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.
#4: Use your dryer less. After you've mopped up the messes, toss the reusable towels in the wash—then hang them up to dry. An average household that dries five loads of laundry a week spends about $2.50 per week to do so. Installing an indoor clothesline will save you enough by the end of the month to pay a little extra for that bottle of organic bubbly on New Year's Eve.
#5: Don't waste money on wrapping paper. If you want to be green and save money doing it, forget gift wrap. The fact that it's difficult to recycle makes the money spent on something that wraps a package for a few days pointless at best. Make your own reusable gift bags, or find a gift that also serves as wrapping, with these tips on green gift giving.
#6: Make your own decorations. Decorations may look pretty, but they also come at a hefty price tag (wreaths can cost upwards of $25), may be contaminated with lead paint, or can jack up your holiday electricity bill. Ask your Christmas-tree dealer for leftover branches to make your own wreath, and decorate your tree with old standbys like popcorn strings, using the Nickel Pincher's recipe for homemade microwave popcorn.
#7: Save money on entertaining. While it may seem that no holiday celebration is complete without brandied eggnog or hot buttered rum, a few of your guests may prefer something a little less alcoholic—which is good for you, since nonalcoholic drinks are cheaper. Serve one of these thriftyhomemade summer drinks that work just as well with wintry frozen fruit as they do fresh.