Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
OK, I searched and didn't find a thread specifically for listing ideas or ways to save money around the holidays... so I apologize if there is already a thread out there. (I thought for sure there must be one.)
I did all my gift shopping yesterday for my immediate family (hubby, two teenagers) and managed to only spend $1.98.
Here's how I did this:
- Used up amazon gift cards I have been saving these up as hubby and I have received them over a period of time and chose products on amazon that kids want that also offered FREE SHIPPING. They each got a $70 gift that they have been eyeing and we know they want. Didn't cost us anything. These gift cards were given to hubby as "way to go" type incentives when he did cool stuff or went above and beyond at work, and also to me as a thank you for volunteering and also from my boss when I did good work (I won a national contest that made our office look good for the company).
- The kids phones were ready for upgrade and they have been asking for Android phones (they have had iPhones for two years and now realize that they are icrappy and want to switch back to Android). So, I logged on and found the same Motorolla Android phone that their dad has for 99 cents! It's normally a $350 phone. So I got them each one. (That's the 1.98 that I spent.) As a bonus, the data plan for these phones is cheaper than the data plan for the iphones - so we'll also be saving an extra $30 per month by switching back to Android phones for the kids. Sweet.
- Over the years our points have been building up at Gamestop everytime the hubby and kids buy/sell/trade games and systems. We've never used our points. So, we have something like 200K points. I used the points to buy some hoodies, t-shirts, lanyards, wallets, also google play and steam GC's, and etc.
- I recently renewed our Gamestop membership rewards card. To renew cost $14.99, but saved us $95. last year, so it more than pays for itself, not to mention all the free gifts we just got with all our points. But when you renew you get an email prompting you to go update your online account, so I did. While there I saw we had a message - buy two games get one free. Well, I asked hubby and kids to go through their old games because I was "cleaning house" and I took those games in and traded them for store credit. I also used some of our points to score a 50% increase in store credit in addition to the 10% increase you get when you use your membership card and an additional 10% increase we got for renewing. I used all that store credit to buy two games and then got a free game. So I got a $55 game for each of them for xmas. And I didn't spend anything (even rode my bike to the mall as it is just up the bike path from where we live. )
- I've been volunteering at a place in town that gives you a GC for a free laptop under $400 when you volunteer for a certain number of hours. I've received two GC's so far - so I got both teens new laptops. Of course, technically this wasn't free, because I did volunteer quite a bit... but it didn't cost any money at all.
So, now I'm trying to figure out free or frugal ways to get a tree, decorations, and other fun holiday stuff. Thought starting this thread might be a good way for us all to share ideas!
To get a tree, look on Craigslist. People sell them pretty cheap...I got a 7.5 ft prelit tree with a rotating stand for $30.
I make ornaments every year. This year I will have to get a bigger tree, or quit using all of the plastic ornaments that I bought when my kids were tiny, if I want to make ornaments.
I make the ornaments from salt clay, and paint them with watercolors, or food coloring, or even acrylic paint (but that takes a couple coats). If you like to have a particular theme for your tree each year, you could get a cookie cutter or a couple of cookie cutters for that theme (one year we did cupcake ornaments) and make a bunch of ornaments the same shape in different colors. You could also get some scrapbook stamps, which you can buy really inexpensively, cut circle ornaments, and then use the stamps to emboss designs in the dough (choose large designs to hold up to baking), or use the stamps to paint the ornaments when they're baked. If you want to save salt dough ornaments from year to year, it's best to coat them with polyurethane.
Thanks for the ideas! I love salt clay decorations. I remember doing that when I was a kid. We used a garlic press to do Santa's beard and hair for angels.
I love garlands, especially, for the holidays. A tradition we have are the applesauce cinnamon ornaments we do. Smells so good! And you can put them on the tree, use them for garlands, or attach them to gifts or the front of holiday cards.
Talk of clay ornaments made me think of this recipe for making clay bread baskets. I made a square lattice one in 05 and I still use it. It's getting fragile, but that's okay, I can always make another.
Thought someone else might light this, so feel free to steal my pictures.
They look huge to me, I hope the look okay to others.
Gifts for coworkers: don't get each person something, regardless of if they do. If you bake, bring in a big tray of cookies/breads, etc. Or buy donuts one morning. My office doesn't get a lot of holiday sweets from vendors. This might not go over so well if your office is drowning in holiday goodies. Note: I just do this for my department of 12.
I like to give something consumable, if possible. For one friend who just moved away who loves to write letters, that will be some stationery and a tea she loves.
I've found that a $10-$20 gift card for a coffee shop (Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks) is really appreciated, especially by people who are on a tight budget themselves.
My grammar school aged goddaughter (daughter of above friend) always gets a book or two or craft supplies.
For the other siblings of my goddaughter (she's the eldest), I always hit the arts & crafts aisle at Walmart or Target. Crayons, paper, markers, colored pencils, water colors, a huge drawing/painting pad of paper, etc., are always appreciated by the mom and used by the kids.
Well, I'm making lots of changes this year, mostly because I've become an aspiring environmental activist and begun to practice a "zero waste lifestyle". A side effect of this new way of being is becoming the ultimate cheapo. Nothing says Cheapskate Christmas then telling the kids their filled stockings tradition will be replace with the filled shoe tradition, because that's as much "filling" as I'm willing to do. I used to fill up a typical stocking with all sorts of small toys, DVDs, nintendo DS games on top of all the candy. This year all I will be able to give is just a few pieces of candy and their ornament (I give them one each year). They've also been told that they're only receiving 2 toys and a pair of pj's.
I got a few odds and ends for extended family already... some from consignment websites...
One of my bigger investments in terms of money, but especially time, will be my cookie gifts. One aspect of my lifestyle is that I can't add more waste to the landfills so I had to think of a way to package my cookies. Starting a few months ago I started looking at Goodwill for assorted seasonal tins. Now I've got about 30 of them and I spent about a $1 a piece. I plan to personalize a ginger bread man for the VIP's (teachers, coworkers).
I know it's a cop-out, but...gift cards. (As long as you know they WILL GET USED by the recipient.)
Friends know I am a book nut and amazon gift cards get gobbled up.
For other stuff - craigslist. You get to do good in at least two ways: save money and get good deals for yourself, and give someone else a few bucks they can use for the holidays. Win-win.
I know it's a cop-out, but...gift cards. (As long as you know they WILL GET USED by the recipient.)
I love GC's. Some people judge and say that it's impersonal or whatever to give a GC as a gift, but really... I have always found that they are much appreciated. And I know I love them when I receive them as gifts. And what's cool about them, too, is that if you get one for a place that you don't normally shop, you can always pass it along to someone who would use it. So it's like spreading the love.
When money is tight - and it's tight for a lot of families right now - GC's are really great because you can ensure that your recipient can purchase something that they can really use. And not something that is just going to collect dust or make them fat. I love food gifts, don't get me wrong, but my butt doesn't always need them, you know?
Also, I think it's fun to include a GC as part of a gift... so like a coffee travel mug with a coffee GC inside... or a book with a book store GC inside. So it's kind of both things... one thing that you took the time to really think about the person and try to get something for them that they would really like, plus a little extra for them so they can have fun getting something for themselves (or sharing with someone else).
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
