Frugal Christmas Guide | How to be Content With Less

Christmas is arguably the most wonderful time of the year.

And I’m willing to go to bat to back that statement because there are thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of a rendition of a jingle that says that exact same thing.

Frugal Christmas

If you are focusing on a big saving goal or paying off debt, this year may look a little different, a little simpler.

And that’s okay.

There is absolutely no correlation between the amount of money you spend and how festive the season is.

I dare you to find a study that relates the amount of joy you receive from this season to the amount of money tied up in it.

I may even go so far as to suspect that there is a glimmer of truth in the opposite. If you are only focused on how much money you can or can’t spend, it may rob your joy of the season.

With a frugal Christmas you can focus less on spending and more on giving.

Get Perspective

First things first. Remember what the season is actually about.

It is about celebrating the birth of a Savior.

It’s about celebrating hope for mankind.

It is a time to come together with your family and eat good food while enjoying the festivities.

It is not all about presents or how much money you can spend on so and so.

Set Expectations

Have you ever felt disappointed around this time of year? What was the trigger? Was it a gift you did/didn’t receive? Now stop and think, was it really the gift or was it your expectations. We feel disappointed when our expectations are not met.

Sometimes we are disappointed by things that are out of our control. But what is in our control is our expectations and how we respond.

Keep your expectations in check.

Make Christmas about experiences instead of things. Instead of planning how you’re going to use latest toy or gadget you’re expecting to receive, try planning out what you want to do with the time you get to spend with loved ones.

Practice Contentment + Gratitude

Contentment is not something you do once and master. It is something you must practice over and over again. And just when you start to think you have the contentment thing down, something else comes along. (Not speaking from personal experience or anything…)

Society tells us “you deserve this or that.” “You deserve happiness.” When we don’t have this or that, we feel like there is something missing. So we try to fill that void.

But here’s the truth. Are you ready for it?

We DESERVE nothing.

Everything is a gift.

We deserve nothing and have already been given the greatest gift of all. And for that we are eternally grateful.

Anything on top of that purely a bonus. And we like bonuses. We enjoy bonuses. There is nothing wrong with that. But we are not expecting them or relying on them.

Just a little reminder for that the next time we find ourselves dependent on this or that to fulfill us.

Gift Buying VS Gift Giving

While there is nothing wrong with making Christmas special by showing a loved one you care by giving them a gift, you also shouldn’t feel bad if you aren’t in a place to drop a lot of money on gifts.

Related: How to Budget for Christmas

Gift buying can get expensive quickly but gift giving doesn’t have to be.

Pour time and effort into a gift. That’s what makes it truly special. That saying about homemade gifts from the heart is cliche because it’s true. Here are gifts that are free to give.

song
poem
drawing
coupon
back massage
cleaning the house
uninterrupted free time
Check out these other Thoughtful Gifts of Time Ideas from Oh! Homesteading that are free to give.

Frugal Decorations

To bring in the Christmas cheer, decorate! To keep from feeling like you “can’t afford Christmas”, make decorations. If you don’t have/want to spend a ton on decor, check out the following frugal ideas. Call it minimalism and no one will question.

Fireplace Christmas Decor — Almost all of our decorations are homemade, purchased at the Dollar Tree, or given to us.

Decorate With Me!

Decorate for Christmas on a budget with my toddler and me! We didn’t buy any new decorations this year but decided to make the best with what we had. And since we downsized to an apartment, we had more than enough.

I even made a VIDEO about it! I show you our super frugal & budget friendly decorations we made our first year of marriage.

So head on over to my YouTube Channel (yes, I have one!) and decorate with me and my toddler! Or watch said toddler un-decorate 😉 There is also a big #FAIL…

Related: Budget Friendly Decor

Popcorn Garland

An artificial popcorn garland will cost you around $20. You can make your own for much, much cheaper. We have left over popcorn that I was on the verge of throwing out but realized I can make something out of it!

Grab a needle + thread and string it through the popcorn. We don’t currently have cranberries on hand so this will be a strictly popcorn garland.

And that’s okay!

Salt Dough Ornaments

Salt dough ornaments are a very inexpensive way to decorate the tree. Plus they are personal and fun to make. Between mixing the dough, shaping + cutting out ornaments, and painting, you could entertain the kiddos for hours!

You will need:

4 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
See full recipe here.

When in Doubt, go to the Dollar Store

Our first Christmas we went to the Dollar Tree and spent maybe a total of $5 and decked out our tree – that we got from Goodwill. We still have that tree and those ornaments.

Now we have a toddler on the run and the bottom half of our tree is very ornament-less. Where they are stashed, we know not. But we don’t care because the ornaments were very cheap to begin with!

The Dollar Tree is a great store to get decorations – everything is a dollar!

Discount Decorations

Once Christmas is over, all Christmas decorations are at least 50% off or more! This is a great time to get a few ornaments or lights for next year.

Check out these 5 adorable DIY Christmas decoration + treats ideas from Dagmar’s Home.

Related: How to Save Money for Christmas

Christmas Ambiance

You don’t have to run out to the store and get fancy Christmas scents or candles. You might just have the ability to make your house smell like Christmas with what you already have. Check your pantry for nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, etc. Here’s a recipe for DIY Christmas Stovetop Potpourri.

Set up a Pandora radio station or Spotify playlist with lots of good Christmas music. My favorites are Josh Groban’s and Pentatonix’s Christmas albums.

Free Activities

The epitome of a frugal Christmas is free. Look in your community for free activities to attend. Check the library or your city hall Facebook or web page. You can usually locate a calendar of events that has a lot of free activities to do – and most are kid friendly!

Rent a Christmas movie from the library. Sign up for a free trial of Amazon Prime or Netflix and watch Christmas movies on there. Dig out your favorite board game or puzzle. You can create a nice collection of board games and puzzles from the local thrift store for just a few dollars. Bake Christmas cookies.

Here are some gift ideas that with a little effort, are low cost.

Gifts under $10

scrapbook
photos
pampering kit (cozy socks, bath bombs + salts)
book
plant
DIY cinnamon + clove sugar scrub or peppermint sugar scrub
Nativity Christmas story trail mix in a mason jar

This great guide has lots of free or low cost ideas . Here are 151+ stocking stuffers for women that are under $10 from Frugal Confessions. And here are 151+ for men!

Related: 10 Christmas Side Hustles that Make Money

Looking for more frugal Christmas ideas? Check out these posts from other bloggers:

Just remember: there is absolutely no correlation between the amount of money you spend and how festive this season is. It’s okay to be frugal this Christmas. It’s okay to spend less and give more.

We’ve already been given the greatest gift of all. Anything else is just a bonus.

Did you find this post helpful? Share it with a friend and on Pinterest!

Now it’s your turn. Tell me: how do you save money at Christmas? What does a frugal Christmas look like for you? Let me know in the comments below!