Cut corners on the basics so you can indulge a little on holiday cheer.

Fatten your holiday budget with a few simple money-saving tactics.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—If you hit any of the "Black Friday" sales last weekend, you may have gotten enough good deals to feel like your bank account hasn't started running dry. Regardless of all those "50% Off!" signs, though, we probably all spend more money around the holidays than we do at any other point of the year. It is the season to eat, drink, and be merry; only Scrooges pinch pennies around the holidays, right? You can still be cash-savvy without winding up with a credit-card hangover come January by cutting corners on your day-to-day purchases throughout the month.

Here are seven of the Nickel Pincher's best tips for saving money throughout the holidays:

#1: Use less soap. Holidays invariably mean lots of eating—and lots of dishes to clean. Cut your dish soap use in half by cutting the soap in half: Empty half a bottle of dish soap into an empty bottle then fill it the rest of the way with water. When filling up the dishwasher, stick to a tablespoon or two of powder, regardless of what the dispenser says. Click here for more tips on soap and saving money.

#2: Make your own cleaners. Along the lines of cleaning, save the $4 or $5 you'd spend on a bottle of premade cleanser by making your own. Try this recipe for Almost Everything Cleaner to cut through everything from Christmas-goose grease to the fingerprints on your favorite tree ornaments.

#3: Ditch disposable towels and napkins. When you're using those cleaners and drying your dishes, forgo paper towels for old, reusable towels and cellulose sponges. Paper towels are a waste of money and resources, and so are paper dinner napkins. Class up your holiday soirees by using cloth napkins, instead.