Saving Families Money Since 2007
I’ve heard of an oatmeal bath before, but I love how A Delightful Home puts a twist on this idea by pairing Oatmeal Cookies with an Oatmeal Cookie Bath mix.
You could put this in a gift basket with a box of some sort of relaxing tea and a yummy-smelling candle and you’d have a gift that many women would love.
Have you blogged about a unique and inexpensive last-minute gift idea? Submit it here for possible publication in the next week.
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:
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.
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
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
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
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Once you’ve determined your Christmas Budget, it’s time to break that down further and create a gift list.
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.
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.”
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!)
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.
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).
