So here we are.
In the midst of the holiday season.
There are parties to go to.
I am getting ready to go to a party.
There are gifts to be bought.
And I find that many of us can get really really stressed out,
Over all of the expenses around the holidays.
Coz it can be really expensive.
So today I'm just going to give you a couple of tips that I use myself,
To help better manage money during the holidays.
And here are some great gift ideas that don't cost too much.
The first gift idea,
Is volunteering.
I know that sounds like,
'Kati that's not really a gift, I can't wrap it up and give it to someone.'
But the cool thing that you can do.
Is if you plan on getting together with a bunch of friends,
Because I don't know about you.
But a lot of my friends are like,
'Lets do dinner this night, let's go grab coffee.'
And that itself can get expensive.
But you can volunteer together.
You can help out at a soup kitchen.
You can get up on Saturday and go make pancakes.
I've done that many times.
And it can be really rewarding to do that with someone.
And a great way to also catch up at the same time.
And another cool thing that I learned,
Is that you can volunteer in the name of someone else.
Like giving your time for them.
And that's kind of cool.
The second gift idea,
Make plans.
Do something together.
Go for a hike together.
Get together maybe and have coffee.
Maybe have them come over and you make tea.
Getting together with friends to catch up and actually doing something.
Making plans to do something.
Can be so much more rewarding than an expensive gift.
The third idea,
Get crafty.
I am not very crafty.
But there are still things that we can do.
We can write poems.
We can make cards.
We can make those cookies in a jar.
Cake in a jar.
Where all they have to add is eggs and oil.
You can look those things up.
And they are pretty easy to put together.
But for those of you who are crafty,
We can scrapbook.
We can put together different paintings for people.
Or write music for people.
There are zillions of ways that we can be crafty and more thoughtful really,
Without spending a lot of money.
The fourth idea,
And one of my personal faves.
Have a pot luck.
Many people want to get together over the holidays.
And it can be nice to it all in one place.
And each person is only responsible for bringing one dish, or one drink.
And you agree not to exchange gifts.
And you do this party in lieu of gifts.
And I have done this many times.
And it can be even better than that.
Because you get to try different foods.
You get to have time and spend some time with each friend.
Whether it's a friend you don't connect with that often who lives across the city,
Or someone you see all the time.
You have one event where you all get together.
And that in itself saves money from all of the potential dinners out.
Or going here for this.
Or having a party there.
And having to buy gifts.
It's easier when you all come together.
And you all share in the cost by bringing something to eat or drink.
The fifth and final way to help save money during the holidays,
Plan ahead.
Shopping on ebay can be a great way to find things for the cheap.
And when we plan ahead,
We can take note of coupons or deals that are available.
I know that I don't buy anything if it's not on sale.
And I love myself some ebay.
And when we plan ahead.
We don't feel so rushed to spend those extra dollars on something.
When we know we have time.
And we are like,
'Well maybe they will have the 25% off sale because they did last year.'
And you can look online for things.
And using the coupon codes you can find,
There are tons of ways to save.
But a lot of it take planning.
And so I encourage all of you to start now.
Start putting things together.
Figuring out how many gifts you may need to have.
Or how many events you may need to attend.
So that you can budget.
And you can plan accordingly.
Now I hope that these have given you some ideas.
Some tricks.
Some little tools.
So that the holidays aren't as stressful as they usually are.
I know there is a lot more involved than just buying gifts.
But this is just another way to help you reconnect with those in your life who you love.
And who are supportive.
And ways that don't break the bank.
Because I'm not a millionaire.
Some of you may be.
But I have a budget.
And I have to stay on budget.
And these things have helped me through the years.
And I hope that they help you.
As always.
Don't forget to subscribe to my channel.
I put out videos five days a week.
And you don't want to miss them.
And if you like this video,
Make sure to give it a thumbs up.
And you know what's a great holiday gift idea?
To give the gift of mental health.
So please please please share my videos.
And I am on all social media platforms if you're looking for me, most likely I'm there.
And I also, katimorton.com
If you haven't hopped on my website,
I encourage you to do so.
[Bottom left video]
Because of the caffine in them.
Our heart rate goes up.
Our blood pressure goes up.
And that can be really difficult.
Especially for those of you who are bulimic.
And struggle with purging.
Because when you vomit a lot.
Our potassium levels....
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