With a bit of planning and creativity, a happy holiday season doesn’t have to be expensive. From DIY decorations and smart gift ideas to low-cost celebrations, you can have a festive holiday this year without breaking the bank. Check out these ideas: 

Budget-friendly ways to deck the halls

This is a perfect time of year to go shopping at local thrift shops and second-hand stores. Some Goodwill locations have an entire aisle filled with holiday decorations and other winter décor. You can often find a range of items that look brand new. So go exploring and see what new-to-you decorations you can discover for just a few dollars. 

Facebook Marketplace is another great spot to look for holiday decorations that someone else no longer needs but that you’d love to have. Or plan a holiday decoration swap with friends, where everyone brings three or four items they’re ready to part with and takes home a few that they like. Let the group know that they can also bring holiday dishware to swap. 

Another smart move: If you’ll be buying a live Christmas tree at a local farm or plant nursery, ask if they have spare branches that have been cut from other trees. They may have some available for free, which you can use to decorate a fireplace mantel or to create a centerpiece for your dining table. You can also tie a few pine branches together with a red ribbon to create a lovely, inexpensive front door decoration. 

Cost-friendly celebrating:

The holiday season offers so many chances to celebrate without spending too much money. Instead of buying groceries and drinks to host a party, consider inviting a group of friends and/or family to go around your neighborhood and sing Christmas carols. 

Hand out candy canes when the group gathers at your home. Then after roaming the neighborhood singing carols and looking at holiday lights, invite everyone back to your home for mugs of hot cocoa and some s’mores around an outdoor fire. You and your guests can enjoy plenty of holiday cheer at a minimal cost.

You can also plan a holiday potluck meal where each guest brings a dish and shares the recipe with the other guests. Another fun option: Invite a group of friends over for a marathon holiday cookie-baking session. You can share the cost of the eggs, flour, etc., and each bake a few dozen cookies that you’ll give to other people as gifts. In the process, you’ll spend an evening enjoying each other’s company with holiday music playing and plenty of joy (and the smell of cookies!) in the air.

How to Have a Savvy Holiday Without Breaking the Bank

Everyone saves money when deciding to do “Secret Santa” gift-giving, rather than having a group of friends (or family members) all buy gifts for each other. And there are even more good ways to save this year. 

Consider giving people your effort instead of gifts you pay for: You can write out and decorate your own “gift cards” promising to do valuable kindnesses like babysitting for a friend’s child or helping with home improvement projects. 

And if there are gifts you plan to buy for friends and relatives that will push you beyond your budget this year, you can plan ahead and do it without using a compounding high-interest credit card. 

Instead, consider a personal loan with fixed monthly payments from the “Friendly Franklin Folks” at any of our branches. Choose the exact amount you need with a clear repayment plan that fits your budget, and start your application online today. Plus, take advantage of our No Payments Promotion: *no payments on new loans until January 2025 when you close your loan between November 20 – December 31, 2024!

As you look ahead to the holidays, our 1st Franklin Financial family wishes you and yours a season full of joy and peace. And we hope your celebrating and gift-giving bring smiles to you and those you love!

*Additional charges will apply, so visit 1ffc.com to learn more and get started or find a branch near you.