I love Christmas! I love celebrating the true meaning of Christmas which is the birth of Jesus Christ. I love the beautiful colors and all of the fun festivities. I also love the peaceful feeling and togetherness that it brings. However, Christmas can also bring a lot of unwanted stress. It can become a very expensive holiday if we allow it, therefore, making the Christmas season not as enjoyable.  Here are 5 Ways to save money this Christmas and to make it much less stressful.

1) Narrow down your Christmas list- Tell your friends that you are only buying for your close family this year. Explain to them that with everything being so expensive this year, it's just hard to make ends meet. They will understand and chances are they will be relieved that they don't feel obligated to buy a gift as well. If you feel that you absolutely need to get them something opt for a baked or homemade gift such as cookies or get them a tin of popcorn. My friends and I have agreed to have a Christmas movie fun night which includes maybe ordering pizza, bringing cookies, watching Christmas movies and making Christmas crafts with the kids. I would rather have a night of togetherness than to spend money on gifts. You can also do like Tif from Bright on a Budget  and I do. We buy gifts for each other only on our birthdays instead of Christmas, so that it makes Christmas less stressful.

2) Take your own Christmas Family Photos- I know we all love a good Christmas Photo, but the price to pay a photographer is just so expensive. Christmas mini sessions definitely are not cheap and I don't have the extra cash to spend on photos during Christmas. Last year, I had my brother use my DSLR Camera and take them for my little family. I just set out a few Christmas props for the background. I used the photos on a Christmas Card and they turned out great. You can check out last years Christmas Card Photo here. If you don't own a DSLR Camera, your smartphone  will also take great photos. There are plenty of parks that are decorated for Christmas that would make for a beautiful background.

3) Save on Christmas Cards- I like to buy Christmas Cards on sale after Christmas, but If you don't get to do that you can always find cheap boxes of beautiful cards at the Dollar Tree, Walmart or Target. This year instead of printing out photo cards, I'm going to print out our Christmas photos and mail them in with the Christmas Cards I bought in a box. You can get prints cheap online at places like Walmart for as low as 9 cents.  If you really want to purchase photo cards, wait until Black Friday and order them online. They are so much cheaper that way.

4) Shop the Black Friday and Cyber Monday Sales- I cannot stress this one enough. Tif from Bright on a Budget and I shop the Black Friday sales every year and we save so much especially at places like Bath and Body Works. We actually shop in store because our local Bath and Body Works allows you to stack coupons which leads to tremendous savings. We also end up saving a lot at Walmart too. Be sure to use any coupons if you have them. Coupons can be your best friend during the holidays.

5) Do a Christmas Decor No- Spend Challenge- I love Whitney from Come Home for Comfort's idea of a Christmas Decor No-Spend Challenge. She stresses the importance of not purchasing anything unless it is an absolute must such as Christmas lights that have gone bad or wreaths that are worn and tattered from years of use. She is challenging herself to not purchase any other Christmas decor until the after Christmas sale and I will be doing the same thing.

What ways are you saving money this Christmas?