Cutting down on holiday spending, doesn't have to mean cutting down on holiday fun. Here are twelve ways to plan a fun and affordable holiday:

    1. Create a Budget

    A cheaper Christmas starts with a solid spending plan. Look over your finances, and decide how much you can afford to spend on Christmas. Then, divide this amount among your various Christmas expenses – gifts, food, decorations, etc.

    2. Make a Gift List

    Bring focus to your gift spending by creating a list of all the people you plan to shop for. Then, set a spending limit for each person, and jot down gift ideas before heading out to shop.

    3. Trim Down Your Gift List

    Have more people on your gift list than you can afford to buy for? Then, it's time to give that list a trim. Look over your current list, and decide whom you have to shop for and whom you don't. Remember: a shorter Christmas list is always better than adding debt and stress to your life.

    4. Start Early

    Black Friday may be the official start to the Christmas shopping season, but it doesn't have to be the start to yours. Start shopping for gifts as soon as you can afford to do so, and you'll have more time to bargain shop and feel less pressure to buy at any price.

    5. Shop Smart

    Giving a nice gift doesn't have to mean spending a lot, so shop with your budget in mind:

    6. Shop Second-Hand

    There's no rule that says gifts have to be bought new. Scour thrift stores, yard sales, flea markets and other second-hand sources for gift-worthy items at prices well below retail. Just a few possibilities: unburned candles, antiques, collectibles, vintage jewelry and books.

    7. Make It Yourself

    Homemade gifts are every bit as nice as store-bought gifts, and sometimes nicer. Put your creativity to work, and knock off everyone on your gift list.

    8. Don't Shop for Yourself

    All of those holiday deals make it easy to adopt a "one for me; one for you" mentality. Set a rule that you'll only shop for the people on your list – and not yourself. The pay off: less stuff in your house and more money in the bank.

    9. Skip the Christmas Cards

    Christmas cards are nice, but the cost can really add up. First you've got to buy the cards; then, you've got to pay for all the postage to mail them. Double ouch! To make your Christmas budget go further, consider skipping the Christmas cards this year, or at least trim your mailing list down to a more manageable size. Still attached to the tradition of sending cards? Here are several ways that you can minimize the expense:

    10. Skip the Pricey Gift Wrap

    Gift wrap has gotten so expensive – sometimes adding as much as $5 to the cost of a present. Wow! Fortunately, it only takes a bit of creativity to avoid this expense entirely:

    削減你節(jié)日的開(kāi)支并不意味著削減你節(jié)日的快樂(lè)。這里有十個(gè)方案可以幫助你度過(guò)更愉快更'便宜'的節(jié)日。

    1、整理預(yù)算

    一個(gè)實(shí)惠的圣誕節(jié)開(kāi)始于一個(gè)有預(yù)算的消費(fèi)清單。查看你的經(jīng)濟(jì)情況，然后決定在這個(gè)圣誕節(jié)你將支出消費(fèi)。這個(gè)清單中包括你所有需要購(gòu)買(mǎi)的東西--禮物，食物，裝飾品等等。

    2、列出你的禮品清單

    當(dāng)你在準(zhǔn)備出發(fā)前往商場(chǎng)購(gòu)買(mǎi)禮物之前，讓我們好好想想，這個(gè)節(jié)日，你需要買(mǎi)些什么禮物送給你的親朋好友，列一個(gè)友人清單吧，你會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)它大有裨益。

    3、整理你的黎平清單

    哦！天那，有太多的人被列到了你的清單里，但你又怎有這么多的錢(qián)，來(lái)負(fù)擔(dān)這些呢？現(xiàn)在就是我們給這個(gè)清單做一個(gè)縮水的過(guò)程了。想想看，誰(shuí)是你必須要送的人，而誰(shuí)則不是，記住一個(gè)縮減的圣誕節(jié)清單要遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)好與應(yīng)為圣誕節(jié)而積累下的債務(wù)，將你日后的日子壓的喘不過(guò)氣來(lái)。

    4、早點(diǎn)做準(zhǔn)備

    黑色星期五也許就是多數(shù)人開(kāi)始為圣誕節(jié)購(gòu)物的日子了，但是這里面決不包括你。開(kāi)始購(gòu)物之前先要考慮那正是你的承擔(dān)范圍之內(nèi)的事情，而不是讓價(jià)格的壓力束縛你。

    5、購(gòu)物時(shí)髦

    購(gòu)買(mǎi)精致的禮品并不就意味著你就要花費(fèi)很多的錢(qián)，所以在你的腦瓜里，先列出清單吧。

    6、去二手市場(chǎng)看看

    并沒(méi)有誰(shuí)規(guī)定過(guò)禮物一定要是新的。去逛逛跳蚤市場(chǎng)或者二手市場(chǎng)也是你的選擇，美麗的禮物，實(shí)惠的價(jià)格。可以是為燃的蠟燭，古董，老樣式的珠寶，或者是書(shū)。

    7、自己動(dòng)手做

    自己做的禮品總要精美于商店里貨品架上的，發(fā)揮你的想像里，并把它列在你的禮品清單里。

    8、沒(méi)必要自己親自去購(gòu)物

    所有這些為你準(zhǔn)備的建議會(huì)讓你的節(jié)日過(guò)的輕松而愉快，列出一個(gè)清單，只需要在別人購(gòu)買(mǎi)的時(shí)候給他們帶上你的清單，而不是你自己去。對(duì)你更少的壓力，存更多的錢(qián)在銀行。

    9、跳過(guò)卡片的節(jié)目

    圣誕節(jié)的卡片真是美麗，但是擁有就意味著消費(fèi)的上漲。削減你的卡片支出可以為你減輕更多的經(jīng)濟(jì)壓力。

    10、跳出昂貴節(jié)日禮物的束縛

    禮品的價(jià)格越來(lái)越貴，有的價(jià)格要比平時(shí)貴出5美元多，喔！幸運(yùn)的是，你，我都可以來(lái)一點(diǎn)小小的創(chuàng)意，跳出昂貴價(jià)格的陷阱。