It’s the time of year when we tend to indulge and treat ourselves, our families and friends to  special food, drink, celebrations and gifts. When the holiday bills arrive we open them with some trepidation and ‘gulp’, figure out how we’re going to cover it. Sometimes we make conscious decisions to forgo this to buy that but for others, doing without leads to very real choices. 

I think we’ve all seen the commercial where the choice is between heat, shelter or food. That brings it right back to needs. For some, the budget is so tight that they must distinguish between needs and wants on a regular basis and in some ways, the choice is easy…needs win out. 

For others, the line is a little fuzzy and they may cross it and pay a great price for longer. I’m thinking of single moms who go to money lending places in order to spend $100 on a gift for their child and $100 on food and treats to make the season special. I certainly understand the desire to make the holiday memorable but that can be a very expensive way to go about it. 

I think the toughest part of making these decisions is being brave enough to stick to the budget and go against the grain even though this can be incredibly uncomfortable and embarrassing. Who wants to put that out there and face the ‘judgement’? It would take a huge amount of courage and talk about teaching your kids a life lesson. There are many charities and support groups that are very active at this time of year and they help out a lot but for those on an extremely tight budget, these choices are a regular part of life and happen in layers….doing without luxuries, treats, high quality clothes and food. From there it can go further to cutting away more extras, clipping coupons and watching every penny. Stretching the dollar is an admirable skill and there is much pride to be had in using resourcefulness and creativity to give family and friends a memorable holiday season without breaking the budget.