Unlimited Christmas on a Limited Budget by Chuck Bentley

Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's are just around the corner! Many people will experience enormous pressure to overspend, max out credit cards, use buy-now-pay-later financing, take out personal loans, or succumb to payday loans in an effort to please others or fill their empty hearts. I know because I once lived through that feeling of going into a holiday season unable to afford any of the normal traditions.

The Pressure Is Real

A LendingTree survey found that 36% of consumers incurred holiday debt in 2021 (up from 31% in 2020), averaging $1,249 — albeit an amount less than in 2019 and 2020. This included gifts, travel, and entertainment. A full 82% said they would either consolidate their debt or open a balance transfer credit card.

We buy stuff to have under a tree that's bought and decorated on credit, and we often cannot remember what we even gave or received. How do you resist that pressure? By keeping an eternal perspective. You can make any celebration fun and memorable without spending too much money. With some planning, you can protect your finances while avoiding the fear and accompanying stress of large credit card bills or other unsecured forms of debt.

find extra cash

Limit discretionary spending now to come up with extra cash. That simply means trying to reduce what you spend on non-essentials. This will reward you with money to use toward the holidays. Recruit friends or family members to do this with you. You’ll learn from one another and encourage each other when tempted to give up. Delay purchases for clothes, entertainment, and eating out. Plan a menu, and eat cheap for a week or a month. Use coupons. Look for deals while maximizing points and bonuses offered by credit card companies.

AVOID HOLIDAY DEBT

Make a decision not to go into debt — period. Begin praying that God will show you a better way. Come January and February, you will experience the peace and joy of waiting on the Lord to provide and of having wisely spent during the holidays. Plus, the upcoming months can be sweeter when you do not have that additional stress hanging over your head. 

Research shows that experiences rather than things often give greater satisfaction. Done in community, it is even more fun. So gather some friends, and find ways to celebrate together.

If you put computers and phones away, no one will be distracted. One year, I simply gave a card to some of my friends with a verse written inside and an explanation of why I chose that verse for them. Many told me it was very touching to them.

More valuable than any gifts your children, friends, or family hope to unwrap are yearly Christmas traditions that focus on the Truth. They are priceless. Money cannot buy them. Repeated over time, they will imprint the hearts and minds of those you hold dear. Traditions rooted in Christ will build a legacy of faith, security, and strong family bonds. Did you grow up with some you want to repeat? Do you have some you want to implement this year? How about volunteering to serve the less fortunate or giving anonymously to someone in need?

Celebrate the season without letting your finances spiral out of control. Ignore the ads, and embrace the reason for the season. Be filled with joy, and share it in creative ways.

Be not conformed to the world’s way of celebrating, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so you can joyfully stay within your budget and worship the Lord in spirit and in truth.

(Based on Romans 12:2a)