Don’t Blow Your Budget This Holiday Season! 3 Ways to Save Money

When the Christmas music is blasting on the radio well before Thanksgiving and you feel the warm embrace of the fireside at a friend's holiday get-together, it's easy to be sucked into the holiday spirit. Unfortunately, it's also easy to get sucked into the spending frenzy that can accompany the holidays.

An extra Christmas gift here - "I know I already bought her that sweater, but Susan would love this knit scarf, too!" - and a few last-minute events there - "What the heck - let's go to ‘The Nutcracker'!" - and you may soon find yourself overspending the holiday budget you set back in September.

Whether you actually established a holiday budget or you're flying by the seat of your pants, there are easy ways to save cash this holiday season without feeling like a Scrooge.

Here are 3 easy strategies to enter into the New Year without feeling like you're already in the red:

• Find creative alternatives to costly endeavors - Do you usually host a huge blowout with all of your friends, family, and neighbors, complete with an ice sculpture and hired carolers? Scale down with a festive but financially sound shindig, like a holiday potluck and a screening of holiday classics. Ask everyone to bring the one dish that best represents the respective holiday, plus a print out of the recipe for everyone to share. 
• Go green and save big - Sad to say, but the traditional Christmas cards are going by the wayside; and for a reason. A well-designed e-card is a more affordable and green way to send your holiday wishes. Bonus: procrastinators don't have to fret about missing the United States Post Service's mailing deadlines.  
• Give the gift of your time - Can't afford to get a gift for everyone on your list of usual suspects? Donate your time or talents, instead. Know a friend who needs help repainting her living room? Give her a card with a Photoshopped image of the two of you in overalls and a thought bubble saying "Good for 5 hours of my painting services! Happy holidays!" So much better than another bottle of lotion or a cookbook!