Decking the Halls Without Wrecking Your Budget

Holiday shopping is never easy.

Even though this season is quite possibly the best time of year to get together with family or to take that much needed vacation, most people will find themselves burdened by thoughts of credit card bills and bank account balances rather than happily enjoying the yuletide cheer.

The main danger with holiday shopping, aside from being trampled by a sale-hungry mob, is overspending.

Ricardo Cardenas, a financial advisor for Edward Jones, explained that consumers should remember to take the long view when making purchases this year.

"Don't overspend because it'll come back to bite you next year," advised Cardenas. "Save as much money as you can, only buy the things you need, and put [the extra money] away."

While spending less and saving more may sound ideal, the reality is that holiday shopping is nearly impossible to avoid.  With this in mind, many people will look for ways to temporarily supplement their income.

One way to do this is to find seasonal employment.

Many companies, especially those that are retail-based, advertise temporary sales jobs for the holidays.  These can be especially helpful and easy to come by for someone who has had any customer service related experience.

Some retailers will even offer in-store discounts to new employees starting on the first day of work.  Not only can a job help you make money for the holidays, it can help you spend less too!

Another method of increasing your available funds this season is to sell some things you already have.

If you look around your house right now, you will probably find several items that either no longer see or haven't ever seen, any justifiable use.

Though garage sales may not be in season, online sales never take a break.  Sites like Craigslist or EBay offer a free or inexpensive way to make money and de-clutter your home at the same time.

If online sales don't tickle your fancy, why not tackle some odd jobs and become your neighborhood's handyman?

Though it may feel like you are revisiting your childhood a bit, there isn't anything quite like walking dogs, raking leaves, or even shoveling snow. It really doesn't take much more than a few flyers and some hard work to be making some serious spending cash.

Not interested? One very popular way to make a little extra money for the holidays is to sell handcrafted items or baked goods at craft fairs or farmers markets.

Kathleen Millay, founder of Emilie B's Baked Goods, has been delighting her neighbors for years with homemade Jewish Apple Cakes.  So much so that she built it into a business and named it after her Grandmother, Emilie.

"My particular experience has just been trying to earn a little extra money doing something I love," Millay explained. "I love to bake these apple cakes.  I love to remember my grandmother. The extra money just helps to buy presents for my six children."

Millay got her start over the years by selling her cakes at local fairs and markets, and says she sees many others doing the same type of thing in preparation for the holidays.

"There were people selling everything from baked goods to tea towels to handcrafted jewelry to used knick-knacks," she elaborated. "One person was even selling birdseed cupcakes. There are lots of things people try to sell."

So this holiday season, regardless of your budget, remember that there is always a way to find just a little extra breathing room, if you only take the time and look.