Daniel Update and Christmas Reflections
Daniel Update
Daniel is fully back to himself. Every once in a while I hear a slight mid-word pause, but otherwise, everything has bounced right back to normal for him. Praise be to God.
Dan and I are still a little shaken up. Daniel doesn’t remember much of what happened to him, except watching a lot of Thomas the Tank Engine movies. We’ll never be able to forget, though. I have always enjoyed my children, but this has taught me to truly savour them. I am thankful for that lesson.
Christmas Reflections
I’ve been wanting to share some of my reflections on Christmas for a while.
Gift Quantity
Last year for their birthday, we got the boys a bunch of little gifts and individually wrapped them. At Christmas each boy opened only two presents. We saw much more appreciation for the two presents than for the bunch of presents. We’re going to stick to opening two presents from now on, or maybe three, but no more. We’ve seen a direct correlation between the number of presents that are opened and how much the kids enjoy and appreciate the gifts.
Adult Gift Budget
This wasn’t the first year I wasn’t able to spend all of my Christmas budget for myself. I’m going to work on picking stuff up throughout the year this year so Dan has more to give me at Christmas. We are also allotting 10% of the budget to a surprise gift, which is something we used to do but got away from.
Homemade
I’ve encountered a problem with homemade gifts. I’ve been bit by the homemade bug but my husband has not at all. We’re doing an experimental pseudo-homemade Valentine’s Day to see if giving homemade gifts to each other has a strong future.
The Christmas Tree
We chose to go without a Christmas tree last year. I admit, I was a little disappointed about it at first. As the Christmas season went on I realised I wasn’t as stressed. For me, the Christmas tree had become a constant visual reminder about the stress surrounding Christmas and all I had to do. We haven’t decided if we are going to have a tree-less year next year, but if we do, I won’t be disappointed.
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Perfect Time To Clear Out The Toy Clutter – Tidy Tuesday
Yesterday I talked about creating a strict budget for Christmas gifts. That got me thinking about the toys in our house. Spending money on more toys when the toy room is already full-to-overflowing seems rather foolish. When I stop to think about it, some of those toys never see the light of day anymore. Because I’m starting my gift list, I thought this would be the perfect time to reassess the toys in the house.
Before you start making your gift budget and list, it seems wise to figure out what toys you have that your child is not playing with, and question why the toy is not being used. The following are general categories that I find most toys fall into. Start in the toy room by sorting all the toys into these four categories:
Broken Toys – It can be difficult to fix or repurpose broken toys. However, if you have the creativity to use the leftover pieces of a long lost game or puzzle, then by all means go ahead and create! You can make very cute picture frames out of puzzle pieces, for instance.
Batteries Missing – This is a common reason that a toy may be discarded, especially if a child is not old enough to know that the toy quit working because it needs a battery. As you clear out the clutter in the toy room, check each battery operated toy that is in good condition and see if it needs fresh batteries.
Ignored Toys – If a toy is in good condition but has lost its appeal it could be for several reasons. The child may have outgrown the toy, the child may have changed interests, or, if the clutter in the toy room has gotten out of hand, the child may simply not be able to find the toy. In this case, clearing out the clutter in the toy room can reap some real rewards! New toys… well at least newly discovered.
Unopened Toys – These somehow got missed during gift giving time I presume. For whatever reason, you have just hit the jackpot, as long as your children have not outgrown them entirely. Hide them away safely and you’ve got some extra gifts.
Once you’ve sorted the toys into these groups, grab some boxes.
Starting with the broken toys, make a decision about whether you want to save any of the pieces for craft projects, etc., and discard the rest in an appropriate manner. Broken toys are not welcome by charities as they can be dangerous and, basically, no fun.
The toys that are battery operated should be sorted to see which ones you want to keep, and which ones should be sold or donated. For the toys you keep, add up the batteries you need, listed by the type of battery, and add that to your shopping list for the next time you run an errand. Keep in mind that if you’re going to be selling any of the toys either at a garage sale or on an auction site, you may need to buy new batteries to guarantee the toy works. Depending on where you donate your toys, you may need to prove the toy works before they take it. In that case you’ll need fresh batteries for those donated toys. In other circumstances, you may be able to donate toys without proving they work, in which case you would just want to be sure you remove the dead batteries from those donated toys.
The ignored toys need to be sorted as to whether they were outgrown, lost interest, or couldn’t find. You can simply reintroduce the child to the toys that were just buried among the clutter. If the toys have been outgrown they should be boxed up and either sold or donated. You may want to set the toys aside that your child has lost interest in and bring them out again in a couple months. If the child still has no interest, then box up those toys and get rid of them.
Unopened toys should be hidden away quickly. This is your secret toy stash to use for Christmas time or anytime you need a gift for your child. You can also re-gift if you’re careful and don’t give it back to the person who gave it to you. This may be touchy, so just keep that in mind. If your child has outgrown the toy that is unopened, you may consider selling it on an auction site or donating it to a hospital or other charity.
Now that you have a good idea of what is actually in your child’s toy room, you can help Santa plan for his Christmas shopping! Clearing out the toy clutter before Christmas may produce some pleasant surprises, saving you a lot of money and headaches by eliminating those duplicate toy purchases.
I hope this project not only helps you clear out the toy clutter you’ve been accumulating, but also helps you with your gift list, and budget, for Christmas.
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From Hillbilly Housewife Blog.
Start Planning Christmas Gift Shopping – Frugal Challenge
It may seem a bit early to be thinking about shopping for Christmas gifts, but, if you’re like me, trying to save as much money as I possibly can, you should probably start today. Planning a more affordable Christmas this year doesn’t have to mean cutting out all the gifts, decorations, food, and fun. You just need to start early, use your creativity, and base your shopping on good judgment.
Christmas time is supposed to be a time of joy and celebration. If you are burdened with debt because you overspent on gifts, your heart will not be light and full of good cheer. Those expensive gifts can become a burden that strips away the joy of the season.
Let’s look at some basic strategies for slashing the overspending that can occur at Christmas time.
Plan Your Gift Budget – This is so basic you would think that most people already do this, but many don’t, and that is where the trouble starts. Don’t start with a gift list, start with writing down exactly how much you can afford to spend on Christmas gifts this year. Don’t forget that you’ll need to budget for the rest of your Christmas expenses, too. Things like decorations and food need to be budgeted for, so keep the total expense in mind.
Make Your Gift Recipient List – Write down everyone you normally buy a Christmas gift for.
Remove Some People From That List – This may seem a bit difficult, but you are almost guaranteed that after you go through your list, you’ll find someone that you really don’t need to buy a gift for this year. If it makes you more comfortable, just move their names to the bottom of the list so you can remember to do something for them, even if that doesn’t involve buying a gift.
Plan Dollar Amount For Each Recipient – Write a dollar amount behind each name that you now have on your list, then add it up. Are you outside your budget for gifts? You’ll need to go back then and rethink each amount and adjust the figures until it fits within your gift budget.
Make Your Gift List – Now you can go through your list of names and start jotting down ideas for each person. Because you’ve created a budgeted dollar amount for each individual, your ideas now have a limit. The problem most people get into when they shop for gifts is that they create a gift list with gift ideas first instead of dollar amounts first. To save your budget, always start your gift list with the dollar amount to be spent for each gift recipient.
Start Your Shopping Early – Yes, there are some great bargains to be found as you get closer to Christmas, but the panic that sets in usually ends up costing us more than we planned. Last minute shopping narrows your choices.
Re-Think Gift Shopping – Consider more inventive options for at least some of the names on your list. Shop smart and thrifty by looking through bargain basements and resale shops. Yes, even a trip through the second-hand stores may prove to be rewarding. You’ll never know what kind of fun and funky finds you’ll come across. For instance, you might find great vintage jewelry that would be just right for a teenager. You may even stumble upon some antique books. And, what little princess wouldn’t like a big box of sparkly gowns to play dress-up in? You’ll find racks of bejeweled, lacy, and shimmery dresses on the bridal and special events racks in most larger thrift shops. Check it out before you head to the mall.
Homemade Gifts – If you are creative, if you can follow a pattern, if you can cook, or if you just have a desire to make something nice, put your skills to work and make a gift. Something as simple as a pretty jar filled with bath salts can be just the right gift to give a friend in need of a relaxing moment. Gifts made from the heart are always appreciated.
Leave Yourself Off Your Gift List – If you’re tempted to buy yourself stuff while you’re shopping for gifts, you’ll need to give yourself a stern talking to! There are so many lovely things out there in the store aisles and they all seem to be calling your name. That is what is called “marketing to the impulse shopper.” If you have no control, give your list to someone else who has more self-control and is willing to do your shopping for you. Know yourself and avoid this pitfall. Your budget can’t take it!
This is my frugal challenge to you. Hold onto the joy of Christmas gift giving by setting your gift budget within your means. Don’t go into debt in order to give gifts that you cannot afford. Your family and friends would not like it if they knew their gift caused you a hardship.
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From Hillbilly Housewife Blog.