If you normally travel by air for the Thanksgiving or Christmas Holiday, book your travel now.  You’ll probably get better pricing.  Use one of the on-line travel sites if possible to compare prices.  Sometimes, just changing your arrival or departure times or date can save you a bundle.  If you are paying air fare for several family members, you can usually take an extra day off work to leave before the rush, and the amount you’ll save on airfare will often be more than 1 day of lost wages.   

From now on, every time you purchase a gift or clothing item at department stores, ask for a gift box.  Even if you don’t intend to give the item as a gift, save the boxes for your Christmas wrapping.  You’ll probably find that you won’t need to spend any money on gift boxes at Christmastime