Bills. They’re probably the least exciting part of being an adult. And there’s no avoiding them: You’ve got to eat, have shelter, and get from here to there, after all. But as the bills pile up, they can become less of an annoyance and more of a threat. You may find yourself questioning if you’ll ever get ahead—or if you can even cover this month’s bills.

Hey. Whether you just want some tips on how to lower your bills so you can have more money in savings or you’re at your wit’s end under a pile of payments you’re worried you’ll never get on top of, you’ve come to the right place. Here are some ways to lower your bills, both right now and in the long run.

Did you know Americans spent $730.2 billion last holiday season?1 And retailers expect shoppers to spend even more this year, despite the pandemic.2 That’s a lot of photo cards, candy canes, Michael Bublé CDs, Santa hats and sparkly ornaments. But unless you plan on skipping Christmas this year, you’ll find yourself a part of that $730 billion machine.

To enjoy the gift-giving season without any guilt-ridden overspending, set up your Christmas budget now—and then stick to it like sap on a fir tree. Here’s how.

If you want to keep rocking around the Christmas tree without racking up the Christmas debt, be more thoughtful in your spending and saving this season. How? Good question. We’ve got 25 answers for you right here. Keep reading for money-saving Christmas tips. 

Budgeting is the foundation of taking charge of your money. Why? Because budgeting is telling every dollar what to do. Every. Single. Dollar.

But let’s be honest—sometimes all this budgeting stuff gets . . . well . . . exhausting. It can be tough to keep that financial drive alive.

No matter where you find yourself on your budgeting journey, we’ve got a few tips and tricks to keep the motivation going along the way.

You’ve been plugging away for months creating zero-based budgets, logging your transactions, paying down debt, and saving up for emergencies.

Maybe you’ve been budgeting for years, but you just started streamlining the process with the EveryDollar app. Maybe this entire budgeting concept is completely new to you. In any case, if you’ve been working hard at crushing those goals, it’s time to reward yourself. You know what they say: “All work and no reward make for one burnt-out budgeter,” or something like that.

You might think rewards sound expensive. The truth is rewarding yourself can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be.

Don’t neglect treating yourself just because you think your new budgeting lifestyle can’t handle it. There are plenty of ways to reward yourself that won’t bust your budget. And because you know we’ve got your back, we’ve come up with a solid list of thrifty or free ways to do just that!