Brighten Your Holidays Without Blowing Your Budget
Description
A down economy does not have to equal a down holiday! We have some great ways for you to celebrate the season for little or no money at all. Discover these creative ideas (and re-discover your holiday spirit!) in our special video.
Transcript
Ken Dolan: Daria, that’s a great outfit. It’s like—
Daria Dolan: I put on my Santa red on for this.
Ken Dolan: And I forgot my beard and my hat. Oh well! Anyway—but that’s very Holidayish.
In this video, we want to talk about something that’s often important to all of us and that’s the holidays toward the end of the Hanukkah or Christmas, whatever you celebrate at the month of December. Everybody likes to have fun at the holidays, it’s one of those one or three times, July fourth, thanksgiving, one or two to three times of the year the family really gets together. “Hey, let’s go do something. Let’s go take a trip some place.” But, we don’t have a lot of money this year.
Daria Dolan A lot if people are not going to be shopping the way they shop, they’re not going to be traveling the way they travel. There are a lot of families are being forced to choose Thanksgiving back at home or Christmas but not both.
Ken Dolan: You know it’s true. Yeah you’re right exactly.
Daria Dolan: So if you’re going to be around the house and you still want to do some fun things and not dip in to your budget in any way that could meaningfully hurt you. You have to plan.
Ken Dolan: But you have to plan. You have to plan Daria.
Daria Dolan: That’s why we’re doing it right now. Check with your local chamber of commerce. Find out what’s going on for kids for the holidays.
Ken Dolan: Perhaps some workshops. Yeah, book readings, indoor, outdoor games.
Daria Dolan: Yeah, all sorts of things. Check out the local malls. The book readings and yeah, indoor, outdoor games a lot of this stuff is absolutely free. A lot of businesses are going to try to be more creative with freebee stuff just to get you there.
Ken Dolan: No doubt.
Daria Dolan: So, check around. See what’s happening that will cost you absolutely nothing in your own backyard.
Ken Dolan: Yeah, if you live in a small town or even a larger town, or a medium sized town very often there’ll be a museum doing something at the holiday. You know what I used to do—what’s great fun? You’ll going to laugh when I’ll tell you this. You’ll going to say, like you’re really cheap. Libraries have a lot of good stuffs. They have book readings and they do game for the kids and so that educational fun stuff at the holiday. Sometimes there’s even a Santa clause comes in.
Also community farms. You might go see some animals. You might pick blueberries you might do something. It sounds corny! But it’s great family stuff. And it doesn’t cost you anything or a little.
Daria Dolan I have one little cost you a little bit of gas money.
Ken Dolan: What’s that?
Daria Dolan: The gas prices are down so it shouldn’t be so onerous.
Ken Dolan: What’s that?
Daria Dolan: Pile everybody in the car and go check out some of the lights that people put up during Christmas time.
Ken Dolan: We do that every week.
Daria Dolan: I somehow think that even though the electric bills sky rocket when do that, people are going to be hard they’ll not going to want to give up on their Christmas lighting if they go overboard with all sorts of scenes and lights in their yards. So I’m sure there’ll be plenty of that which is as I said just the cost of a low gas in your car.
Ken Dolan: You know it get me a wonderful thing together in all seriousness, holiday’s the time for giving and it’s a wonderful thing to do. And you know what you can do, you can teach the kids and yourself for that matter, you teach the kids a really wonderful lesson; holidays are for giving, which you may want to do.
Daria Dolan: Are forgiving
Ken Dolan: Are forgiving, not for giving. If you spend a lot of money you’ll be paying it until Labor Day. You know what you may want to do is have the kids pick out a toy. Maybe got to TOYS R’ US or Wal-Mart or something.
Daria Dolan: Wait. No, no, no.
Ken Dolan: What?
Daria Dolan: If Santa’s going to bring toys, let them pick on they don’t play with anymore, make sure it’s in good condition and let them give that toy to another child and it hasn’t cost you anything and they’ve learned the gift of giving.
Ken Dolan: Toys for tots or some local community drive—Marine Corp has a driving in many cities. You know, you may also want to do is something might be nice for the holidays free—great lessons either donate and/or serve food at a local food center. Yeah it sounds really country maybe a little corny but I’m going to tell you important, important stuff.
Daria Dolan: And here’s another thing, why not talk with your children now about the possibility of every body making their gifts for the family.
Ken Dolan: You know what’s coming Daria? I love that idea.
Daria Dolan: Maybe you and mom and the kids can get in the kitchen on a Saturday when the kids are home from school, mom’s home from work and do some special baking while dad’s got the boys out somewhere.
Ken Dolan: I like that Daria because it’s coming closer to the meaning of the holidays in the beginning. Alright, okay. Last one, if you got a few bucks I just want to pass along from our friend Tom Parsons at bestfares.com. Bestfares.com. there are some spectacular between now and March, some spectacular airfares to Europe.
Now with the Euro down and the dollar up, it’s not quite as onerous as it was this time last year. Bestfares.com. they got some deals through the end of March I think March 25 on the third week of the March next year. $399.00 maybe a little bit more too all sorts of European capitals whether you do it the holidays or after the first of the year. You know it’s not easy taking three or four kids to Europe for Christmas.
Daria Dolan: And the hotels will still kill you.
Ken Dolan: Bestfares.com has some good stuff.
Daria Dolan: But remember, holidays are for families so get together with your family. It doesn’t cost money to be together.
Ken Dolan: Happy holidays!
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