Holiday on a Budget
Holiday On a Budget
Amp Up The Cheer and Scale Back Your Wallet
While we all enjoy the company and holiday cheer of the season—entertaining, meal planning and gift giving can leave you feeling pinched for pennies, and your home completely disorganized.
So, when it comes to keeping guests happy and comfortable while entertaining on a budget, planning and preparation are crucial. Here’s some straight advice from Associate Marketing Manager of Dirt Devil, Stephanie Begley, to ensure you’ll stay clutter-free and cost-conscious this season.
“Everyone knows the holiday season is the most stressful time of the year due to the hustle and bustle of work, travel and visitors,” says Begley. Whether you're expecting guests for a day or a week, hosting a festive party for five, or a dinner for 20, she advises you save time, energy and money everywhere you can. Here are a few of her cost-cutting ideas:
Clip Coupons – Stretching the dollar is one of the most challenging and important things to do around the holidays. Searching the local paper or hopping online to do a quick search for deals in your area are steps you can take to help plan your holiday recipes while saving.
Stealth Mode Cleaning – Hosting visitors means more dirt on the carpets and more crumbs on the floor. This season, don’t break a sweat! Try investing in something new and innovative to do the dirty work. Robotic vacuums, some even made by Dirt Devil, offer a hands-free, hardworking robot that sweeps and vacuums tile, linoleum and wood flooring with ease... perfect for pre-party clean-up, or after the guests have gone home.
Think Outside the Gift Box – Get crafty while saving money and resources. Repurpose newspaper and magazine pages to use as wrapping paper. It's cute and different, so get creative! You can find tutorials at www.ehow.com. Make sure to save and store gift bows and bags for use next year as well.
Enlist Help From Others – Don’t be afraid to ask family and friends for help when cleaning up after dinners, parties or even prepping for the fun. Remember the holidays are a time for everyone to spend together, so if you plan on cooking a big meal, divide the “to-do's” between guests. Have everyone bring a dish, for example. People want to help, so let them chip in. Same goes for clean-up—assign someone to wash, dry and/or load the dishwasher, while someone else clears the table. You'll minimize clean-up time and maximize quality time with your family and friends.
Make this a holiday to remember...and if you plan accordingly, you won't have to break the bank.
Happy Holidays!
For more cleaning tips, follow Dirt Devil on Facebook, www.Facebook.com/DirtDevil
Photo courtesy, Getty Images
Comments
