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).

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!

© 2006 Wendy J. Imura.

It’s also a hard time of year on the monthly budget too: the number of parties alone requires an extra 10,000-20,000 yen (at least) during December. Add to that Christmas cards, New Year’s
cards, Christmas presents, oseibo (presents given to business partners or other important relations at the end of the year), plus shipping for presents or tickets for your own year-end travel, and the end of the year can present some major damage to your bank account. So, I thought I’d share with you a few tips that have helped me through this year, and others, in terms of expenses.

First, the 100-yen shop can be a remarkable source of Christmas/New Year’s items. A trip to our local Daiso (the king of 100-yen shops) yielded some great finds: classy-looking ‘pop up’ Christmas cards with envelopes (usually 300 or 400 yen in stationery stores), nice-looking New Year’s decorations (the straw kind) for your door or home, which also make excellent gifts for overseas relatives, wrapping bags/tubes/filling (both seasonal and generic), and New Year’s mochi, of course. Daiso also had stamps, ink pads, pens, decorative stickers, and postcards for people who like to make their own New Year’s cards.

Finally, the 100-shop also supplied the magnetic hook I use to attach the wreath to our ‘mansion’ door, the tape I used to fasten my boxes, and the envelopes for my Christmas letter. With a little
imagination, you can create some amazing “value added” items out of your 100-shop finds.

For ‘oseibo’ and other year-end gifts, it’s hard to go too cheap. I usually purchase these items at a department store or specialty store with a generous point system, so I can at least use my points later. I also tend to send the same thing every year (in my case, Kobe Goeful crackers) — it makes budgeting easier, and people start looking forward to your present!

Finally: shipping and travel. Here again, the earlier you start, the better a deal you will find. Airline tickets from Japan to Europe and the US tend to get very expensive AFTER December 21st (when university students get off school). The best deals are usually found in mid- to late October, two months or more before the year-end season. Likewise, the best deal for shipping presents is sea mail — but for that, you need 4-6 weeks at least. Even then, I’ve had the sad experience of having a Christmas box arrive in February! Sources tell me that, in some cases, EMS (the super-fast service) is actually cheaper than sending by SAL (sea-air mail), depending on the weight of the package. So, ask your postman for details!

Well, I hope you all enjoy your holiday season preparations! With a little planning, they really don’t have to break the bank.

© 2004 Wendy J. Imura.

Yesterday, a loyal Frugal Japan reader tipped us off to a great resource for frugal wrapping paper, Christmas cards, and other stationery purchases: Shimojima, a wholesale stationery supplier. They sell everything from paper bags to wrapping paper to signage to plastic plates, all at very good prices. Our frugal source said that she found great beautiful Japanese-themed Christmas cards at between 100-200 yen, one third cheaper than retail, and Christmas themed-napkins for 250 yen. Shimojima is also one of the few Japanese wholesalers I’ve found with an English website. Check the Stores link for a list of retail locations within Japan. (Thanks, Jacqui!)

My major Christmas decoration finds last year were at my local 100 yen shop. A store in one of the larger chains (such as Daiso) will probably have some great steals on overruns from last year’s merchandise. I found several cute mini trees with a wood base for 100 yen each, plus wreaths.
There were also ample decoration packs, making for a creative evening spent decorating the trees and wreaths. I even found a few CDs with general Christmas-themed music: good for parties or teaching holiday classes. All for 100 yen!

Finally, Costco Wholesale is a great source for authentic holiday merchandise. While not so price competitive, you do get a lot for your money. The price-per-unit on real Christmas cards, wrapping paper, and decorations is much better than other sources. The only problem is using what you’ve bought! Splitting the paper or cards between two friends or families might be a good way to save some money.

With the holidays approaching, there are lots of opportunities to spend money we might not have otherwise. While this is part of the fun, it’s also very easy to go into debt! Above all else, plan ahead and budget for your expenses for a fun, debt-free holiday season.

© 2004 Wendy J. Imura.