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10 Tips to Save on Christmas Gifts
Guest post by Ashley from Embracing Beauty
Christmas is great for spending time with friends and family, as well as giving gifts. Unfortunately, too many times, though, people don’t properly plan ahead for it and they end up making a list of money mistakes.
The key to avoiding a holiday season that puts your bank account in the red is to start planning early. Here are my top 10 money-saving tips to help you steer clear of holiday debt and to get a good financial start to the new year:
- Develop a Christmas budget. Keep it separate from your regular budget. Start with how much you have to spend on Christmas gifts and from there list everyone you want to buy for, how much you can spend on them, gift ideas and places to find them. Purpose to only spend the money you have and when it’s gone you stop buying. Millions of Americans are still paying off their credit cards from last Christmas, don’t follow in their footsteps!
- Take inventory. Check your closet, under your bed, or anywhere you might have stashed your early purchases. Try to think back, did you stock up on leather gloves at last year’s post-holiday sales? Check before buying more pairs.
- Host a card signing party. In lieu of gifts to friends, an easy way to save money at Christmas is to prepare holiday cards together. Ask each guest to bring cookies or an appetizer. You provide drinks, tables to write on, and a good supply of pens. It will be a fun way to socialize, brainstorm gift ideas, unwind, and fellowship together!
- Bring the envelopes, leave the credit cards. Allocate an amount of money for each gift and put that money into a separate envelope marked with the recipient’s name. Leave your credit cards at home. Did you know that our brains actually feel pain when we spend cash? It’s true! Spending with a check or debit card registers less pain and with a credit card almost no pain at all.
- Get creative. There are endless websites that can give you step-by-step instructions to make yummy desserts, gifts in a jar, or crafts to give your loved ones. Don’t forget to search for free printable gift tags while you’re at it!
- Consider drawing names. If you have a large family or a lot of people at the office to buy for suggest a name draw. You’d be surprised at how pleasant Christmas can be when you don’t spend a ton of money and end up stressing yourself out trying to find the perfect gift for so many people.
- Avoid the pseudo-deal. Avoid the “Buy More, Save More” slogans, the “Buy 2, Get 1 Free” promotions, and the arbitrary limits on purchases. There are numerous other pseudo-deals out there and if you’re not familiar with typical prices on these items, you may fall victim to the pseudo-deal.
- Don’t buy for yourself. When you’re shopping for gifts, it’s easy to be tempted to buy things for yourself. Try to make this season about giving to others. It may also help to remember that the items you want now will likely be less expensive during the after-season sales!
- Give the gift of time. The gift of time and caring can mean much more than a present–for both giver and recipient. Shovel snow for elderly neighbors, or get a group together to surprise them with an old-fashioned caroling visit.
- Give practical gifts. Every year my grandmother gave me a toothbrush in my stocking. As a child, I’ll admit, it wasn’t the most exciting gift, but it was one that I would use. Even though it was a practical gift, it was still fun to open.
Last but not least, remember that the spirit of Christmas isn’t about “stuff.” You can have a giving spirit without having a maxed-out credit card. Don’t forget the reason for the season!
Ashley is very happily married and the mother to a beautiful little girl. She teaches couponing classes and authors the frugal blog, Embracing Beauty, where she encourages others to Embrace God’s best for their finances, home, and life.
Shared Dec 8, 2011
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21 Days to a More Organized Christmas: Gift Ideas That Won’t Break the Bank
21 Days to a More Organized Christmas: Gift Ideas That Won’t Break the Bank
In this series so far, we’ve talked about the importance of creating and sticking with a Christmas budget. We’ve also discussed how to create a gift list based upon your budget.
While you can take your budget and gift list and just go pick up a gift at the store or wait and find a deal online, there are other options to traditional gifts that can be less expensive. And for some on your gift list, these would be more meaningful than just buying something at the store.
Homemade Oreos from I Heart Naptime
1. Food Gifts
Unless your recipient has food allergies, it’s hard to go wrong with food gifts. Gifts in a Jar are always popular, though I’d recommend that you make and try the recipe-in-a-jar first, before making extras as gifts. We’ve had a few that looked like a great idea but actually turned out not to work well when you dumped the contents of the jar into a bowl and put the recipe together.
I also love the idea of giving homemade cookie dough. It can be frozen and saved to use after all the Christmas goodies are eaten up. And nothing quite beats freshly made chocolate chip cookies!
Other food gift ideas: Year-Round Yum, Vinegar Infusion Set, a coffee & tea gift basket, Homemade Marshmallows, and Homemade Hot Drink Mixes,
12 Days of Christmas Gifts for Teachers from How Does She
2. Consumable Gifts
As a minimalist, I love consumable gifts! They can be meaningful and memorable, but they don’t result in clutter. I shared five of my favorite consumable gift ideas here. JesseLeigh also shared a great post last year with many clutter-free gift ideas.
Other consumable gift ideas: Homemade Body Scrubs, Gluing Craft Box, 12 Days of Christmas Gifts for Teachers, a calendar, stationery or note cards, and gift cards.
Fingerprint Ornaments from The Gardner’s Dirt
3. Handmade Gifts
Most food gifts and consumable gifts are handmade, but there are plenty of other handmade gifts that don’t fall into those two categories. Handmade gifts are usually very economical and they can be customized especially for the recipient. Not everyone appreciates handmade gifts, but even if the gift you give isn’t something the recipient loves, I can guarantee that most people will feel very honored and blessed that you took the time and effort to make something for them.
I shared a number of do-it-yourself gift ideas for children here. Amy has a great list of 36 handmade gift ideas. And Brandy blogged on some great ideas for handmade gifts that won’t cost you anything.
Other Handmade Gift Ideas: The Question Jar, Homemade Playdough, DIY Car Mat Backpack, Fingerprint Ornament, and Build-Your-Own Snowman Kits.
Those are just a few of my ideas. I’d love to hear your favorite homemade gift ideas–especially those that have been especially well received! If you’ve blogged about it, be sure to leave your link in the comments.
Practical Application
1. Sometime in the next 24 hours, sit down with your Christmas gift list and finalize exactly what you are giving each person. If you find it helpful, use the Master List here or the Organized Christmas list here
2. Plan a shopping day or days in the next week and make a plan for where and when you’ll buy each item. If you’re planning to make any homemade gifts, write down all the supplies you need to buy and block off time on your calendar in the next week to ten days to make and finish these.
3. If you begin to feel overwhelmed at any time, step back and re-evaluate whether there are some things that you can cross off your list. It’s not worth making something if you’re going to be all stressed out about it for three weeks!
A Handmade Christmas: Vinegar Infusion Sampler
Guest post by April from Frugal Homemaking
One of the recipients on my gift list this year enjoys following a healthy eating lifestyle. I wanted to make a homemade gift, but cookies, candies, and baked goods would not be ideal for this person. I had a light bulb moment when I saw how much he enjoyed creating new salad combinations–a flavored vinegar sampler would be perfect!
Infusions lend a lovely color to the vinegar, making it a practical and pretty consumable gift. These vinegars can be used in marinades, vinaigrettes, or exchanged in any recipe that calls for regular vinegar. This gift would be perfect for those who enjoy cooking and eating healthfully or anyone with a flair for the unusual.
What you’ll need:
- 4 glass cruets (or any small glass vessels with a narrow spout and a closure or cork)
- white distilled vinegar, 16 oz. or more
- 1/2 cup washed and crushed strawberries, fresh or frozen
- 1/2 cup washed and crushed blueberries, fresh or frozen
- 2 Tablespoon white sugar
- 1 Tablespoon dried Italian herbs
- 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped and seeded (always use gloves when handling peppers!)
- 2 crushed garlic cloves or 1 tsp. minced garlic
- colander
- cheesecloth or coffee filters
- 4 pint-size canning jars
- 4 plastic canning lids
- labels and jar baubles, optional
Directions:
1. In sterile canning jars, pour 4 oz. of vinegar in each (you may need more/less depending on the size of your cruets).
2. Add strawberries and 1 Tablespoon sugar to the first; add blueberries and 1 Tablespoon sugar to the second; add Italian herbs to the third; add jalapeno pepper and cloves to the fourth.
3. Stir the sugar and fruits until the sugar is dissolved.
4. Secure lids to canning jars. Shake to combine contents of each of the four jars.
5. Let it stand in a cool place for a few hours to a couple of weeks, allowing the mixture to steep and infuse the vinegar. Shake daily.
6. Strain the vinegar through a coffee filter-lined colander. Discard solids.
7. Pour infused vinegars into sterilized cruets.
8. Label and decorate.
Things to Consider:
- Vinegar is an ideal medium due to its acidic properties; bacterial growth is inhibited in such an environment. It is not necessary to refrigerate these infusions, but you may do so if you like.
- The longer you allow the infusion to steep, the stronger it will be. The longest recommendation I have seen is a month, but a week is plenty of time.
- You can substitute an herbal fruit tea bag for the fresh fruit, but I imagine the flavor will be less fresh.
- Do not use utensils or bowls made of reactive metals, like aluminum and cast iron.
April blogs about her attempts to live frugally, creatively, and contentedly at Frugal Homemaking. She is enjoying the wild ride of life with her husband Ben and two girls, Grace and Leah.
Shared Dec 8, 2011
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Get a free personalized bookplate (+ a downloadable gift postcard)
Get a free personalized bookplate (+ a downloadable gift postcard)
I’ve been so touched that many of you have written in to say you ordered a copy of The Money Saving Mom®’s Budget as a Christmas gift for a friend, neighbor, relative, or co-worker. Since the book won’t arrive until after Christmas, I wanted to provide something tangible for you to give to your recipient.
Free Downloadable Gift Postcard
If you’re planning to pre-order a copy of The Money Saving Mom®’s Budget as a Christmas gift for someone, you can download this printable postcard and print it on card stock, to let the recipient know the book is on its way and will arrive in January.
Free Personalized Handwritten Bookplate
Also, my publisher is making some bookplates for me and will have them to me by the end of next week. So, if you’d like to include a personalized bookplate with a little handwritten note from me for your recipient, just fill out this form here and I’ll pop one in the mail to you. If you fill out the form by December 10, 2011, I’ll do my best to have the bookplate in your mailbox by December 20, 2011.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for how you’ve encouraged me in this book-writing adventure. I feel overwhelmed by your support and love!
Celebrating a Memorable Christmas on a Zero-Dollar Budget
Guest post by Brandy from The Prudent Homemaker
Many are wondering how they are going to celebrate Christmas this year. For them, there simply isn’t money for gifts. If that’s you this year, I have some suggestions to give you hope—and to help you give a few gifts to your family, without spending any money.
Just because you don’t have money to buy gifts doesn’t mean you can’t give anything. Look at what you already have. Do you have the ingredients to make candy or cookies? Those treats can go in stockings. Do you have items in your pantry or cupboards?
Don’t overlook the simple things. A child may love having her own bottle of shampoo, lotion, or a new toothbrush. Have you been buying clothes ahead of time at garage sales, or saving hand-me-downs from friends? Pull out a “new” clothing item for a child and wrap it up.
Look at what you already have that can be re-purposed. An old shirt, sweater, or sheets provide ample fabric for a gift (and don’t overlook the leather or vinyl on an old purse!) Don’t worry if there are holes; simply cut out your pattern around them.
You can make pajamas from a flannel sheet, or a hat and gloves from an old sweater. An old fitted sheet includes elastic that can be part of a skirt, and there’s enough left to make a nightgown, slippers, a headband, handkerchiefs, a doll, and cloth napkins for your Christmas table.
An old shirt can become a skirt, a jumper, a tie, a child’s toy, doll clothes, a scarf, or a purse. If you don’t have a sewing machine, ask someone you know if you can borrow one. (You may be surprised at how many offers will come your way when you put the word out!) Just a needle and thread is sufficient to make something. There are lots of very simple, free tutorials online.
Use a pair of needle-nosed pliers to remake an old unmatched earring into a necklace (perhaps on a ribbon for a chain). Turn popsicle sticks, dental floss, and cotton swabs into a miniature bow and arrows. Use what you have in a new way.
Give the gift of time. Most people, and especially your children, just want time. You can print up coupon books with promised activities, such as 10 cooking (sewing, knitting, painting, etc.) lessons with mom, or five stay-up-late game nights with parents.
Make your holiday bright with new traditions. Take the time to make cookies together, play games, pull taffy, read stories, and sing carols. Enjoy Christmas in ways you never have, and you will find that this may be your best Christmas yet.
Brandy writes at The Prudent Homemaker where you can find details and more information on how to make the items pictured and mentioned in this post, along with many more ideas for giving without spending.
Do-It-Yourself: Homemade Breakfast Sausage
Thrice the Spice shows you how to make Homemade Breakfast Sausage.
Do you have a fun and frugal DIY idea to share? I’d love to hear about it! Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.
How We Save Hundreds of Dollars on Christmas Gifts
Guest post by Steph from The Cheapskate Cook
When my husband and I got married, we lived in a renovated shed and had a budget that matched. I was an avid Money Saving Mom® reader, and although we’ve moved out of the shed and added two kids to our family, I’m still learning how to save money… and I’m still an avid Money Saving Mom® reader.
Over the years on tight budgets, we’ve learned a lot about celebrating the holidays on a shoestring. Here are a few things that have worked for us:
1. Use a system for family gifts
We celebrate Christmas morning with my parents and siblings, and as the kids have grown up, started school, gotten jobs, or struggled to get jobs, we decided that instead of everyone getting gifts for everyone else, we would draw names.
We also pitch in to fill the stockings, so each person gets a larger gift for one person and a small stocking stuffer for each family member. That way we can enjoy shopping for each person but don’t have the pressure of buying large gifts for everyone.
2. Don’t feel like you need to buy gifts for everyone
For most years, Chris and I just decided not to get each other gifts. It was a tradition to travel to see family over the holidays, and so making the arrangements to do that was our gift to each other. And surprisingly, when we were surrounded by people we loved on Christmas morning and we knew we were intentional about making that happen, the gifts weren’t missed. (Although I admit the other gifts from family certainly helped!)
We’ve also been selective about gifts for our friends and general acquaintances. Some years, it was wiser to not give those kinds of gifts. However, gifts like fresh bread (I love this Very-Little-Bother-Bread recipe) and honey butter can be fun, frugal, and even a welcome alternative to the cookies so many people have in abundance.
3. Host a cookie exchange or white elephant party
Invite several friends over for an evening of coffee, hot chocolate, and treats. For the cookie exchange party, each family brings a small plate of cookies and little bags filled with 2-4 cookies to add to the exchange. When guests leave, they grab a few bags of cookies to take home.
The white elephant party is a classic. Instead of purchasing a gift, wrap something you already have at home. Then each person chooses from the pile of gifts, and you never know what you’ll end up with.
4. Remember the point to all of this
Giving gifts is fun, and someday, if we continue to use our money wisely, we’ll be able to give even better gifts. But ultimately, this season isn’t just about that, as wonderful as generosity is.
It’s about remembering and celebrating the One who gave us the best gifts: the gift of a relationship with Him and the gift of salvation. And we can do that no matter what our budget is.
When Steph and her husband got married, they lived in a renovated shed and had a grocery budget that matched. As a passionate whole-foodie, Steph was determined to continue eating healthy, minimally-processed foods on their shoestring budget. So The Cheapskate Cook was born.
Ask the Readers: How much do you budget for Christmas?
Today’s questions is from Christen:
I was wondering how much people budget for Christmas? My hubby and I are trying to find a reasonable amount to budget. -Christen
Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.
OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!
Click here to download!
25 Days of Random Acts of Kindness
Two different bloggers have challenged themselves to do one random act of kindness each day from December 1 to December 25. I’ve been so inspired by read their posts and wanted to pass them along to you:
Are you doing something similar? Tell us about it!
Homemade Gingerbread Latte Recipe
Free printable Decorate the Christmas Tree Game
21 Days to a More Organized Christmas: Plan Your Gift List
Once you’ve determined your Christmas Budget, it’s time to break that down further and create a gift list.
1. Use Your Budget As a Guide
If it’s not in the budget, you can’t buy it. Period. And even if it feels like you’re being a scrooge, I promise you that it’s always better to give small and simple gifts that you can afford than to give elaborate, extravagant gifts you buy on credit.
For the first few years of our marriage, we did nothing in the way of gifts for Christmas. We couldn’t afford to buy or make gifts, so we just didn’t. And we survived just fine. It wasn’t our first choice, but it was a sacrifice we made in order to survive law school without debt.
2. Pare Down Your Gift List, If Need Be
Sticking with your Christmas budget may mean that you need to pare down who you buy gifts for. I talked about paring down your gift list in my post on simplifying Christmas yesterday:
Evaluate your gift list: Do you really need to give a gift to your uncle’s neighbor’s dog? I’m pretty sure Fido will survive just fine without another fancy chew toy, so save your money and use it to buy gifts for those you really care about or want to bless.
Creating limits for how many gifts you buy helps to simplify things. MoneySavingMom.com reader Ashley says, “We give each of our children three, and only three, Christmas gifts. One gift is always something useful like pajamas; one gift is money for their savings; and one gift is something they want or a fun gift. By limiting the number of fun gifts to just one per child, we are able to say no when we see something they would love, but not love enough to be their fun gift.”
3. Be Free From Guilt or Obligation
Buying a gift for someone out of guilt or obligation gives you no fulfillment. I loved what Rachel from Small Notebook said in her post on simplifying Christmas without the guilt:
Sometimes Christmas seems like putting on a show. It’s wearisome, and it leaves us wanting more.
I’ve been thinking about what a simple Christmas would be like for us, and together with my husband we have chosen some things to cut back on. This means I won’t get to act like Martha and show off my amazing skills. (Which is a good thing, considering my past kitchen disasters.)
More and more, I have to remember that Christmas is not about me. It’s not about what I can do, what I can make, or how organized I can be.
If our Christmas is to resemble the way that Christ came to this earth, then we need to take a step back. The way Jesus was born was humble. It wasn’t a spectacular show. It wasn’t a production. I want my Christmas to reflect that, so I can dwell on him this season. (Read the full post here; it’s really good!)
4. Give Gifts That Are Meaningful
When you plan ahead and make a list of who you are buying gifts for, it allows you to put forth more time and effort into the actual gifts. Instead of hastily throwing together a gift or hurriedly running to the store and getting some generic gifts, planning ahead allows you to consider what would really bless the recipient.
Take time to consider each person on your list individually. Think what would really be meaningful to them. Ask another friend or family member for suggestions if you’re having trouble coming up with them.
Some people find it helpful to keep a running list of gift ideas and to update this list as someone mentions a particular like or interest. My husband does this for me and he always ends up surprising me with a completely unexpected gift that is something I love–all because he wrote down the idea on his list months in advance.
5. Experience Joy in Giving
When we give gifts we can afford and that we’ve put effort and thought into, there’s so much joy in giving! We don’t have to worry about a credit card bill coming in January, we don’t have to feel guilty because we just threw something together at the last minute. We can just thoroughly enjoy giving–no strings or guilt attached!
How do you plan your gift-giving? Do you use a spreadsheet online? Do you use a printed gift planner? Or do you use another method? I’d love to hear what works for you!
Practical Application
1. Sometime in the next 24 hours, sit down with your Christmas budget and plan out your Christmas gift list. Start by jotting down all the names of those people whom you’d like to give gifts to and then compare it to your budget.
2. If need be, pare down the list and then set a specific budget amount for each person.
3. Brainstorm possible gift ideas (we’ll talk about this more tomorrow).
A Handmade Christmas: Handprint Christmas Wreath
Guest post by Nikki from Christian Mommy Blogger
This wreath is something I made as a child. My mother still has mine and hangs it each year for Christmas. It is simple, rustic and classic.
With a few simple materials, you can make this homemade wreath. With one decoration you will capture a snippet of your child’s past, add warmth to Christmas, and give those grandparents a beautiful homemade Christmas present.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Fabric of your choice (Burlap, Muslin, or similar fabric in a remnant for the best price!)
- 3 paper grocery bags
- Clothes pins (or other clip to secure the fabric)
- Tempera Paint (Finger Paint) in red and green
- A wire hanger with white cardboard cover (you only need the cover)
- Yarn (you want it to be sturdy and rustic, like your fabric)
- Matte protective spray so the paint doesn’t fade (optional)
- Fabric Glue or Tape
- A child with cute chubby hands!
Here’s how to make it:
Step 1: Put one of the grocery bags on your ironed fabric. Trim the fabric to just a few inches wider than the paper bag on three of the sides and leave about 6 inches on the top (you will be folding it over in a few steps).
Step 2: Lay your fabric on the counter with the side you want visible facing down. Fold the fabric up onto the bag and secure with the clothes pins. You want it to be smooth but not too tight.
Step 3: Turn the bag over. Pour the green paint onto the second grocery bag. Spread it around and press your child’s hand in the paint and stamp a hand print on the fabric. Dip the child’s hand between each stamp so there is good paint coverage. Make sure to space them out well enough that you can see their handprints well (that is the whole point after all!). Set the “canvas” aside to dry before starting step 4.
Step 4: Pour red paint onto third grocery bag. You will only need a small amount. Dip your child’s thumb (if they are old enough they can clearly be on their own, my daughter is only two!) in the paint and place red thumbprints where ever you desire (I place mine between each of the gaps in the hands). Set aside to dry before moving on to step 5.
Step 5: Remove clothes pins from one side and replace them with either glue or tape. Repeat with the other side and the bottom.
Step 6: Take the extra fabric on the top and make it smooth. Thread the yarn through the cardboard cover. Place the cardboard cover at the top of the bag (see image below). Fold the fabric over the cover (the cover is now hidden) and secure it with tape or glue as in step 5. You can see in the image below that the glue shows through and that is okay.
Step 7: Decide how long you want the yarn. Knot it and move the yarn until the knot is hidden within the cover. Let it dry completely. Spray with matte protective spray (if desired). Let dry and give away or display proudly!
From personal experience, I can tell you that you will love looking at this for at least 30 years! If you leave room at the top (as I did) you can even put “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays” or “Your Child’s Name” at the top in cute felt letters!
Nikki is a Christian work at home mommy to her two children and wife to her husband who serves in the Navy. She loves real food cooking, spending sweet time with the Lord, and blogging about how fun it is to tackle homemaking responsibilities and playtime with her precious daughters. You can find her blogging at ChristianMommyBlogger.