I know what you are thinking, “Is it really possible to pull offChristmas on a zero budget?” Yes, you can–if you are willing to put in some hard work and be very creative. You also have to be willing to keep Christmas simple.
Our Christmas On A Zero Budget
Many Christmases ago, I pulled off Christmas foralmost nothing. Our family had made a big move that summer, and it resulted in several expenses. Plus, my husband was starting a new job as a registered nurse and was earning an entry-level wage. I was a stay-at-home mom of three little ones. We had some unexpected bills that after praying over it, I knew God wanted me to pay them with what little I had saved for Christmas. There I was in mid-November with not a nickel saved for Christmas.
Yet, come Christmas day, each of our three children had a gift from us, a gift from Santa, and a stocking. My husband got a small gift from me, and he gave me a few pieces of a Dollar Tree Christmas Village I had been eying. We had a very simple Christmas meal. The highlight of the day was the beautiful Christmas tree we got just in time for the big day for free.
How did I do it? I got very creative and thought outside the box, and at the very last minute, my husband got called in for an afternoon of overtime work and that paycheck arrived the day before Christmas. It helped pay for a few items I had not yet gotten, which is why I said I pulled it off for almost nothing.
If you don’t have the hope of overtime filling in the gaps for you, you can still pull off a greatChristmas on a zero budget,especially since 12 years later, you have more possibilities available to you than I did, thanks to the growing internet.
What I Would Do Now If I Had No Money For Christmas
I originally wrote this post nine years ago, meaning our zero Christmas was 21 years ago now. The post went viral days after I wrote it and gets decent traffic year after year. Every fall, I make sure all the companies I list are still valid, as well as add replacements or new companies as needed. I want to make sure that it truly does help those who read the post.
This year, for several reasons, I think it needs an entire overhaul. One, the economy has gone crazy and there are more financially strapped families out there than ever. Two, I am older and wiser and I have more tips to share. Three, when I originally wrote this, I focused on the most expensive part of Christmas: the gifts, but Christmas has so many more expenses than gifts.
How To Prepare For An Enjoyable No-Cash Christmas
1. Change Your Attitude
If you clicked on this article feeling defeated by your lack of funds available to create a magical Christmas for your loved ones, it is time to give up the poverty mentality of “I can’t afford” and replace it with a creative, can-do attitude.
You need to believe that you can indeed have an awesome Christmas without spending a dime–because you can.
2. Remember What Christmas Is All About
In order to believe in a no money Christmas, you need to remember that Christmas isn’t about the gifts. Yes, if you follow my plan, there will be gifts for the kids–but those are not the focus.
Think back to your fond childhood memories of Christmas. If they are like mine, you remember perhaps only a gift or two. What you remember more are the moments of magic, the moments of feeling so loved, so blessed, the moments when you felt like you truly belonged and your family, despite all its cracks, was pretty great.
For those of us, including me, who believe in Jesus, remember that this day is all about Him–not us. Remember his second commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Showing love takes time always, but money…not so often. There are a million ways to show love without spending money.
3. Make That List
I want you to sit down and create a list of all the things you think you need to make the magic of Christmas come alive in your home this holiday season.
Write it all down, even if you think you don’t have the money to do it all.
I want you to NOT put a price tag by each person’s name. Nor do I want you to write down that you want to give Bubba a TV and Baby Doll an iPad. Instead, just write a list of everyone you want to give a gift to. Emphasis on want to, giving should never feel obligated. If it does, it is time to check that attitude.
I also want your list to include more than gifts. What experiences do you want to share with your loved ones? What foods do you want to indulge in? Do you want to do Christmas photos? Do you want to send Christmas cards?
I am going to share with you ONE HUNDRED PERCENT FREE ways to do all of these things. But remember, you need to have a creative, can-do attitude.
4. Talk To Family Members
You can leave young children out of this because they are not going to notice that Christmas changed this year, but include everyone else, including extended family whom you normally exchange gifts with.
First, hold an immediate family-only meeting with your significant other and older children. Brainstorm ways that you can make the holidays special without spending money.
Tell the kids there will be a gift for them, but not several and with teenagers, be realistic about the monetary value that gift will have. You don’t want them expecting an iPhone when your budget covers a $20 gift card to their favorite streaming service.
Children might complain now, but they won’t hate you for life because that one year money was so tight all they got for Christmas was a $20 gift card.
As for extended family and other loved ones, honesty shared with love is always the best policy. Hard, but best. Those who love you would rather you skip the gifts than go into credit card debt.
Now, let’s get on to the fun stuff and start brainstorming ways to spend zero dollars on Christmas without stripping it of all that makes it the most magical time of the year.
The ORIGINAL Christmas On A Zero Budget Plan
These next 10 points are the bulk of the original post that will help you raise money to buy the Christmas things that really do cost money. After sharing them, I share a few free gift ideas as well as free alternatives for all the other holiday expenses, including Christmas decor, Christmas wrap, holiday activities, Christmas cards, holiday photos, etc. Finally, I will wrap the post up with ways to save money on all those Christmas yummies.
(Links in this post are affiliate links. I will be compensated when you make a purchase by clicking those links. See mydisclosure pagefor more information)
1. Go through your home from top to bottom
- Where to Resell Your Items Online For Quick Christmas Cash
Christmas for zero requires you to do some inventory. What do you have that you no longer use that can be sold?Could you sell clothing you or your kids no longer fit in for enough money to fill the Christmas stockings?
What items do you have around the home that could become gifts? Could that tablecloth you never use become doll clothes?
Do you have new or like new items that could make excellent gifts for others? Regifting isn’t tacky when done right!
Go from room to room, looking through every nook and cranny, taking stock of everything you already own and try to see it with new, creative eyes.
2. Find A Local Facebook Buy And Sell Group
In most areas, November is a little late to have a yard sale, but nowadays you can have a yard sale any day you want with a Facebook Buy and Sell group.You can sell items big and small in these groups.
3. Start Working Point Reward Programs And Using Apps That Have Low Payout Minimums
These sorts of programs are going to pay you cash back for something you already buy, like gas and groceries, or pay you a little something for taking the time to answer a few questions or completing a short task online.
Various Money Or Gift Card Earning Apps With Low Cash Out Thresholds
Fetch Rewards
Upload your receipts for grocery, fast food, gas, and more and earn points. Points needed for various cards differ; for instance, an Amazon gift card starts at 5,000 points for $3, whereas T.J. Maxx gift cards start at 5750 points for a $5 card.
Use my referral codeRE9FUat sign-up and receive bonus points after uploading your first receipt.
GetUpside
GetUpside is an app that gives you cash back when you get gas. In our area, my family is able to use this app at several different gas stations to earn cash back on our gas purchases.
The GetUpside app is simple to use; it takes less than a minute to find a gas station, claim the offer, and then enter the information needed to start processing the cash back. Generally, it takes less than 24 hours to receive your cash back in the “Cash Out” area of the app. You can opt to receive your cash out through PayPal, a mailed check, or a gift card (starting at $10).
Use my referral code YG5ZB during sign-up and you will receive a one-time 15¢/gal bonus. Go here to sign up for GetUpside.
Point Programs With Low Cash Out Levels
Now is not the time to spend hours on surveys for a company that doesn’t pay out until you reach $30. Instead, work at programs like Swagbucks, where gift cards, in general, start at 500 Swagbucks for a $5 card. Visit my post on 10 simple ways to earn gift cards using Swagbucks to get started.
InstaGC offers instant gift cards and super low cash out values. For 100 points, you can get a $1 Amazon gift card. Go here to sign up and start earning.
480 MyPoints will get you a $3 Amazon gift card and there are numerous ways to earn points. Go here to become a member of MyPoints.
A Point Program That Offers Free Books
If you want to surprise a book lover (young or old) with a new book, then joinMy Reader Rewards Club. Books do take a few weeks to be delivered; plan accordingly.
An App That Pays You To Walk In A Store
Shopkick is an app that pays you points for a few different simple activities, one being checking into the app while walking into select stores. You can also earn points from watching videos, uploading receipts, and scanning items in-store.
A $2 Target gift card is 500 points. Use the code CARD147023 during sign-up and earn a bonus when you earn at least 10 kicks in the first 14 days (videos excluded).
4. Trade Books, Clothing, & Toys For Store Credit
Books I no longer needed were something I found on my inventory walk through all those Christmases ago. I took them to a local secondhand bookstore and got a credit that I used to pick out like new board books for my toddler to put in his stocking. You could also try children’s consignment stores that pay cash upfront (they often give you more if you take store credit), and usually, they have like new toys you could give as gifts to your youngsters.
5. Hold An “Eat What You Have” Week–Or Longer
- How To Hold An “Eat What You Have” Week To Help Pad The Christmas Fund
For one week or longer, skip the grocery store and get really creative, making meals out of food already in your cupboards. Use the savings to buy gifts. I used mine to buy the ingredients needed for Christmas baking and Christmas dinner during that tight financial year.
6. Wait Until The Last Minute For Amazing Deals
That Christmas 21 years ago was the first time I have waited to finish my shopping until Christmas Eve. When I knew we had no money saved for Christmas, I had made a list and prioritized it and was doing well at getting the most important items. The two things I was missing, though, were a tree and Santa gifts.
We were making do with a 2-foot artificial tree I found in the attic. The previous owner of our home had left it and it was very Charlie Brown-like, but it worked. I was racking my brain for free Santa gift materials around our home when my husband got the overtime hours and we figured out that money would arrive Christmas Eve.
With the money from the overtime in our account early that morning, I sent my husband out with a list and told him, “Santa gifts first, and if there’s money leftover, buy a tree.” He got the gifts and thought we had enough leftover for a small, real tree. When he got to the tree seller’s place, the guy was shocked we didn’t have a tree yet and pointed out that he had already gotten his ready for trash pick-up, but he allowed my husband to pick one out for free.
You can imagine my face when he came home with a huge tree, and if I remember right, he spent the money we saved on some 50% off tree decorations to decorate it.
7. Sign Up For Samples As Soon As You Can
- What Thrifty People Do With Free Samples And Where To Find Them
Right around Thanksgiving, it seems like companies go crazy with free sample sign-ups.Money Saving Momis my favorite place to find out about them. Free samples can make great stocking stuffers or gift basket fillers.
8. Search Pinterest For Ideas
- Presents you can make out of old jeans
- Presents you can make out of t-shirts
- Presents you can make out of old sweaters
IfPinteresthad been available the year I created Christmas out of next to nothing, my brain would have hurt less. Use the Pinterest search bar to enter whatever materials you seem to have in surplus and watch amazing remake and repurpose ideas come up.
9. Watch Out For Coupons That Lead To Free Items
For several years in a row, I bought my children chocolate for their stockings for pennies by using the Hallmark $5 Off a $5 Purchase coupons that were available to print online and also foundin free magazinesI enjoy.
CVS and Walgreens Black Friday sales are also great places to get free items by stacking deals with coupons.
The Ibotta cashback app offers full cashback on an item or two from time to time. If you are not a member already,use the code pgoydhrduring sign-up and get a bonus after you successfully claim your first offer.
10. Give Coupons
If you want to include friends in your giving, but all nine ideas above leave you too short to make it to them, here is an idea: give out handmade coupons.
- Give babysitting to the couple you know never gets out.
- Give a coupon of “I will help you plant your flower garden this spring” to the brown thumb friend who needs someone to be there to guide them in purchasing the right plants and getting them in the ground in the place they will grow.
- Give your hubby a few coupons, too, for back rubs and…(be creative 🙂 ).
Oh, and if you think handmade coupons are a little tacky, here is a great free alternative.
New Additions To Zero Cash Christmas Budget Plan
Host One Of These Swap Parties
Spend some quality time with your friends over the holidays and stretch your tight budget withone of these seven Christmas-themed swap parties.
Join Your Neighborhood Buy Nothing Group
I joined my area’s Buy Nothing group recently and noticed that like new toys are often listed. These would make great Christmas presents for young children who really don’t care if toys are new and in the original box.
To clean and disinfect, most plastic toys can be safely run through the dishwasher or use soap and water with a few drops of bleach.
Another place to look for lightly used items with free gift potential is freecycle.org.
More Free Gift Ideas
For Friends And Siblings
- Gifts that use your talents and surplus—Are you a plant expert with a living room full of plants that are always having babies? Save your yogurt containers and decorate them. Fill them with the soil you have on hand and place the plant babies in them. Care for them until you know they are well established and give them to your siblings as gifts.
- Follow the blog Money Saving Mom and when she shares a free magazine offer that you know your bestie will love, take the time to sign her up. When the first issue comes and she is confused as to where it came from, say, “Merry Christmas.”
For The Grandparents
- Make them a slideshow of their grandkids using photos from your phone and a free app.
- If you have flour, salt, and water, you can make salt dough ornaments for the tree using your child’s handprints. There are recipes all over the internet for this.
White Elephant Gift Exchange
- Give a pet rock, complete with a decorated box home and caring instructions.
For Toddlers & Preschoolers
- The internet is full of recipes for homemade playdough and it is a gift that gets hours and hours of use.
- Homemade bubble solution is another easy DIY gift idea for this age group.
I haven’t included ideas for free gifts for older children and teens because they are the hardest to find free gifts for. This is the age group where you spend the extra money you earn through selling unwanted items. Or you give them the gift cards you earned through point reward programs.Here are a few ways to give a digital gift card creatively.
Free Christmas Decor Ideas
Unless this is your first Christmas away from your parents’ home, chances are you already have at least a few Christmas decorations. Use these! After being a parent for 27 years, I know that the decorations my kids cherish are the ones I have had around the longest.
That said, there is usually always a garland that gets a little sad looking after years of use or a Christmas light strand that burns out.
This year, make do without replacing Christmas lights. As for the garland, pop that popcorn that has been sitting in the back of your cupboard for years and string it on that thread your mom gave you that you aren’t using. Get the kids involved, and you will have a garland with memories created in its creation.
To add more to your decor, go through your house and gather everything you have in red, white, and green, plus any candles. Red pillowcases can be thrown over throw pillows. A green sheet can add a dash of Christmas as a tablecloth. Red and green construction paper can be used to make a chain to hang over an archway. White paper from the printer can become snowflakes that you hang from the ceiling using scrap yarn and string. All costing you zero.
Free Christmas Wrapping Ideas
Those same red pillowcases could act as gift bags on Christmas morning. Chip bags turned inside out and wiped free of the grease and crumbs the chips left behind can become festive-looking wrapping for smaller gifts.
Brown paper bags can be cut up and used as wrapping, too. Use markers to draw festive patterns on them.
And take it from a person who has never bought a gift tag–there is no need for them. Simply use a Sharpie to write the name of the gift recipient on the gift. If you are using those red pillowcases, write the name on a piece of paper and pin it to the gift.
Free Christmas Activity Ideas
My list of 25 Christmas Traditions For Families On A Tight Budget contains several free ideas, including making an advent out of paper rings and borrowing free Christmas movies from your local library.
Free Ways To Give Back To Your Community
No matter how little we have, we can always give back to our community through volunteering. Sign the whole family up to volunteer as bell ringers for the Salvation Army or to serve a meal at the soup kitchen.
Free Christmas Card & Photo Ideas
Go digital! Take a family selfie or have a friend take your family photo using your phone. Edit with a free app. Write a group email that includes the picture and a holiday sentiment. You have spent zero while still keeping a classic family tradition alive and well.
How To Keep Holiday Meals And Treats Low Cost
I don’t know about your kids, but mine never begged for a turkey dinner with all the trimmings. I am sure if I had served them a dinner of pancakes with festive sprinkles, they would have been just as happy–probably happier.
What I am saying is in order to keep food costs low at Christmas, you might have to give up some of the more traditional foods we associate with celebrating Christmas this year. Who knows, perhaps pancakes for Christmas dinner will become a new tradition your family loves.
There are plenty of ways to reduce food costs beyond swapping expensive meals for cheaper ones and for my best ones, I suggest you read 27 Simple Methods For Saving Money On Groceries.
When These Tips Are Not Enough
If the creditors are calling you on a regular basis and you have already sold everything you could to pay the rent, then these tips are probably not enough—but things are still going to be okay. There is plenty of help out there for you, and you should not feel ashamed about using it.
Seek out local food banks for help with providing your family with a holiday meal, and see what local churches offer a Christmas gift program for children in need.
We wish you a Merry, frugal Christmas with more time spent with loved ones and less time spent worrying about how to pay for it all!
Become A Snail Pacer
Receive a monthly newsletter full of tips for making life changes at a realistic pace.
Share
Pin
Post
