Hello one & all...been spending quite a bit of mental energy preparing for the holidays. three birthdays, Christmas and all the decorations and baking in between. Enough to make you want to hide your wallet and crawl back under the covers. It can be done without breaking the bank...a few frugal thoughts.
Pick and choose...do you really need small pumpkins to paint and then big ones to carve? We combined this year...medium pumpkins bought for $1. Painted them with washable paint, hosed them off and they are ready to carve. Do you really need those decadent cookies with the caramels and pecans or will cut outs and press cookies fit the bill? Ask your kids which things they love the most about the holidays and they may just surprise you with their "simple is better" answers. Asked my children last year and they both picked baking cookies and decorating together! Cannot get much more frugal than that...
Plan ahead...you simply cannot get the best deals shopping the week before Christmas. Most impressive money savers when purchasing gifts...#1 Have a list made of gift choices, #2 Have a list made of gift choices, #3..well, you get the idea. The $30 Transformer starts to take on a certain glow when you have not chosen something fun in the $15 price range. Kids love to tell you their Christmas lists. So ASK!!! Buy a few things each time you go for normal shopping and your pile will grow (almost) painlessly. Same with baking goods...Aldis' has killer deals right now on flour and brown & powdered sugar. Buy several and stash in the back of the pantry. When you want to bake, they are right there...no runs to the gas station for $6 sugar.
Used Items...hot button issue alert! I know that some parents feel that all of their children's presents need to be brand-spanking new, shrink wrapped and glowing. But, seriously, ask any child whether they would rather have 1 new present or 3 previously owned present s and most, if not all, would choose 3...my children have received used items for as long as they have received gifts. I was able to put items under the tree that would not have been possible otherwise. If this idea makes you nervous, start small. My children each are gifted a box of books reflecting their current reading levels and interest each year under the tree. If I purchased these books new, they would bankrupt me! Instead I shop garage sales whenever I can and use services such as paperbackswap.com to access a huge selection of titles. Hand-me-downs books (when in great shape) also go into the gift bin.
Any more great money savers you would like to share? Comment for all of us to benefit...Blessings, Eve
5 comments:
Eve,
I have been reading through your new blog. First, congratulations on joining the blogging world-isn't it great to let it all out?! LOL Second, great writing AND tips. I think a lot of people can benefit from reading this. Would like to add a tip for Christmas-shop consignment! Every year at Mothertime Marketplace I buy tons of clothes and toys for kids on my list that are BRAND NEW! It is amazing. And I always stock up on toys that are unopened for all those birthday parties the kids get invited to (I love going to the closet to shop). Not to mention all the barely worn clothes-my kids have the best wardrobes and it is both used and new. I love that I can mix up my kids outfits and nobody at school will be wearing the same thing! :) I firmly believe in this because it saves money (so many smarter ways to spend $35 than on a shirt from Children's Place they will wear one season) AND it teaches my kids how we can live more green!!!! Keep up the great work Eve!
PS Do you want to do a guest spot on my blog?
I am making things my kids NEED into under the tree items this year. My daughters just joined 4-H and I was told (by the leaders, not my kids) that they really NEED club T-shirts. At $10-15 per shirt, these will be going under the tree & will count toward their gift budget. (I try to have a dollar amount budgeted for each person on my gift list & I TRY not to go over it.) My older daughter has also been playing a borrowed flute for a year, This is her second year of lessons, so I found her a very reasonable priced new flute. This is something she NEEDS if she is going to continue to play, and is also a great Christmas gift. The T-shirt, the flute, a couple more small things (earrings for the newly pierced ears, perhaps?), her stocking, and this child is done! Our kids always open their stockings first on Christmas morning and then they don't want to play with anything else. I have realized that less is more! I have always gone way overboard on the amount of presents that I buy for my kids every year. (I'm sure it has something to do w/ my own childhood.) Does one child really need 13 presents under the tree? They are just as happy with a few things--they can't even get past the trinkets in their stockings to OPEN those 13 presents! This year I am going to remember this during shopping season, not on Christmas morning when it's too late. If we calm down & don't fall into the shopping frenzy, we will have more time to enjoy the season with our kids, we'll be less cranky because we won't be stressed about time & money, and we'll actually be able to focus on the reason for the season--the baby born in the stable, the greatest gift of all-the only thing we really need.
Thanks, ladies, for the great ideas! I am so glad that Jen mentioned consignment shopping...(and,yes, I would love to do a "guest appearance" on your Blog!!) Less is definitely more, as Adrienne pointed out. The best way to save money is to not spend it...Blessings, Eve
Love the post - love the comments... My kids are getting 2 kittens this year as their MAIN gift... they have been begging for years and once they see the kittens they will not even be looking for any other gifts under the tree this year!!
Michelle Kelsey
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