Tag Archives: holiday savings

Host For Less

Host for Less and Without Stress This Holiday Season 

Hosting is what many look forward to during the holiday season, but with the excitement, it can also bring stress. Whether you’re hosting Christmas or a small gathering, these tips will ensure your event is a blast. Take the stress out of hosting with these effortless tips for entertaining! 

Coordinate Schedules and Plans Early On 

When it comes to getting a holiday party on the calendar, it can often be extremely difficult. Before you get to planning dishes, décor, and more consider whom you plan to invite and a realistic budget you’d like to stick to. You are better off sending invitations early on and requesting RSVPs by a set date. Doing this will get your party on everyone’s calendar and give you a ballpark idea of guests attending. 

Create Your Own Invitations

Invitations are great; however, they are an additional cost. To lower this expense, consider creating your own invitation. You could utilize a Christmas Card as your invitation as well to knock out two birds with one stone. If you’d like to ditch the invitation altogether, consider sending out a virtual invitation or creating an event on Facebook with your friends. 

Plan Out Your Menu 

One of the best parts about the holidays is all of the wonderful seasonal dishes. When you get your RSVPs start considering the easiest and most budget-friendly options. If you plan to have cocktails, consider a few signature holiday cocktails or stick to the basics rather than having too many options or overcomplicating!

If cooking is not your favorite, consider catering or hosting a potluck-style party. A potluck can be an easy option for everyone attending to each bring a dish or side. If you’re looking for some ideas on food, consider:

  • Charcuterie night (each brings an item)
  • Themed charcuterie board night (assign a themed board to each attendee – cheese, Italian, desserts, dips, fruits, etc.) 
  • Dip night 
  • Traditional potluck
  • Nacho bar
  • Make your own pizza

Stop Doing Dishes

To keep it simple for you and your guests, stop doing the dishes. No one wants to be preoccupied at your party. It’s natural to want things to look beautiful and taste delicious, but you will be more likely to enjoy your time and avoid the hassle with dishes you can toss. There are great options you can toss that look identical to real tableware. A top holiday hosting tip is to get Tupperware or to-go boxes for guests to take home food. This is a great option for less cleanup and less food taking up space in your fridge. 

Utilize Transitional Décor 

Décor is so much fun to fancy up your event, but it can also eat up your budget if you allow it. When it comes to holiday décor, use items you already own or buy items you can religiously reuse. If you are thinking of creating a theme, go with a theme you already have décor for. Consider doing some DIY projects for décor options, a craft, and a table setting – bonus!

Make entertaining this holiday season effortless with these tips for less money and less stress. Happy Holidays! 

Peoples Bank & Trust Co.

Member FDIC

Equal Housing Lender

Start Saving for the Holidays in 7 Easy Steps

saveforholidays

The holidays are just over a hundred days away! In three short months, the days will be filled with wrapping paper, holiday cheer, and ringing registers. Instead of waiting until December to begin financing your family traditions, get started early this year, and make it easier on both you and your budget!

  1. Start a Separate Account for Holiday Savings

At Peoples Bank & Trust, we want to help you achieve your savings goal. You can open a Christmas Club Savings Account with a deposit as low as $5. This account accrues interest daily, and a check is sent to you for the balance during the third week of October.

  1. Create an ACH Deposit with Your Employer

Speak with your employer to see if you can set up an additional account for your payday ACH deposit. By doing this, you will start saving a designated amount each month, before you’re tempted to spend it!

  1. Set Aside Your Budget Surplus

If you’re sticking to your monthly zero-based budget, you could end up with some extra funds if you don’t spend as much on entertainment or food as you’ve budgeted for. Add those extra dollars to your savings account to help it grow even faster!

  1. Earn Extra Income to Contribute

Bolster your bank account with a little extra revenue. Whether its raking leaves for a neighbor, babysitting for a friend, or selling unused items online, there are a variety of ways to add some additional earnings to your holiday savings.

  1. Create a Personal Shopping List

Just like going grocery shopping when you’re hungry, purchasing gifts without a list may leave you with more than you budgeted for. Before you begin perusing the stores for the perfect items, sit down and determine the people you will be giving to this season. Once you have the names, you can then decide how much to spend on each, and if there are any specific things you plan to purchase for each individual. This gives you a great game plan, and helps to prevent overspending.

  1. Shop for Deals Early

Who says you have to start buying gifts, or food for that matter, in December! If you see a deal that could save you and your family money on something you already planned on purchasing, act on it! This could be discounted wrapping supplies, a sale on items you have on your personal shopping list, or even large food items that can be properly frozen or stored until December.

  1. Load Up on PTO and Vacation Days Too

The best part of the holiday season isn’t the gifts, or the budget you’ve stuck to so well, its spending time with your family and friends! Before the end of September, map out all of your scheduled time off leading up to December. If you haven’t already, start saving your available time to use during the holiday season. Between multiple family gatherings, Thanksgiving, Christmas, AND New Year’s Eve, you’ll want make sure you’re not left at the office while the family is out having fun.

Peoples Bank & Trust Co.

Member FDIC

Equal Housing Lender