With money being extremely tight this year since my husband lost his job, we have been so grateful for deals and coupons. Luckily we already had most of the girls Christmas from toy deals from August til now. I don't think I am one to go 'All Out' compared to others, but being able to go out and enjoy the Christmas season without shopping is sometimes hard. The other day I went out with a friend to help her jump on the bargaining bandwagon and I really enjoyed watching her be so excited about the deal. All I bought was a box of kitchen trash bags.
A few things I have thought of that will help with keeping the holiday spending to a minimum.
1. Make your own gifts for teachers/neighbors - I know this is easier said than done, but it is worth it. The S'mores in a jar would be great with the holiday peeps. Last year I made bread/jam for friends and neighbors. It was a lot of work so I may do something a little less, like cookies but the whole spirit of Christmas is in the giving so it does not need to be much.
2. Recycle toys - Do you have kids with a bit of an age gap? My girls are 3 1/2 years apart. I am constantly going through the toys to box up the 'little toys' from my oldest. I learned this great tip from my sister. Last year I pulled out the Fisher Price barn with all the Little People for my daughter who had just turned one from Santa. My 4 year old said 'I used to have one like that too. Wow you will love it!' Little did she know it was hers. This year I have the Dora Magical Castle to give to the little one that has been in a box for two years. Now to get her watching Dora....
3. Date Nights - I am a firm believer in going out with your spouse at least a few times a month. You don't really have to 'do' anything, but at least be without kids for a while. I have a babysitting co-op with friends twice a month to give us 6 nights of free babysitting for 3 nights of hosting. But sometimes we just drop them off and stay at home. This holiday season might just be going for a walk looking at the neighborhood lights and enjoying some Hot Chocolate (hopefully Stephens but will have to see if I can find more down here). It is a win-win for having time together with little to no money out of pocket.
4. Outside Lights timer - I have to admit I have a little bit of 'Griswald' in me. I love to decorate the outside of the house with lights. But that can get for a pricey January power bill. I bought a little timer from Lowe's, which was somewhere in the $8 range and have my lights on a timer. Then they don't stay on all night and I still get to enjoy the lights without the shocking bill.
5. Holiday Music - I love listening to Christmas music but sometimes it gets expensive getting the extras. There is so much holiday music online right now that is free to download. My favorite is Jon Schmidt. He has 2 full hours of free holiday streaming music you can listen to while working on the computer.
6. Trade talents - I have many friends with the best talents. Photography, decorating, goodie making, graphic design and many many more. Think about your talents and do a trade. Swap pictures form custom made Christmas cards or something similar. You both get something free.
What holiday money saving thing do you do throughout the season? I would love to hear your ideas....
2 comments:
All those ideas are super! One thing I'm doing more of this year is being creative and shopping the discount areas. For example, I'm making my daughter a Story Dice game and I bought all the supplies with 50% or 40% off Michael's coupons. Cheap! And I love Seagull Book's discount area. You can find great CD's for less than $4 and tons of kid stuff as little as $1! I don't have a Barnes & Noble too close to me but I know they have a really large discount area with a variety of items.
Thanks for all your great posts. I feel like if I miss for a day, I miss out on knowing something great. I'm afraid that I'm having a hard time on knowing when to pass things up, like when I've spent my budget, but that'll come with more practice, I hope. Anyways, thanks for all the great tips. You're awesome!
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