5 weeks until Christmas!
Once Thanksgiving and December hit, things get CRAZY at our house! Which is why we plan to be done shopping by the weekend before Thanksgiving when there are good sales but not the madness of Black Friday. My favorite year was the one when I was done by Halloween, but as the kids are getting older- they are getting pickier- so we have to wait until closer to Christmas.
One way we save money is by doing pixies among both my husband and my siblings- which cuts 6 gifts for sisters and their families down to 2. It also makes their budget a little higher for their families instead of finding a way to do a $20 gift for families of up to 7 people.
6 siblings @ $20-30= $120-180
vs.
2 siblings @ $30-40= $60-80
So we spend less and get people nicer things. I know I enjoy a more thoughtful gift from one person over 5 quick gifts from everyone.
This year I had his mom and my mom draw the names, so not even I know who has our family! My family is the type that sends out a list of ideas for the person, hubby's family it's a little harder because we have to think of something for them ourselves.
Also, going in on a group gift for the parents or grandparents help get a bigger, nicer gift but without you having to front all the money.
If the budget is super-tight this year, you can opt for a homemade Christmas. We did that one year with hubby's sisters. We made holiday decorations- one sister made out of wood and painted 3 Christmas trees then typed up and framed the "3 Little Trees" poem. We get to display that every year and enjoy having that addition in our home. Another sister made all of us (10 adults and 4 kids) pajama pants to wear on Christmas Eve. The PJ bottoms were all fun material that she picked personally for each of us- hubby's had tools on it (cause he's a contractor) and so on. It made us all want to hang out in our cozy pj's and watch Christmas movies at home.
What are ways you save on your Christmas budget?
No comments:
Post a Comment