You may have noticed I haven’t contributed any posts on how to save money on Christmas gifts. There won’t be any either. Not from me anyway. For the last few years, I’ve taken a strong position against giving gifts to loved ones. Occasionally the thought may cross my mind to buy something for the children, but even that hasn’t moved me to buy them anything. It’s not just because I’m cheap either. My decision making process was actually quite thoughtful.

Although I’ve been told I have the personality of an atheist, I am a Christian. I do celebrate Christmas. Just not like the rest of ya. Read the rationale for becoming a modern day Scrooge, plus tips on how you can really reduce your spending this holiday shopping season at 5 Ways To Give More And Spend Less This Christmas on Bible Money Matters.

Keeping costs low during the holiday season is nearly as tough as keeping the excess weight off during Thanksgiving. While many of us are well intentioned when it comes to keeping expenses down during the holidays, our best laid plans are often crushed by the reality of the cost of food, gifts, decorations, and all the little extras that seem to sneak up on us during the season of goodwill.

If you’re fed up with overspending and want to find some ways to keep your costs down this Christmas, here are a few ideas that might help you with your cost cutting goals.

1. Pay cash

When it comes to Christmas and holiday spending, it’s easy to lose track of your expenditures and your budget when you’re swiping credit cards and writing checks left and right. When you’re shelling out cold hard cash for your holiday expenses, it tends to have a greater impact on your awareness of just how much you’re actually spending and on what.

2. Make a list

Yes, just like Santa Claus, you should be making a list and checking it twice. The only difference is that you are keeping yourself from being naughty by not overspending. Making lists of what you need, as well as their associated costs, can help decrease “impulse” buys and assist you in maintaining a reasonable budget.

3. Compare prices on-line

You can find great bargains, get free shipping on products, check out customer reviews on gifts you’re considering, read blogs about coupons, discounts, and perform quick and easy product and price comparisons on the Internet. It is a great resource and can save you quite a bit of money when it comes to your holiday cost cutting.

4. Watch for coupons & advertisements

Whether on the Internet or through newspapers and direct mail packets, you can save hundreds of dollars by using store coupons. Finding coupons for 10%, 15%, 25% in store discounts or more can save you big, especially if you do the majority of your holiday shopping at establishments that offer these types of deals. Consider checking eBay or Craigslist where you might be able to purchase a coupon for a dollar or two that could save you 15% at a store where you might spend several hundred dollars.

5. Talk to family & friends

Friends and family are great resources when it comes to discovering bargains. You might also want to discuss whether to even undertake the whole gift giving process with your loved ones. Rather than exchanging gifts neither side wants, consider getting together for a dinner or party instead. It’s likely easier on the budget, and you’ll make lasting memories – and you don’t have to return those.

6. Buy discounted gift cards

Gift cards can be a great deal this season. Start your search at Gift Card Granny, a comparison shopping site for discounted gift cards. Such items can be perfect gifts, especially for children and spouses. A gift card can allow family members to buy things they probably would’ve spent money on anyway like clothes, home supplies, food, etc., thus keeping the expense within the family and possibly saving you money down the road.

7. Make your own gifts

While they are not always gift favorites, homemade food or gifts can be greatly appreciated and remember, it’s the thought that counts. For a spouse or partner you could give a massage coupon or certificate for work around the house that needs to be done.

8. Shop at discount stores

Just because a store has a well-known name and spends lots of money on advertising, it doesn’t mean their products are any better than a discount store. Local discount stores often offer the same style products but at a fraction of the cost when compared to high-end retailers.

9. Hunt for dollar bargains

Dollar stores are great places to find fun treats and stocking stuffers. You can spend $20 at a dollar store and load up on great treats for kids and adults of all ages.

10. Start shopping for Christmas 2010 now

It’s never too early to start saving money. Save money by shopping now for next year. Keep an eye open for deals when you’re out shopping and don’t forget – places like Goodwill stores, resale shops, and garage sales can be perfect places to find super cheap holiday decorations and gifts for next year!

About The Author

Kris writes about managing personal finances for an Australian credit card comparison website specializing in 0% balance transfers and balance transfer for life credit cards. When he isn’t writing about money, Kris is often found reading and enjoying the outdoors.

Aah. What a week. I’ve been looking forward to writing this roundup all day. Although not totally related to personal finance, I recently discovered two great resources. They’ve made it so much easier for me to consume all the interesting information I come across.

First up is Snackr. It’s completely revolutionized how I organize my RSS subscriptions. There’s no point in trying to explain what it does when I can just copy and paste a blurb from their website.

It’s an RSS ticker that pulls random items from your feeds and scrolls them across your desktop. When you see a title that looks interesting, you can click on it to pop up the item in a window.

See. Easy peasy. If you choose to use it, I hope it’s as good to you as it is to me.

Next up is Instapaper. Like you, I can’t always immediately drop what I’m doing to read a blog post or article that interests me. Instapaper has proven to be an extremely simple and useful tool for bookmarking the stuff I want to read later.

What’s most appealing is that Instapaper allows you to install a bookmarklet at the top of your web browser. You see something you like. One click on the Read Later bookmarklet and all that nerdilicious goodness is saved for future reading. You can do the same with Delicious, but I find Instapaper’s site is a bit cleaner.

Now that that’s out the way, let’s get to the meat of what’s truly important.

After reading Why the hell do guys have to pay for everything? by Fabulously Broke, I wanted to puke. The post tells of a chick who sought alimony from her ex-husband after 25 years of divorce. And the judge granted it to her. To the tune of $1,600 per month. Come on!

I don’t buy Christmas gifts. I don’t believe in it. Gift giving that is. Christmas is cool. But if I change my position between now and the actual holiday, I’m referencing Money Funk’s Christmas Gifts Under $10.

Some gentle urging from Whitney at Thanks for the Food led me to a decision to acquire a slow cooker. If I can’t find a free one on Freecycle, borrow one from a friend, or practically steal one on Craigslist, then I’ll buy a new one. I’m looking forward to Black Friday. It’s a glorious day to pick up deeply discounted toys for yourself. Squawkfox’s How to Buy a Slow Cooker or Crock Pot is right on time.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to read as many non-You Have More Than You Think blogs as I would’ve liked. I was too busy writing five posts a week and wasting time on Twitter.

Now, it’s time to relax.

Have a wonderful weekend.