Don’t be a Scrooge; Reduce & Reuse

      The holiday season is a time for family time and celebration. It is also full of food, gifts, toys, decorations, and more. While family time and celebration is never a waste, the results of our holiday events often are. “Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, Americans increased their solid waste by an estimated 25%. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, and TakeCareofTexas.org, the extra waste amounts to 25 million tons of garbage, or about one million extra tons per week.” (802nd Civil Engineer Squadron, 2019)

     We often attempt to financially prepare ourselves for the holiday season by putting a little extra aside throughout the year, working overtime, or finding side jobs. We do this in hopes that we can spend the amount we want without worrying and facing the repercussions for months to come! According to a survey done by Forbes Advisor(Pokora, 2023); “this year, about 38% of survey respondents expect to spend between $501 to $1,000 on holiday gifts—no small amount. Another 24% are prepared to splurge, with more than $1,000 budgeted, while only 27% expect to spend between $1 to $1,000. Very few (3%) Americans are opting out of gift giving this year.”

     There are many ways to reduce holiday spending such as setting a family limit for gifts, creating handmade gifts, offering services such as babysitting or cleaning a home. If you don’t want to compromise on the gift giving portion, you can reduce your expenditures with decorating and food from your holiday events. You can start by decorating less, crafting your own home decor, or reusing older decorations. After your holiday parties, try your best to send loved ones home with leftovers and come up with meals for the week that you can create using the remaining food. A personal favorite way to reduce waste during the holidays is to have yourself and your family members choose toys and clothes to donate to those less fortunate! This all may seem like more work than you want to do but when you think about the big picture, finding ways to reduce your waste will help create family traditions, limit spending, and help your environment and community. 

If you are looking for more tips and tricks to save during the holiday season check out the link below; https://www.vwrm.com/holiday-waste-reduction-tips/