The spirit of Christmas is embodied in values like family, love, friendship and sharing. With a bit of time and good planning, it\u2019s possible to have a memorable Christmas without spending a lot of money. Resorting to consumerism doesn\u2019t guarantee happiness. It\u2019s a good idea to avoid this trap if possible, because once you step foot in it, it can be difficult to get out.<\/p>\n
Christmas has been greatly commercialized over the years to the greater happiness of major stores and credit card companies. As a result, the holiday is becoming increasingly expensive.<\/p>\n
With the holiday season approaching, pressure comes from all sides:<\/p>\n
In summary, the holiday period promotes consumerism and can harm the wallet.<\/p>\n
Ah, the tradition of Christmas shopping! A pleasant, hassle-free experience for many people. This activity can help us get into the spirit of the holidays because it is so pleasant to try to find presents that will bring pleasure and joy to our loved ones. But in order to keep the experience pleasant, we have to understand the limits of our budget. Otherwise, with purchases piling up, and financial stress increasing, shopping can quickly turn into a nightmare!<\/p>\n
Fortunately, there are many ways to give presents without suffering and especially without going into debt.<\/p>\n
Before going shopping, make a list of presents for people to whom you\u2019re planning to give something. Store displays are designed to get people to make impulse buys. Without a detailed list, you may spend too much, or make bad buying choices. Having a list and respecting it is a golden rule to avoid consumerism.<\/strong><\/p>\n Don\u2019t forget that it\u2019s never too early to start your list. By starting several months in advance, you improve your chances of finding articles on sale.<\/p>\n The era of hand-knitted slippers is long gone. Creativity and originality have finally demonstrated that you can give handmade presents that people will be happy to receive.<\/p>\n Handmade presents are unique and personalized, and that\u2019s what makes them so appreciated. The time spent to create them is also recognized and adds to their value. In addition, they save money so you can avoid going into debt.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But handmade presents require two things: inspiration and time. For inspiration, you can easily find 1001 ideas by searching on the Internet: multicoloured mittens; a pretty necklace; an oversized cushion; a travel photo album; chocolate, cookies or other sweets; a children\u2019s story created from your imagination, etc. For time, some projects can be created with friends. That way you can spend time in good company while you help each other create presents.<\/p>\n Everyone has some small talent that can be used to create homemade presents. Whether it\u2019s cooking, painting, woodworking or other things, use your talents to create original presents and fight Christmas consumerism.<\/strong><\/p>\n Suggestion: If you\u2019re part of a gift exchange, suggest to the other participants that \u201chandmade\u201d be the theme.<\/em><\/p>\n Regifting is when you give someone a present that you previously received. While it\u2019s a surprising practice, it\u2019s growing in popularity.<\/p>\n There are economic and environmental advantages to regifting. This practice saves money because it hardly costs anything. It also pleases people who want to escape excessive consumerism. Finally, it means that objects in good condition don\u2019t end up in the garbage.<\/p>\n However, there are certain rules to respect when regifting to avoid problems and be responsible:<\/p>\n Don\u2019t see regifting as a way for people to get rid of a burden. On the contrary, it\u2019s possible to make someone really happy this way. All you need is the right present for the right person.<\/p>\n When we speak of consumerism and debt during the holidays, we often forget that it isn\u2019t just the presents that cost a lot. Spending on Christmas decorations also adds up quickly. Fortunately, there\u2019re ways to decorate without spending an arm and a leg.<\/p>\n The first thing to do is to make a list of your decorations and verify their condition. Are the lights still working? Do any broken Christmas balls need to be replaced?<\/p>\n Then, make a list (yes, another one!) of missing decorations before going to the store to buy them. By following the list, you\u2019ll resist impulse buying, and spend less.<\/strong><\/p>\n Like presents, handmade decorations are also increasingly popular. Their main advantage is that they can fit any style of room. You can choose to make DIY decorations of any size or colour. Obviously there are substantial savings to be made\u00a0this way.<\/p>\n You can also use this as an art project with your children. The youngest will have a lot of fun cutting out snow flakes or making paper garlands. Older ones can do more complex projects such as designing a centrepiece for the table.<\/p>\n With imagination, you can also collect various objects and transform them into holiday decorations. A Google search with the words \u201chomemade Christmas decorations\u201d will be enough to inspire you.<\/p>\n To cut expenses, there is also the minimalist option. To start, avoid the large and grand fir tree, which will help you save up to a hundred dollars. Instead, go for an existing houseplant or take a walk in the forest to collect tree branches.<\/p>\n Limit yourself to decorating only one room in the house. In this way, you\u2019ll avoid small, less-important decorations, such as the soap dispenser in the shape of a snowman, and the red-nosed reindeer decoration for the car\u00a0.<\/p>\n In the selected room, set out candles that are gathering dust in a drawer. They\u2019re helpful to add a warm touch to any Christmas decoration and they\u2019re also quite minimalist. Supplement this with things coloured red or green collected from other rooms in the house. It could be a blanket, a cushion or even fruit.<\/p>\n Minimalistic decor is very modern and allows you to avoid excessive consumerism and debt related to Christmas decorations.<\/strong><\/p>\n Despite all the possible options to decorate, sometimes the only possible one is to buy them. By thinking about it in advance and remembering previous Christmases, you can take advantage of Boxing Day sales to purchase them at the fraction of the original price. Some stores have even started offering Boxing Day sales a few days before Christmas.<\/p>\n Shopping for your Christmas decorations on Boxing Day also has an advantage other than financial. With the arrangement of your decorations fresh in your mind, it\u2019s easier to choose what will go well with the rest of the decor or fill in gaps.<\/p>\n But this strategy to economize is less appropriate for articles using electricity or batteries. The problem is, essentially, that the guarantee for such articles will have expired before they can be used the following year. Testing the merchandise before purchasing it will reduce the risks, but it\u2019s impossible to completely eliminate them when it\u2019s a question of electronics.<\/p>\n Tips to prevent falling into consumerism are not limited to presents and decorations. There are ways to save in all aspects related to the holiday period. Here are some other ideas:<\/p>\n TIP #8:<\/strong> If you are still sending greeting cards, modernize this tradition and use one of the many free applications such as JustWink<\/a><\/p>\n TIP #9:<\/strong> If you organize a dinner, make it a potluck<\/p>\n TIP #10:<\/strong> If you want to be generous and support a community organization, give time instead of money<\/p>\n TIP #11:<\/strong> If you\u2019re looking for entertainment, choose a free or inexpensive activity<\/a><\/p>\n At Christmas time, happiness comes from the good times spent with family and friends. Don\u2019t forget that the cost of the presents you give and the amounts spent to decorate are secondary.<\/p>\nTIP #2: Handmade presents are \u201cin\u201d<\/h3>\n
TIP #3: The \u201cregifting\u201d trend is growing<\/h3>\n
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Decorating without going into debt<\/h2>\n
TIP #4: Do an inventory of your decorations<\/h3>\n
TIP #5: Make your decorations<\/h3>\n
TIP #6: Go for a minimalist decor<\/h3>\n
TIP #7: Buy your decorations on Boxing Day<\/h3>\n
Other tips to avoid holiday consumerism<\/h2>\n
Lots of happiness and memori7es without going into debt<\/h2>\n