This frugalite has been too busy with work and other pursuits to be much of a saver recently. Oh - the taxi rides! The convenience food! The pile of receipts waiting to be entered into my household accounts (probably won't happen)! My wallet weeps.
Yet, at the same time, I couldn't let another week go by without commenting on the year end holidays of Christmas and Japanese New Year's - a bank buster if I ever saw one. What with presents, cards, shipping expenses, holiday meals, decorations, parties, and events, it can be an expensive time of year. Especially now that there are only a few weeks left! So, below please enjoy my Top Three Frugal Holiday Tips - guaranteed to save you a few minutes (or yen) this season.
1) Buy (and Send) Christmas Cards Cheaply!
One of the funnest parts (or biggest chores) of the holiday season is preparing Christmas cards. If you're sending to a number of people overseas, just purchasing the cards can be a real headache: most cards in Japanese stores are sold as singles, not as sets, and can run Y200 or Y300 at least per card. I've found some good deals on Christmas cards at Y100 store chains like Daiso before, with some adorable 'pop up cards,' musical cards, or ornament cards for only 100 yen each with envelopes. You've got to get there early though: their limited selection runs out quickly. Shimojima, the wholesale stationary supplier, is also a good bet (http://www.shimojima.co.jp/english).
If you've got a digital camera, the online photo shop Shutterfly is also a good option. Last year I was able to both create, and mail, my cards online - Shutterfly even took care of the postage. Just go to the website's store, choose 'Cards,' and have fun. For those of you sending cards to recipients within the US, creating and mailing your cards using this service is much cheaper than doing it from Japan. Each personalized photo card I sent, which included a personal message, cost less than $2.00, including a 55 cent stamp. It was quick too! Also, note that the Japanese Post
Office can also send your Christmas cards at a reduced rate if asked.
2) Budget your Christmas presents.
This is the best way to make sure you don't end up with "overruns." I start every November with an Excel chart, including the name of the person to be bought for and how much I can spend.
This helps keep you on budget, and helps avoid buying 'double' presents or forgetting about that present you had tucked away in the closet at the last moment. Don't forget to factor shipping expenses (if there are any) into your estimates.
3) Give less.
Man, do I sound like a Scrooge now. But I do mean this in the best possible way. Especially if you'll be in Japan for the holidays, you have a perfect excuse to cut back on the excess a little bit. Can your extended family agree to have a name drawing for present purchases among adults? Can adult siblings agree not to exchange presents, especially if both of them are trying to save money? Can you make a donation in someone's name for a Christmas gift, instead of adding to the global landfill? Some of these ideas might seem revolutionary (there certainly were to me,
an American steeped in our tradition of Christmas plenty), but the longer I'm here - the more I tend to feel that it is possible to keep the "feeling" of holiday present exchange (through cards, letters, phone calls, or even a small present) without the stuff attached.
Some else, apparently, agrees with me
Happy Holiday, Frugal Ones!
By Wendy J. Imura. Copyright 2006.