Please welcome Natalie over at Everything Finance! Everything Finance is a site about just that, everything related to finance. You can get information about investing, saving money, insurance, shopping, blogging, and making money online. Contact me if you would like to guest post on RFI.

The holidays will soon be upon us and there will soon be a lot of reason to spend. The media is filled with images of expensive trinkets that are ready to be sold. There are delicious pictures of food items everywhere that show all the good things you can buy. It really is a great thing to see all the colorful, holiday-related things this time of year. The thing that is not so great is the pressure to spend with everything that the holidays bring. Is it okay to spend or should the holidays be just another frugal time?

I have always been a very frugal person. I rarely splurge on gifts unless it is for close family members. In that instance, it is hard to decide what is appropriate to spend. I tend to spend around $100 per close family member, and I only have a couple of family members that I spend this kind of money on. The funny thing is that I usually get gifts of the same amount right back so it is like getting my money back. For me, it is not about the amount of the gift but the meaning behind it. I totally wouldn’t mind a five or ten dollar gift card to a coffee shop because I love coffee. On the other hand, I would hate it if someone spent a hundred dollars on camping gear for me because I hate camping. It just depends on the gift recipient.

There are people that feel the holidays are the perfect time to spend and that’s okay. Well, it is okay as long as you can afford it. If not, then you have to be creative. Making baked goods as Christmas presents can be a great alternative to spending lots of money. Make Christmas decorations out of paper towel rolls and pipe cleaners. You can make a lovely Rudolph out of a candy cane and some construction paper. It doesn’t take a lot to be festive and you can get your family to help you for a fun activity at home.

The holidays can be a financially stressful time for everyone. Whether you think that it is ok to spend a lot on the holidays is up to you and your situation, but you can certainly cut back if you don’t have the funds. I think that we can all agree that the important thing is that you spend the time with family and friends. Even if you have all the money in the world (and if you do, please give me a call), then you can still appreciate the little things that holidays have to offer. The truth is this is a very special time of the year and it deserves to be enjoyed even if you don’t have loads to spend. Happy holidays everyone!

This post was featured on The Outlier Model, Len Penzo, Aspiring Blogger, thank you!