Think before you spend that Christmas money

My family’s Christmas celebrations are split up between festivities that take place on Christmas Eve and those that take place on Christmas Day.

I did get some things from my wish list last night. (Those gifts include Hallmark Barbie ornaments. I’ve told you before I collect Barbie dolls.)

But a good bit of what I got last night was restaurant gift cards and cash. My in-laws weren’t able to mall shop this year because they both have medical issues and can’t get out and about like usual. As a result, our Hallmark ornaments (my husband always gets some science fiction ornaments) were ordered over the phone; and many of the other gifts presented to various family members last night were catalog, on-line or QVC orders … or cash

There were some after-Christmas sales fliers in the newspapers yesterday and today. I expect another pile in the Saturday papers. Don’t toss those newspapers yet, just pull aside the fliers you want to review tonight and send the rest to the recycle bin. Most retail stores are closed today anyway.

This break in the shopping hours will give me time to think about and plan what I’d like to do with my Christmas cash. Besides, I haven’t yet seen the pile of goodies from today’s stack of gifts (everyone is still sleeping).

I don’t want to waste my money on impulse purchases. I want to use it on things I really need or would really like – but otherwise can’t afford or would never think to buy.

I’m sure that’s what you would like to do with your money too.

Continue reading Think before you spend that Christmas money …

From Monroe on a Budget.

Four Christmases

Yes, four Christmases. How many do you have? Ours get kicked off today.

Dan’s Paternal Nana

Nana and two of Dan’s aunts are visiting us today, weather permitting. We exchange a small gift with Nana and are going to give a few pictures to the aunts. Daniel is pretty excited to see them. He loves it when Dan or I are chatting with either Nana or “Auntie” on Facebook. I expect a lot of rough play with “Auntie” today. She is a gem of an aunt.

My Mom’s Family

We alternate Christmas between Dan’s family and my mom’s family. This year is Dan’s family’s turn, so we see my mom’s family on Christmas Eve. There is a massive gift exchange here, with everyone buying everyone else presents. On Christmas Eve, my mom hosts a get together. I like to help her with the cooking. My kids love to play with her young step-children.

Dan’s Maternal Nana

We will be going to the home of Dan’s maternal Nana on Christmas day. We exchange gifts with Dan’s parents and Dan’s Nana. I love my in-laws, especially Dan’s cousins, who have become dear friends. We went from seeing them several times a week to seeing them a few times a year, so we are looking forward to seeing everyone. Most of Dan’s family hasn’t met Thomas yet. Even though our children are the only ones of their generation, we expect a lot of playing to be going on.

My Dad’s Family

We always get together the week after Christmas. We go to an all you-can-eat Chinese restaurant, then go back to my sister’s house, that used to be my grandparent’s house. We do a small gift exchange, where everyone buys for everyone else, but nothing big. My Dad sells stuff on ebay for a living, so he gives out the yard sale stuff that wouldn’t sell.

My Multiple Christmases Tip

My non-tightwaddish but sanity-saving holiday tip for people with a lot of Christmases: buy a package of disposable diapers. That’s my solution for pretty much all hectic times. It’s my Christmas present to myself. I get a week without washing cloth diapers. I don’t have to bag up poopy diapers and take them with us in the car for two hours. I don’t have to explain anything about cloth diapering to family members, because no one will ask.

Do you have any tips on surviving many Christmases and hectic holidays?

Continue reading Four Christmases …

From Under $1000 Per Month.

Kitchen Q&A: Holiday Baking Edition

Do you know how to make a cookie place card for the holiday table? Or how to make colored sugar or shredded coconut for decorating baking? Do you want to learn how to make your own cookie cutters for fun, festive shapes? When is the best time to bake a fruitcake, right before Christmas day [...]

• Also See These Tips:
• Holiday Baking Tips: Cookie Assembly Line
• Pie Crusts & Pastry: Baking Tips
• Freezing Cookies & Cookie Dough: Tip Sheet

Continue reading Kitchen Q&A: Holiday Baking Edition …

From TipNut.com.

Free~The Big Black Book: What The Christmas Tree Saw

The Big Black Book -
What the Christmas Tree Saw

from Healthy Life Press

Just in time for Christmas–a story you will want to read and enjoy, and if you have young children, a story you will want to read and enjoy with them on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day . . . or both! The Christmas tree enters the world of humans, happy and hopeful to discover wonderful things about Christmas that he’s heard whispered by other trees in the forest. What he sees and learns serves as a year-round reminder of the importance of the Book in which the Christmas story appears.

Click here to get your free E-Book.

Continue reading Free~The Big Black Book: What The Christmas Tree Saw …

From Econobusters.

The December Digest is Here!

Click here to order yours today!

Continue reading The December Digest is Here! …

From Econobusters.

Black Friday shopping patterns changing

Are you wondering why so many Christmas gift discounts and deals show up before Thanksgiving, or on Thanksgiving Day itself?

Well, that’s long been my secret for shopping without seeking out the doorbuster specials on Black Friday. I almost always have to work that day. As it turns out, this year I’ll be doing the Black Friday shopping report for The Monroe Evening News. The focus I want to take is on Monroe, Mich., shoppers who have fun and enjoy the day. I know you are out there. Talk to me.

Now if you want to talk about the deals, The Toledo Blade has this report: Black Friday sales changing – many retailers offer deals ahead of traditional rush.

A snippet:

Following a trend that emerged a few years ago, many retailers now offer Black Friday pricing and “door-buster” specials in advance of that day. The shaky economy, some experts say, means people should not expect to find spectacular savings seen in past years because year-to-date retail sales have been poor. “They really need to add an ’s’ to it and start calling it Black Fridays because it no longer is one specific day anymore,” said retail consultant Jeff Green of Jeff Green Partners Inc.

In other words, you can shop Black Friday if you want to. But if you can’t, or would rather not deal with the busy crowds, you can still find sales.

From now until Christmas Day, I recommend you watch your favorite retailers’ ads either at the stores’ web sites or in your local daily newspaper so you can spot those deals as soon as they are announced. Do not expect to find all the sales ads in the Sunday papers. Sometimes the stores are scheduling sales mid-week with a sales flier issued the day before.

Continue reading Black Friday shopping patterns changing …

From Monroe on a Budget.

Giving Experiences, Not Things, This Holiday Season

The holiday gift-giving season is upon us once again. For many of us, that means stress. What gift can we give to the people we care about that actually means something? Why do the holidays have to be so expensive after we buy gifts for everyone on our Christmas list? Then, on Christmas Day, we have to find polite things to say about the unwanted gifts we get and we find ourselves with a bunch of additional stuff to take care of whether we like it or not.

All of these problems can be solved by one simple change in your perspective about gift-giving this year: give experiences instead of things.

What do I mean by this? Instead of giving a material gift that would require you to spend money on something you’re unsure they’ll like and them receiving something that they’ll have to now take responsiblity for, give them something that isn’t material.

Six Ideas for “Experience” Gifts
Here are six quick ideas to get you started, but there are hundreds more just like it if you let your creativity go.

For a child, give a field trip. This could be a trip to a zoo, to a kid-friendly science center (like the wonderful one in Des Moines, Iowa), a wilderness hike, or to a baseball game. You’ll handle all the logistics of the trip for them.

For a food lover, offer a home-cooked version of a meal they’ve longed for. Try making them something challenging like coq au vin or beef bourguignon. Get out your fine china and linens for this dinner, too – make it something special. It could be a romantic gift for a food-loving couple.

For an art lover, plan a trip with them to the art museum of their choice later in the year. Buy the ticket and handle the transportation yourself.

For a spouse, pledge to do the dishes for a year – or give them a few weekends where they can do whatever they want (with or without you).

For a gamer, give them some invitations that allow them to choose a game to play with you. This is a great way to understand someone’s hobby better (and perhaps find it interesting and exciting yourself).

For a parent, give a free night of babysitting. To them, this means an evening doing whatever they’d most enjoy doing without having to worry at all about their children.

Barter for Services
If you have some good ideas for experiences but don’t have the cash, look into a barter with the person that could provide that service. For example, you might be willing to work 40 hours at a museum or a zoo for a certain number of tickets. Perhaps you could provide IT services at a spa in exchange for some gift certificates there. Many businesses are quite willing to offer credit in exchange for your skills and/or your time. Take advantage of that.

The Presentation
Many people balk at such gifts because they’re unsure how to present it. With a home printer and some time, you can create an elegant presentation of any gift.

First, spend a little on a decent stationery set that you can use for many such gifts over the long haul. Look for something tasteful and simple that doesn’t necessarily have to be holiday-oriented.

Second, use a straightforward layout in your word processing program of choice. There are thousands of templates for Word, most of which are compatible with most word processing programs out there.

Fill out the document with the details of the gift, print it on the best printer you have access to, and also print the envelope with the recipient’s name on it in an elegant font.

Here’s the kicker: include some visuals within the envelope. A brochure that shows what the event is all about is perfect, as is a photograph that provides a visual reminder of what you’re going to do. It can even be something as interesting as snapshots from a past event you’ve enjoyed together.

Why This Works
Aside from the fact that it’s less expensive than giving traditional material gifts, giving experiences works for three reasons.

First, it doesn’t give a material item that the other person will have to deal with. It’s not going to wind up needing maintenance or taking up storage space in their home or requiring a trip to customer service.

Second, it will stand out in a positive way in comparison to the items they receive. When you receive several items for Christmas, something distinct like this will definitely stand out from the crowd. Most of the “experience” gifts I’ve ever received still stand out for me.

Third, it often allows you to experience the gift together. If the gift is an event you can both participate in, it becomes a shared memory, something far beyond what a material gift can offer.

For us, unfortunately, “experience” gifts are a bit of a challenge since we don’t live near many of the people we exchange gifts with. Of course, we have another solution for many of those folks for frugal, unique Christmas gifts… but that will have to wait until next week.

Continue reading Giving Experiences, Not Things, This Holiday Season …

From The Simple Dollar.

Inexpensive Christmas Stocking Stuffer Ideas For Kids

After all the gifts have been purchased and placed under the tree, that is the time that many remember in a panic that the stockings over the fireplace still need to be stuffed. Holiday budgets have most likely been spent and there isn’t a whole lot of extra money available. Even with a limited budget, there are a number of quality stocking stuffer ideas that are both practical and will bring a smile to to faces of the little ones.
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