmas under the Sun!
Sledding was one of my favorite winter activities growing up. Loved the thrill of the downhill, but hated the climb back to the top. I remember getting so sweaty bundled up in my snowsuit even though it was 30 degrees outside. I’d always want to take the snowsuit off but my parents wouldn’t let me. Sadly, my kids haven’t experienced this joyous activity much as sled possible snowstorms are rare in Atlanta. Perhaps a trip to your neck of the woods is in order. Oh, wait…that wouldn’t be frugal for a family of six. :)
Brian @ Luke1428Haha you’re right about traveling to MN not being frugal, and I wouldn’t recommend it in the Winter. The Summer is pretty beautiful here so I’d say head on up! But I agree about getting all sweaty from sledding, it was definitely a workout.
I always liked volunteering if I knew I wasn’t going to be visiting family over the holidays. It gives me a chance to help others out and get out of the house as well. Because who wants to sit around by themselves over the holidays.
MicrosMissions That’s a great way to approach it. Volunteering definitely benefits the volunteers, whether they recognize it or not.
Here in NYC, there are plenty to do during the winter time that is pretty cheap…surprisingly. There’s ice skating at Bryant Park, going to see the tree at Rockefeller Center, the displays along 5th Ave, the Macy’s display at Herald Square, Christmas lights in various neighborhoods, and other cool stuff.
Andrew LivingRichCheaplyErin from Broke Millennial also mentioned Bryant Park. I would love to visit NYC sometime during the Christmas season, as I’ve never been there and it seems like there is a lot going on.
I think I might host a white elephant part this year, and make it sort of a potluck on top of that. They are always fun. On Christmas day I’m not sure what I’m doing. Maybe going to my cousin’s house, or maybe getting a whole foods meal and watching a marathon of movies. I keep it low key.
Beachbudget That sounds like a great idea, and actually something I meant to include in the post (white elephant gift), but simply ran out of room. I know you are low-key when it comes to Christmas, which is totally fine!
I just discovered that my boyfriend has never been ice skating, so we may try to do that. Though it might end up badly since I’m not the best skater. I mostly enjoy baking with my grandma as she makes her special cookies everyone loves for the holidays, and they’re a lot of work for her nowadays. I mostly just spend time with family for the holidays, though. My parents will be making their first trip back up here for Christmas, so I am excited to spend a week or more with them.
JourneytoSavingI technically don’t know how to ice skate :0 At least I only went a handful of times growing up and can’t remember actually doing it well and not falling or hanging on to the railing or anything. I might try to teach myself sometime during my PTO in December and surprise my wife since she wants to go but I never want to haha.
I now know what I am going to get my whole office for Christmas, ugly sweaters. You are right that there will be a ton at the thrift store. I can see the photo now! I always like the idea of drawing names or only buying for the kids in the family. When adults are just giving each other gift cards, it kind of defeats the purpose. We have started a tradition with my little family of three where we play board games on Christmas Day. We are pretty nerdy, but a good game of Scrabble can get heated at my house.
EyesonthedollarWhen I was looking for an ugly sweater pic for this post I ran across some good ones of people who had a party at their office and they all had ugly sweaters! If you do it you should post a pic!
Dude, I live in TEXAS! How do I ice skate or sled here?
Just kidding, man. Nice article. I love the ugly sweater party. I’m gonna have to steal that one.
AverageJoeMoney Hmmm there has to be an ice rink SOMEWHERE in Texas – though I doubt there’s very many and it’s probably expensive to use. You can always come visit up here in Minnesota. We have plenty of cold weather to go around ;)
Great posts, Dave. I love me some ugly Christmas sweater parties! I think we are invited to two this year, and we’ve amassed a nice collection hitting up the goodwill racks the last few years.
seedebtrun Haha very nice. I have one or two in a bin somewhere that I will have to bust out. I think mine has cats on it :0
Beach time here is the best way to save money. I also get rewards certificates for my purchases from Office Depot for work. Since they sell As Seen On TV crap there that is the gifts I’m getting people.
Charles@gettingarichlifeBeach time sounds a lot like heaven with the cold weather we get here. It was 3 degree wind chill this morning. *sigh*
All great ideas. I especially like how Kim plans to give everyone in her office an ugly sweater! That will make a fantastic photo indeed!
Ugifter I know I smiled when I read her comment – such a great idea, especially for a small biz!
These are all great ideas! I’ve been to an ugly Christmas sweater party and those are always super fun :)
SenseofCentsDefinitely a fun time because no matter what your sweater can never be too ridiculous!
I’ve thrown a few ugly Christmas sweater parties and they were always such a blast! Not to mention, the sweaters were always so cheap!