I may have to pinch myself. We did Christmas without going into debt. The car repair was a challenge but after the home of our daughter was burglarized our finances were touch and go for a few days. There were several extra expenses involved with helping her but she is worth every penny.
Making it through Christmas without going into debt took some creativity. It helps to take advantage of sales throughout the year. Bargain shopping, using coupons and online deals also helped make for a debt free Christmas.
We gave gifts to the children at church. The candy was purchased a few days after Halloween in November when it was half price. Then, we downloaded free printable coloring sheets and put them into coloring books. The kids got a kick out of receiving them. Extra candy bags were given to the adults at church. It's safe to say that they enjoyed the gifts too.
Gifts to our kids were not extravagant. Each daughter received a larger item that they really wanted. Then, we filled in with smaller gifts. Hubby and I did the same thing for each other.
Celebrating Christmas without going into debt meant keeping meal expenses in check. We put our Thanksgiving plan to use and were able to have our holiday meal for about the same price! Coupon shopping and watching sales really came into play there.
It's work but it gives me hope. If we managed to celebrate without going into debt this year, we can do it next year too.
Thank you for taking our debt free journey with us. From my house to yours, have a Merry Christmas and a financially healthy 2012.
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