1. Give the gift of time – Create coupons for hikes, trips to the museum, fishing or other activities that bring people together without breaking the bank.

2. DIY – make Christmas gifts for those in your family. Food is always a winner!


3. Make and take – no more mailing gifts and cards. Hand deliver all that you can and maybe even sing a carol while you are there.

4. Give what you got – re-gift items that you no longer need or love or something that you have extra of, like firewood!

5. A picture is worth a thousand words – put together photo albums or scrapbooks from all of those digital pictures you have stored on your camera and in your computer.

6. Go green – use items that you find in nature to do your decorating. Pinecones, nuts, and greenery can usually be found around your home free of charge. When searching on property other than your own be sure you get permission form the owners.

7. Avoid the stuff – you know all that stuff that the family NEVER uses but you feel obligated to buy anyway (like stocking stuffer type toys and gadgets).

Cutting back for the holidays does not mean cutting out the fun. Find new and creative traditions that will mean more to your family than just shiny new toys that get discarded the next day.