Caregiving Corner: Money-saving tips when you’re Christmas shopping
By Medicine Hat News on November 23, 2018.
The promise of a loving, happy and stress free Christmas can be enough to make a family caregiver want to crawl in a hole. The extra expenses during the holidays make it a stressful time when already one day runs into another and you feel like throwing your hands up in the air and saying, “I’ve had enough, Christmas is cancelled!” There are options to the traditional gift giving you’ve done in the past. Talk with your family about your plan to make gift giving a bit different this year. Take a look at the suggestions below, choose one or two of your favourite strategies, and you are well on your way to saving money and having less stress this holiday season. Have a “no presents” Christmas: Let your family and friends know you won’t be giving presents this year, and that you do not want them to give you any gifts. Set a smaller budget: Spend less on gifts, your Christmas meal and any travel you do in the holidays. Cut back on who you buy for: There are a few ways to do this. One is to buy only for those in your family less than 18 years of age. Another way is to buy only for those you will see in person. Drawing names and buying one gift for only one person is another way to cut back on whom you buy for. Give homemade gifts (with caution): Giving something you’ve made is a nice way to give gifts. Be careful, though, because some home-made gifts take more time and money than if you were to shop and buy a gift from a store. Give the gift of time: December can get very busy. Consider offering the gift of time with your family and friends. Book a lunch or dinner date, a coffee time (out of your house if you can) or other get together in January or February when your schedule isn’t so busy. Find out more about caregiving through the holidays at Caregiving Through the Holidays: 5 Steps to Get Through the Holiday Season With Less Stress, Nov. 24 or Nov. 29, 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Lunch included in the $10 registration fee. Call Lorna to register 403-548-8437. May the spirit of this season, harmony, love, and understanding, become a way of life, and may the coming year bring hope and peace to all mankind Lorna Scott is a caregiver strategist, a member of the Caregiver Coalition of Southeast Alberta and The Caregiver’s Lighthouse; and is author of the best selling book “Walking the Journey Together É Alone.” She may be contacted at lorna@thecaregiverslighthouse.com or 403-548-8437 11-10
