hanukkah

How to Help Yourself (And Your Budget) Survive Hanukkah

December 6, 2015 By Amanda Blankenship 1 Comment

Hanukkah starts tonight and many people will be scrambling to buy gifts for everyone in the family. Many parents will be rushing to get the best-of-the-best gifts for their children, mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles and just about everyone in their families. Eight days of gift giving can really wear someone down. However, there are a few ways that you can cut down on stress (and cost) during the eight festival days.

Give to the Young

A good way to save money during the eight days of Hanukkah is to only give to the young people in the family. Instead of trying to give gifts to everyone, give to the little kids. Some people give $1 the first night, $2 the second night and continue to increase the amount by $1 each night. This adds up to $36 per child. Then you can bring the kids to the store to pick out a new toy. It is also a good way to teach kids the value of money at a young age.

Chocolate Money

Often referred to as “gelt,” chocolate coins is a cheap gift for the young (and not so young) on your Hanukkah list. The gold-wrapped coins are a traditional (and tasty) gift that won’t hurt your budget.

Making Their Own Wish Lists

If you ask a child to make a list of something they would buy if they had $10 to spend, you can get a good idea of what to buy them. Be sure to keep the money low when asking what they would like to buy (this keeps your price down). It is also a good way for kids to learn the value of money.

Give Money

Look at your budget and decide how much money you can spend. Giving money or “gelt” as a present cuts down on stress significantly and you can effectively stick to your budget. For instance, if you have budgeted $100 for a day of Hanukkah and you have ten recipients, each recipient will receive $10 from you.

Living Gifts

Plants, chia pets, seed-starters kits and even small pets can all be inexpensive and special gifts. Plants and pets can teach kids the fragile nature of life, and if they live for a while, they can be a very special (and maybe their favorite) gift. For example, a goldfish is fairly inexpensive. They don’t require a tank with a filter (just a bowl) and children often enjoy having a pet to call their own.

Practical Gifts

Gifts that people can actually use are always great. While they aren’t the most exciting gifts, things like pencils, socks, scarves and notebooks can be useful to the person you are giving them to. Also, finding a gift that pertains to a person’s hobby or career is also helpful.

Give Parts of a Gift

If you have one bigger gift in mind, give parts of it the other days. For instance, if you got someone an outfit, you may wrap the shirt separate from the pants, separate from the shoes, the jacket in a separate package, earrings or accessories wrapped separately. You can also do this with other gifts as well (most easily done with things that have accessories).

Give a Donation

Giving a donation in a recipients name is always a great way to give a gift and also help those who need it. You can allow the kid to pick a charity that they like or they care about, and donate to that charity. You can also collaborate as a family to give to a charity.

There are many ways you can cut down costs during the holidays. Giving eight gifts during Hanukkah can seem overwhelming and costly, but there are ways that you can save yourself and your budget the hassle and allow yourself to simply enjoy the festival days.

Celebrating Hanukkah Frugally

December 4, 2015 By Amanda Blankenship 2 Comments

Sunday night, many Jewish families will begin celebrating Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, It is a special time of year for many families to stop and remember the small (and large) miracles that happen in everyday life. Many will stop and remember how the lamps stayed lit for eight days and eight night in the Temple in Jerusalem thousands of years ago. Others will be worried about the expense that celebrating Hanukkah brings.

Oftentimes, people are too focused on splurging on travel, decorations and gifts instead of focusing on the meaning of the holiday. However, if more people kept the spirit of the celebration of Hanukkah in mind, it will make the season both meaningful and cost efficient.

There are a few places people can cut down on cost when it comes to celebrating Hanukkah. Travel is probably the biggest money-spender for the holiday. Here are some frugal tips to share during this special holiday season:

Travel

Obviously, most people want to spend the holidays around their families (wherever they may be), but sometimes spending time with family means traveling long distances. To save money on holiday travel, you should plan ahead. Make sure you book your tickets way ahead of time so that you won’t have to pay an arm and a leg to travel to your family. However, there may be a few ways you can still save.

If you have the time (and the drive is plausible), drive to your family. Driving will always cost a lot less during the Christmas season. While it may take longer, it is less expensive, and if you have children, road trips can be very memorable. Also, if you have other family in the area (brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, etc.) that also need to get a ride to the final destination, you can split the expenses.

The last option (always), if you don’t have the money to travel to see family for the Hanukkah celebrations, you can video call through Skype. It is completely free and you will be able to see each of your family members and feel like you are there for the festivities. Other applications such as Facebook, Google Hangout and FaceTime also help you feel like you’re at home even if your hundreds of miles away.

Decorations

Hanukkah decorations don’t need to be over the top. Decor can be extremely expensive and, although they set the mood for the holiday, sharing stories and passing along other traditions to the younger generations of family is what is truly important. If you’d like to decorate and create a new tradition, consider creating decorations as a family. It is a frugal way to get your house looking like you want it to for the holiday and it will create new memories.

Menorahs are an important part of celebrating Hanukkah as well. There are many menorahs that can be passed down, so usually there is no reason for buying one. However, if you find yourself needing one, there are plenty of ways to craft your own. It would be a great father-son project to make the family menorah, and it is cost effective. Making your own menorah will give you a one-of-a-kind holiday decoration that will always be special.

Food

Oftentimes, celebrating Hanukkah means at least one (if not multiple) big family meals. However, opting out of catering the event isn’t a terrible idea. Collaborate with some family members to have the meal at another hours. Share family recipes with them and help with preparation.

Gifts

Many people will be giving gifts throughout all eight of the festival days. You can keep your budget under control by mixing up the presents. The gifts don’t have to be high-end every day during Hanukkah. In fact, handmade gifts, trinkets and one or two bigger gifts is a good balance between the days. Sometimes, the handmade gifts can be some of the favorites. Also, you can tap into technology to find good deals on the bigger gifts for the holiday online or compare prices from store to store.

Celebrating Hanukkah (or any holiday) can get expensive. However, there are ways you can cut down the cost and not be biting your nails over prices during the festival days. Enjoy the holiday, and remember the reason for the season.

What is and When is Hanukkah?

December 4, 2015 By Amanda Blankenship 1 Comment

As the holiday season gets into full swing, many people aren’t celebrating Christmas or St. Nicholas Day, but they are celebrating Hanukkah. Hanukkah, or the Jewish Festival of Lights, begins on the evening of Dec. 6 and goes through Dec. 14 this year. Throughout the world, many people who practice Judaism will begin to light menorahs and give gifts, but why? What is Hanukkah all about anyway?

What is Hanukkah and How Many Days is it Celebrated?

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday. The word “hanukkah” means “dedication,” which ties back to the reason the holiday exist – the re-dedication of the holy Temple in Jerusalem in 165 B.C.E.

In 168 B.C.E., the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem was seized by Syrian-Greek soldiers and dedicated to the worship of the god Zeus. Of course, the people of the Jewish faith were upset by the conquering of their Temple, but many of them were afraid to fight back. The Syrian-Greek emperor Antiochus made the observance of Judaism an offense punishable by death in 167 B.C.E.

Antiochus also ordered the Jews to worship the Greek gods, eat pork and bow down to an idol – all of which are forbidden in the Jewish faith. Mattathias, a High Priest in the Jewish faith, refused the Greek officers’ demands. He and his sons then turned on the Greek officers and killed them all and were forced to hide away in the mountains. Once the Jewish people had regained control, they returned to the Temple in Jerusalem. However, they found that there was only one day’s worth of oil left in the temple.

To their surprise, the oil actually lasted for eight days and eight nights. Because of this minor miracle, this is how many days the people of Jewish faith celebrate Hanukkah. Now, many people use candles in place of the oil. One candle is lit each night of Hanukkah (one the first night, two the second, three the third and so on).

What is the Holiday’s Significance?

According to Jewish law, Hanukkah is actually one of the less important holidays in the Jewish faith, even though it is the most well-known. This is likely because of its timing. Hanukkah starts on the 25th day of the Hebrew month of Kislev, which makes it fall close to the Christian holiday, Christmas.

Because many people of the Jewish faith live in predominantly Christian societies, the activities surrounding Hanukkah have become almost Christmas-like. Jewish children receive gifts for Hanukkah )one gift each night). Many people believe that this is because Jewish parents don’t want their children feeling left out of the many Christmas festivities going on around them.

Another common Hanukkah practice (outside gift-giving) is lighting the menorah every night of Hanukkah. There are eight candles and an additional candle is lit each of the eight nights. Many Jewish families also play the Dreidel game. Hebrew letters are written on each side of the Dreidel, and it is almost like playing with a di. “Gelt,” or chocolate coins are a popular part of the game. Last, but certainly not least, many people of the Jewish faith eat fried foods during Hanukkah. By eating things fried in oil, people remember the oil that burned for eight days.

Millions of people will be celebrating Hanukkah on Monday through Monday, Dec. 14. Some kids will receive daily gifts, families will light menorahs, eat fried foods and learn more about their faith each day.