The extra money that we spend is often a worry when holidays come around. Dinners, gifts, and holiday parties often don’t come cheap. What if we just don’t have the extra cash to spend? And what if we don’t want to spend a fortune, but don’t want to put a damper on our holiday cheer?

Fortunately, there are ways that we can keep costs down without feeling as if we’re ruining the holidays for everyone. Here are a few things you can do to keep the holidays from putting the bite on your wallet:

Making Gifts: The holidays aren’t always about who gets the biggest, most expensive gift. Giving and receiving true gifts from those we love is a beautiful thing. Making gifts and giving them away can be more meaningful and touching than a gift bought from a store. When my children were young, we made candy and cookies to give away, because they were inexpensive. Later on, when we could afford to buy gifts, we kept up the practice because the gifts were received with so much pleasure. That increased our pleasure in the holidays, as well.

When you give out home made gifts, presentation is everything. Candy presented in a tissue lined box tied with a ribbon is much better than if it were thrown into a plastic bag or container. It doesn’t taste better, but it looks better, and that makes it a better present.

Doing a Gift Exchange: If you normally buy presents for everyone in your family or circle of friends, why not do a gift exchange? You set a price limit, everyone gets a gift, and you all save money. We do this regularly, and we have a party to exchange them. We have a lovely time, and no one is ever disappointed. We find it increases our holiday cheer instead of decreasing it. It’s really not about the amount of gifts you receive.

Have a holiday party where everyone brings a dish: Instead of having one person front the cost of your holiday party, make it a pot luck. Everyone brings a dish, whether it be candies, cookies, or those yummy meatballs your Aunt Trudy makes. Serve dinner buffet style.

Do you have any ideas for saving money this year during the holidays? Let me know on twitter, Facebook, or leave me a comment here on the blog.

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It’s widely believed that going green can cost you money. That’s simply not true. Green living actually saves you money. Who couldn’t use some extra cash in their pocket? Let’s list some of the ways that you can go green and save money.

Household:

Lowering your thermostat in the winter and raising it in the summer saves you money on energy bills. It also saves energy use.

Using cold water to wash clothing gets your clothing just as clean in most cases. It saves energy, and your energy bills will go down.

Unplugging your appliances and electronics at night reduces your energy use. Did you know that even when they’re not in use, an item that is plugged in still uses electricity? Yep. Unplug everything at night and watch your electricity bill go down.

Buying over the internet can be cheaper than buying in stores, and it can be green. Buy health and beauty products in bulk and save money, and save on energy use. How? Buy once, and ship once. Bulk prices are always cheaper than buying products one at a time, and conserves energy by reducing the amount of times you go to the store/have items shipped.

On the Go:

Packing a lunch in a reusable lunch bag or lunch box saves money and the environment. You cut down on the amount of waste you dispose of every day, and it’s cheaper than eating out for lunch. Pack it full of locally grown or produced foods and you’ll be even greener.

Reusable and refillable water bottles filled at home keeps plastic bottles out of landfills. There are billions of plastic bottles discarded every year in the U.S. Make sure to do your part to reduce this waste. Install a filter if you don’t think your water tastes great. There are several inexpensive types you can use.

Biking to work (when possible) or walking to the store can save you hundreds of dollars each month in fuel. One less car on the road = less emissions and less energy used.

None of these tips are earth-shattering or ground breaking, but they do help, and they do save you money. Just a little effort on your part keeps our landfills emptier and reduces energy use. What do you do to go green and save money? Let me know on twitter, Facebook, or leave me a comment here on the blog.

Oh, and here’s some easy tips for going green from WatchMojo.