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Christmas on a Tight Budget

LindaJM by LindaJM
Last updated: 01/01/2012

A few ideas for those without much money to spend this holiday season...

It's almost Christmas, and how tight is your budget? With the onslaught of winter heating bills and pressure to buy gifts, you may be feeling a bit stressed. If you're experiencing a tight budget Christmas this page may help.

Our civilization has hyped Christmas up to the point where we're made to feel guilty if we don't spend every bit of savings we have to buy gifts for other people. Many of us don't have the money to spend, so what will we do to show our loved ones that we love them, without overdrawing our bank accounts or credit cards?

Remember, it is the season of family unity and joy, not the season of stress and guilt. Let's put that idea into practice as we make a few simple heartwarming gifts for those we love most.

Make a Squidoo lens!

...honor your loved one with a lens on Squidoo!

Imagine the surprise... your darling mother opens the homemade card, expecting to find a fifty dollar bill. Instead she gets the URL of a web page created just for her. Yes, you're telling the world how special she is to you, what wonderful things she's done in her life, and everything about why you love her so much.

Isn't that worth a lot more than fifty dollars anyway?

If you're not a member of Squidoo yet, join today and start making your heart-felt, loving, first Christmas gift lens.

Food for the hungry

...be an inspiration!



Make your loved one a homemade card and tell him/her, "I love you dearly, and wish you a joyous holiday season. As you know this year we don't have much to share, so I've decided to honor each of my dear ones by spending a day in their names volunteering to help cook at a nearby soup kitchen. I will be sure to send you a picture and card when I've completed my cook-for-the-day responsibilities in your honor."

Give a helping hand

...if you can give a little but not a lot.



If you have a little bit of money but a lot of people on your list, and are feeling overwhelmed with trying to decide who to buy for and who to leave out, here's a solution. Choose a charity and give all the money to them!

This idea totally strikes home with me because I well remember how, when I was a child, my family gave me twenty dollars for Christmas shopping, then expected me to get something for everyone. That totally frustrated me!

Now you can bypass that kind of traumatic, stressful decision making by giving the money to your charity of choice, then writing a nice note to each relative or friend saying you've made a donation in their name.



Here's my favorite charity:


Covenant House

Help homeless teenagers

...these kids really need help!

A lot of the kids helped by Covenant House have been released from foster care at age eighteen, and have no family to go home to.

Covenant House is the largest privately-funded nonprofit agency in North and Central America providing shelter and other services to homeless, runaway and throwaway youth.

Write a poem!

...a poem about your loved one will be unforgettable.

You say you're not a poet? Well, don't let that stop you. It doesn't have to have perfect iambic pentameter. Of course that's very cool if you can do it, but have you ever tried free verse? Start by simply writing down all the things your loved one means for you. Add in descriptions of some of the great memories you shared and tell what those times meant to you.

Finish your poetry project by writing it in your own hand on the best good quality paper you can come up with, and put it in a frame. (A home made frame would be ideal.) Your loved one will never forget the magic of opening up such a personalized, thoughtful gift!

Make a book

...a unique, precious gift to give.

This is a variation on the poetic gift given above. For your book, cut pictures out of magazines to paste on paper - these will be the illustrations for your book. Choose quotations, poems, or lyrics that show your loved one what he or she means to you. Staple your pages together with a decorative cover. This can make a very thoughtful and appreciated gift!

Special blessings

...loving them every day of the year.



This is the well-known coupon book idea... make a list of things you can do for your loved one. Choose about ten of those things to feature on redeemable coupons. Create your coupons, staple them together with a decorated cover, and voila! You have a unique and very useful Christmas gift to give. Be sure to have enough time during the rest of the year to honor your commitments!

Invite your friends to a candlelight vigil

...you choose the remembrance.

Rather than hosting a big party you can't afford, how about inviting your friends to a candlelight vigil at a nearby park? Everyone should bring their own candle. You can spend your time saying prayers for peace in the world, or for the homeless and hungry, or for any number of meaningful issues that are important to you.

More great Christmas ideas...

...your purchase will benefit Covenant House.

Christmas Jars

Christmas Jars

by: Jason F. Wright

Amazon Price: $8.04 (as of 02/17/2012)Buy Now

This is a novel about giving jars full of money for Christmas.

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Do you have any other great ideas for Christmas on a tight budget?

I look forward to getting your feedback.

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"Evil flourishes when good men do nothing." - Edmund Burke
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