Once again, Christmas time is here. This can mean different things to different people. Some people love the festive atmosphere that comes with the holiday season. Others see it as an opportunity to present lavish gifts to loved ones. Others see it as a huge waste of time and money that they are going to be paying for over the next year. No matter how you view Christmas there are things that you can do in order to help you save money and not acquire any more debt.

Like many things in life, the holidays should be approached with a plan. The first thing that should be done is to start saving money early on. It is very difficult to find a large chunk of money that can be spent on presents in November and December. If you start to carefully plan in January, you can estimate how much money you will be spending on presents. Once you have established an amount, you can then start saving a little each month in order to have the money available when you do your holiday shopping. As an example, if you plan to spend $1,000 total, you can save $100 a month from January to October. This will give you the $1,000 dollars by November.

We have all been bombarded by media ads on gifts for the holidays. This will often start in the summer months when retailers advertise “Christmas in July” sales. Although this may be extreme, we can learn some things from it. Shopping throughout the year can allow you to take advantage of sales. This can also help relieve a lot of stress by having to rush and shop as the days fly by. As an added bonus, you also get to avoid the malls and the crowdsthat go with them. I try and have all of my shopping done by the end of October so I do not have to visit a store other than for groceries.

Most importantly, it is always a good to remember that the Holiday’s are not about spending money, it is about quality time spent with the ones you love. This does not mean that you do not have to give out presents, but you can create something that means more than anything you can buy. The best part is that you can do it at almost no cost.

Choose a family member name this Christmas. That way you will have an entire year to complete your gift. Start by writing a letter, which can include fond memories you have ofthem, something that they taught you, how you have benefited from that or how you have been able to pass it along, a funny story they told, or just why you are so happy that they are in your life. Wrap your gift in a simple piece of aluminum foil and put a bow on it.

This may seem like a simple gift idea but it can truly touch the individual that receives it. That is the meaning of the Holiday spirit.