Have a merry Christmas while broke
The weather is cooler, the traffic is building up, the decorations are up, there are Christmas sales in every store, and everyone is making party plans. Yes, it’s officially the Christmas season and as we get closer to December 25, everything just seems so much more festive.
Not everyone is able to enjoy all the frills and thrills of the Yuletide season due to budgetary constraints. Let’s face it, even though Christmas is nice and it’s great to participate fully in the celebrations, it can get expensive. Not to worry, there is ways for the financially challenged to have a Merry Christmas while broke.
Here are a few suggestions:
Take advantage of the free events – Most Christmas events can be rather pricey to get into and when you factor the cost of the outfit, hair, nails, etc, the bill gets even more exorbitant. The good news is that there are also a myriad of free concerts that are held over the festive season. So you can still enjoy top-class entertainment from some of Jamaica’s biggest artistes for free.
Concerts are usually listed in the press, so check for the dates.
Visit friends and family for Christmas dinner – I know that food is a vital part of the holiday celebrations and it can be very expensive to cook the full spread, complete with the ham and Christmas cake. Feel free to visit your friends and family members who have already gone through the trouble of preparing a great holiday feast. Don’t forget your takeaway container.
Offer acts of service as your present instead of buying a gift – Since you’re broke, we know that buying gifts will not be possible, so be the gift instead. Show up early and offer to help cook some of the food or set up for the dinner. You can even run an errand that will make life easier for a loved one and free them up to do something else.
Remix an outfit and wear it again so you don’t have to purchase new clothes – The cost for clothes during the holiday season can be very expensive, so spare yourself the bill by wearing something you already own. Just wear some fun accessories and make it feel like new.
Do something nice for someone less fortunate than yourself. Spend some time in a girls’ home or home for the elderly and bring them some joy for the season.
Christmas is a great time of year to have fun and spend time with friends and loved ones. But it does not have to be an extravagant expensive undertaking. Focus on the time you give and the memories you create rather than the amount of money that you spend.
Remember, there is life after the holidays and the bills are coming, so you don’t have to extend yourself unnecessarily by spending money you don’t have. The truth is, you can be broke and still have a happy holiday.