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How to Afford a Great Christmas if Money’s Tight This Year

The holidays are often a time when financial goals are in opposition with showing people love in the grandest of ways.

Reining in holiday spending could be the absolute last thing people want to do, but during inflation- and debt-related financial struggles, scaling back is a necessity for many. Thankfully, there are ways to celebrate Christmas without breaking the bank.

“People really have to keep it in perspective,” said Tawra Kellam, one of the authors behind the blog Living On a Dime to Grow Rich. “It’s about celebrating with family. It’s about taking time off work and having fun together. And even doing little things for Christmas can make it special.”

With the following tips on how to enjoy Christmas decorations, gifts, meals and activities for little to no cost, this Christmas can be undoubtedly unique but rich with meaning and joy. The main concepts are seeing what you have with new eyes, thinking outside the box and learning how to find the best deals.

Decking the halls

Having a festive home is a seasonal mood booster, and repurposing items around your house as decorations is one way to start.

“If you can only do something small to make it special, that’s enough,” said Melissa Riker, the creator of The Happier Homemaker blog. “It’s the little things that are fairly easy and inexpensive to do that can add that special touch.”

If you don’t have old decorations, try deciding on a color theme then perusing your house for anything in those colors. “You might not think about them as they’re scattered through the house,” Riker said, “but if you bring them all together — put them on your mantel or add them to the centerpiece of your coffee table — you can really make a beautiful layout.”

That’s using creativity instead of money, said Jodie Kammerer and Julie Lancia, the creators of The Design Twins blog. If you’re not the creative type, ask your stylish friends — in person or virtually — to scan your rooms and intuit what you could use. You might also find inspiration from what social media users share under the hashtags #budgetdecor and #DIYChristmas.

Shop from nature in your backyard, neighborhood or park, or while hiking. “Clip some pine needles or pine branches,” Riker said. “Even just plain branches without leaves can look really pretty if you put glitter on them and they look like ice branches.” Out of garden herbs, pine cones, mistletoe and holly, flowers, and bush or tree clippings, you could make a table arrangement, wreath or garland.

At stores selling Christmas trees, “ask for the clippings that they throw away,” Lancia said. With a bow or burlap tied around it, “it’s immediately a Christmas decoration.” Some of these stores also sell wreaths they have constructed out of clippings for only several dollars each.

Take advantage of sales and coupons at craft stores, vintage stores, thrift stores and dollar sections, which likely have inexpensive decorations in bulk, DIY projects and boxes of 12 candy canes for $1. “I have decorated entire trees just with things from different dollar stores,” Riker said. “They have actually a lot of decorations that, when you combine them all together, can look really high-end.”

Instead of buying Christmas ribbons, you could purchase fabric and cut it into strips, using that to form your ribbons instead. And “if you’re putting ribbon on a Christmas tree, you don’t need to have a whole spool to wrap around it,” Riker said. “You can take shorter strands and tuck it in so it looks like it’s weaving in and out of the tree.”

A strand of twinkle lights may be all you need to make a space look festive, Kammerer said. If you have children, make the preparation more fun by getting “your little elves to work,” Lancia said. They can craft paper chains and snowflakes, garlands out of cranberries and popcorn, and Christmas cookie ornaments.

For a Christmas tree, look for discounts at craft stores, grocery stores, tree farms or hardware stores. Pre-lit trees may be less expensive than buying trees and lights separately. And don’t think that you have to use ornaments.

“One of my favorite things is a natural element tree,” Lancia said. “You’ve gathered your pine cones at the park. Now you’re going to spray paint them a glittery silver” and put them on the tree, in a bowl or on your table or mantel.

If you have a printer, look online for free printable decorations. “That is a really, really easy way to change up your decor without spending any money at all,” Riker said.

Gift giving

Gift giving can be monetarily stressful if that’s how you want to cheer people up after a tough year, but frugal alternatives could show that appreciation, too.

“Everybody doesn’t need a gift; everybody doesn’t want a gift,” said Judy Woodward Bates, “The Bargainomics Lady” behind her eponymous blog and author of “A Bargain to Die For.” “Don’t get all upset because you can’t afford to buy gifts for everybody, because the purpose of Christmas is just to let each other know how much you care about each other.”

Those who want to keep up tradition can try the following for gift giving or alternatives:

Send e-cards instead of print cards, or make homemade cards with materials you already have.
Visit thrift and discount stores for low prices on clothes, DVDs, electronics, kitchen appliances, cookware, unique mugs, furniture, bedding, toys and books.
Dollar stores have many of the same items, plus candles and makeup. From there you could create small, hobby-related gift baskets.
Give gifts of service, such as an offer to rake leaves, run their errands or shop online for them.
Try your hand at one of the hundreds of homemade gift ideas available online, including homemade candles, dry soup or hot cocoa mixes in jars or sugar scrubs.
Host a Secret Santa gift exchange. This way, each person has to focus on only one person instead of everyone.
Go retro by crafting a book of homemade coupons redeemable for favors or experiences the receivers care about.
If you have children, try the customizable four gift rule. Tell them they can have just four presents: something they want, something they need, something to wear and something to read.

To find the best bargains, options include:

Looking for plug-ins, apps and websites that will help you save money on products via discount codes or coupons, or showing you where you can buy something cheaper — such as RetailMeNot, Honey, Groupon or Student Beans.
Buying from the clearance section in stores and online by typing “clearance” in the store’s search bar.
Signing up for loyalty (non-credit) programs that award discounts.
Only shopping from stores offering free shipping.
Purchasing used clothing from peer-to-peer online stores like Depop and thredUP.
Walking to the darkest corners of stores to find their greatest sales, which “some stores refer to as the cave,” Woodward Bates said.

If you’re embarrassed about giving less this year, “fess up,” she said. “You will see the relief on other people’s faces, because it just takes one to be willing to say, ‘I’m strapped this year.’ Because most of these other people, when you just say that, will admit, ‘Hey, I’m in the same boat you are. Thank goodness you had the courage to speak up because I wanted to say it, but I was just afraid of how people would react.’”

Wrapping the gifts of Christmas

Gift giving can get more complicated when you realize you’ll need wrapping materials, too — but by having realistic expectations and thinking outside the box, you can wrap gifts in creative and attractive ways, Kellam said.

You can:

Use newspapers, magazine clippings and sheets from around your house.
Buy tissue paper, brown paper, plastic tablecloths, wrapping paper, bows and gift bags from thrift stores, dollar stores, superstores or craft stores.
Cut out parts of Christmas cards to use as gift tags.
Accept complimentary gift wrapping from stores at which you’re buying gifts.

A budget-friendly holiday dinner

With a few tips and tricks, you can still have a fancy feast this season. Cooking from scratch instead of buying prepared foods is one way to reduce costs.

Some grocery stores have seasonal donation programs wherein customers buy a prepared bag of nonperishable, traditional holiday foods, which is donated to a food bank where people in need can pick them up. Check around for such programs if you’d like a holiday meal or visit a food bank for food in general.

Some neighborhoods have discount grocery stores, and dollar stores have snacks, boxed dessert mixes, frozen and canned foods, and Christmas candy.

You could also stretch your food budget by reducing the number of appetizers and sides, or finding pared-down versions of traditional recipes. Brooklyn Farm Girl, a cooking and gardening blog, has an online collection of 30 Christmas dinner recipes that you can make with less than $10.

Great holiday fun for less

Limited funds may have changed your holiday traditions, but you can still throw an entertaining, memorable holiday. You could:

Enjoy virtual celebrations with extended family if you can’t afford to travel.
Put together a cookbook of generational family recipes.
Make hot chocolate and s’mores baskets.
Make a family film with the myriad editing tools available on smartphones and laptops.
Make a board game out of a family experience.
Read a story on Christmas Eve.
Watch Christmas movies while enjoying popcorn and candy.
Create a family calendar for 2025 with pictures of everyone on the future dates of their birthdays, graduations and other milestones.
Make a popcorn Christmas tree.
Bake Christmas cookies on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
Attend or live stream a Christmas morning church service.
Play in snow if you’re lucky enough to have it.
Listen and dance to Christmas music.
Talk about meaningful Christmas memories.

Being more intentional about how you celebrate Christmas this year may make the holiday all the more special. And learning how to bargain and celebrate with less can have long-term impact on your life and approach to holidays even once you’re more comfortable financially.

“It’s a fun game to use our creativity and make everything,” Lancia said, “and then also feel good about not needing to shop and not needing to spend money to make a fresh and festive home. ”

Contributors: Sandee LaMotte and Katia Hetter — CNN Living

Eggs Sold at Costo Recalled Due to Salmonella Concerns

More than 10,000 cartons of organic eggs sold at Costco stores are being recalled due to concerns about potential salmonella contamination.

Handsome Brook Farms, a New York-based organic egg supplier, said the organic, pasture-raised, 24-count eggs were sold under the Kirkland Signature brand. The eggs were distributed to 25 Costco locations across Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee starting November 22, the company said.

Recalled units include the numbers 327 and P1363 and a use by date of January 5, 2025.

Recalled Kirkland Signature eggs include the numbers 327 and P1363 on the carton and a use by date of January 5, 2025.

The company said the eggs were not meant for retailers but were mistakenly packaged and distributed. Additional controls and retraining were implemented to prevent this from happening again, the company said.

There have been no reported illnesses linked to the recall so far, according to Handsome Brook Farms. Salmonella can cause severe infections, especially in children, older people and people with weakened immune systems. Symptoms can include fever, diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting.

People who purchased the recalled eggs should throw them out or stop using them and return them to Costco for a full refund.

This egg recall is separate from another recent outbreak of salmonella in eggs that led to a reported 93 illnesses and 34 hospitalizations in 12 states. Those eggs, from Milo’s Poultry Farms, are no longer on store shelves.

Contributor: Jamie Gumbrecht—CNN Health

FDA Moves to Pull Popular Decongestant from Shelves Amid Effectiveness Concerns

The US Food and Drug Administration announced a proposal to remove oral phenylephrine – a common ingredient in many popular over-the-counter decongestants – from the market, citing evidence that it doesn’t work.

Phenylephrine, found in products like Sudafed PE, Vicks DayQuil and Mucinex Sinus-Max, has been widely used as a nasal decongestant for decades. The FDA’s proposal isn’t an immediate order; it launches a six-month public comment period, after which the agency will make a final decision on whether to pull it from shelves.

Cold and flu medicine sits on a store shelf on September 12, 2023 in Miami, Florida. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel announced that an ingredient in many over-the-counter cold and allergy medications called phenylephrine doesn’t work to get rid of nasal congestion and that the decongestant was no more effective than a placebo.

In a preemptive move, CVS stopped selling products with phenylephrine last year after an FDA advisory committee declared that it was ineffective. Other major pharmacies, including Walgreens and Rite Aid, still stock products containing the drug for now.

Although phenylephrine received FDA approval for over-the-counter use in the 1970s, its popularity surged in 2005 after legislation moved products that use a similar decongestant, pseudoephedrine – which, in large quantities, can also be used to make methamphetamine – behind pharmacy counters.

The safety of phenylephrine isn’t a concern, but its effectiveness has been debated for years. In 2007, an FDA advisory panel that reviewed available studies deemed that phenylephrine “may be effective” as a decongestant, although it recommended further research.

Since then, several large clinical trials have shown that the drug is ineffective when taken orally. In September 2023, an FDA advisory committee concluded that the evidence was clear that phenylephrine is ineffective at its typical oral dosage.

If the FDA ultimately decides to ban the ingredient, it will allow manufacturers time to “either reformulate or remove drug products containing oral phenylephrine from the market,” Dr. Theresa Michele, director of the FDA’s Office of Nonprescription Drugs, said Thursday. Phenylephrine is also used in nasal sprays for congestion relief, but Michele noted that the FDA’s proposal targets only oral forms of the drug.

The Consumer Healthcare Products Association, which represents manufacturers of over-the-counter medicines, said it was disappointed by the FDA’s move.

“CHPA maintains its position that no changes to the GRASE [generally recognized as safe and effective] status of oral PE for nasal decongestion are warranted based on data made available since the previous review in 2007. … PE is the only oral OTC decongestant available without purchase restrictions and is included in numerous OTC cough and cold medicines labeled with a decongestant claim,” the association said in a statement.

“Consumers need options for self-care, and freedom of choice for self-care is a core attribute of our nation’s healthcare system. PE should remain an available option for consumers, because Americans deserve the option to choose the safe and effective OTC medicines they prefer and rely on.”

Contributor: Jeffrey Kopp, CNN Health

From Frozen Waffles to Costco Salmon: What to Know About Food Recalls

From frozen waffles and quarter pounders to Costco salmon and freeze-dried meat, there have been a number of food recalls in recent weeks due to contamination concerns.

Recalls of multiple food products in recent weeks have alarmed consumers and health officials.
This is due to the risk of food-borne bacteria like E. coli, listeria, and salmonella in the broader U.S. food supply chain.
Deli meat, frozen waffles, McDonald’s hamburgers, and ready-to-eat poultry meals sold at stores have all been recalled after routine testing showed traces of bacteria.
Experts say the global food chain makes a number of products more vulnerable to such contamination, but the fact that we know about all the recent recalls means the safety protocols in place are working.

Recalls of multiple food products in recent weeks have alarmed consumers and health officials, as the risk of food-borne bacteria like E. coli, listeria, and salmonella in the broader U.S. food supply chain has increased.

Deli meat, frozen waffles, McDonald’s hamburgers, and ready-to-eat poultry meals sold at stores like Walmart, Trader Joe’s, and Costco have all been recalled after routine testing showed traces of bacteria.

The popular Boar’s Head company had to pull 7.1 million pounds of deli meat after E. coli was detected at a facility in Virginia responsible for producing ready-to-eat liverwurst; 59 infections were reported in 19 states and at least 10 people died, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
At least 75 people in 10 states were sickened by E. coli that has been linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders. The company’s subsequent testing of the beef involved showed no E. coli, but federal investigators suspect that the bacteria was present in the raw slivered onions that were on the burgers.
Frozen waffles and pancake products sold at stores like Target, Dollar General, and Publix were recalled by the company that produces them after listeria was found through routine testing at a manufacturing factory in Canada. No infections were reported.
Green onions, eggs, and ready-to-eat poultry meals have all been recalled this fall due to concerns about potential salmonella outbreaks.

Why food recalls are increasing, and how they’re identified

With so many highly processed foods in the supply chain, there are more chances for contamination and infection and, in the case of the Boar’s Head listeria outbreak, sometimes poor oversight at the source of production.

However, there are also more backstops in place than there used to be and coordination between federal, state, and local public health officials.

Richard Martinello, MD, Yale Medicine infectious diseases doctor and professor of medicine at Yale School of Medicine, told Healthline that the CDC’s ability to identify and coordinate has made it possible for us to know about multistate outbreaks like the ones recently identified. In this way, the fact that so many have been publicized is a sign of success, he says.

“We have an increasingly industrialized food industry producing products at a large scale for lower cost. When potential contamination is not prevented, identified, and controlled, it can lead to large-scale, multistate outbreaks of disease,” Martinello said.

He further explained that foodborne diseases such as Listeria and E.coli 0157: H7 are notifiable to public health authorities, and this timely reporting allows a rapid response.

“Local and state public health authorities work closely with the CDC to both identify and respond when these events occur. As many foodborne outbreaks involve multiple states, CDC’s efforts are critical to identify and respond to these matters in a timely manner,” Martinello said.

He explained that the CDC has a deep bench of experts in a wide array of communicable diseases, allowing it to supplement state and local public health expertise. The CDC is also a lead agency for FoodNet.

“This collaborative federal effort helps to ensure timely identification of foodborne illnesses and an effective response. Both the Boar’s Head and McDonald’s issues are great examples of success. The outbreaks and their cause were quickly identified, communicated to the public, and measures taken to prevent further disease,” Martinello said.

Melanie Murphy Richter, MS, RDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist and the director of communications for the nutrition company Prolon, told Healthline that the vast network of supply and shipping involved in many products in stores can make them that much more susceptible to such contaminations, but the bad headlines in the news mean that the system’s safeguards are working.

“Our food now often has a global journey — from different farms, facilities, and countries — which opens up more chances for contamination. One event, like a salmonella issue in a farm’s onion supply, for instance, can impact salsa across multiple brands. This interconnected supply chain means a problem at any one point can trigger a far-reaching recall,” Richter said.

“With advanced DNA testing and data-sharing between agencies, we’re catching contamination faster and more precisely than ever. This technology means recalls happen sooner and are often larger because we’re better at detecting patterns across states and tracing them back to their source. This is definitely a good thing, and also, we hear about these outbreaks more, too,” Richter added.

How consumers can protect themselves from food-borne bacteria

Many experts have suggested that eating highly processed foods — which includes processed meats, ready-to-eat meals, and deli meat — should be avoided in general. But with the higher costs of groceries across the country, not everyone has the option of avoiding products that could carry these risks.

Richter suggested staying informed, reading labels carefully, and thoroughly washing fresh produce or purchasing frozen or canned produce along with shelf-stable proteins like beans, chickpeas, and canned fish.

Dry goods, in particular, are also a good meal option, she said.

“Foods like rice, pasta, quinoa, and whole grains are processed with minimal handling, making them generally low risk for contamination. They also store well and can form a safe, healthy base for many meals,” Richter said. “Pairing these with canned or frozen veggies, beans, or lentils can help create balanced, filling meals that don’t compromise on safety.” However, it’s important to read food labels as some canned foods can be packed with high amounts of sodium and additives, which can also negatively impact your health.

As far as deli meats go, Richter suggested the following three specific ways to consume them safely if you’re concerned about potential contamination:

Eat prepackaged over “house-cured” meats

“Prepackaged deli meats generally have fewer handling points, so they tend to be a safer bet than those sliced in-store. Standardized processing and controlled packaging help reduce the likelihood of contamination,” Richter said.

Keep cold and eat fresh

“Listeria thrives even in cool temperatures, so store deli meats in the coldest part of the fridge and try to consume them within a few days of purchase,” Richter said.

Choose low sodium and nitrate-free options

“While often a healthier choice, these options tend to come from brands with more transparent processing and safety standards, which can add an extra layer of quality control,” Richter said.

Takeaway

Recalls of multiple food products in recent weeks have alarmed consumers and health officials, as the risk of food-borne bacteria like E. coli, listeria, and salmonella in the broader U.S. food supply chain have increased.

Deli meat, frozen waffles, McDonald’s hamburgers, and ready-to-eat poultry meals sold at stores like Walmart, Trader Joe’s, and Costco have all been recalled after routine testing showed traces of bacteria.

Experts say the global food chain makes a number of products more vulnerable to such contamination, but the fact that we know about all the recent recalls means the safety protocols in place are working.

Contributor: Finn Cohen – Healthline.com