Frugal Friday - Surving the Holidays Financially

By -
We almost in year FIVE of this recession and for a lot of people, things are beyond of tight. This leads them to dread the holidays - which have become so commercialized that they make everyone think that they need to spends thousands of dollars to get the perfect Norman Rockwell experience.

Guess what? You don't!

My mother was a very poor child and remembers getting excited at an orange in her stocking on Christmas morning. (Keep in mind that she was a small child when dinosaurs ruled the earth and you couldn't pick up an orange at the local grocery in the middle of winter...)

I remember simple things too - (Still not wealthy, but the dinosaurs were gone...) like the sounds of holiday records on the big console player, sweet smells of cookies and candies that were often made as gifts, decorating the tree, watching the dog try to drink the water out of the tree stand, getting three gifts because that was the same amount that Jesus had gotten, and visiting good friends.

Over the next few weeks I will be sharing our current version of a homespun holiday - from decorating, to gifts, to edibles and more...I hope you see something to make your holiday a little more special and remember, it's not about the end result, but the journey that we take to create the memories for our little ones to look back on.
:)
I already mentioned that the first thing you need to do, is set a budget. (I know - the not so fun part)!
  • How much money can you spend on each of those areas this year?
  • Do you need another string of lights?
  • How is your wrapping paper stash?
  • Do you plan to send out holiday cards?
  • What is your holiday meal and who is coming?
  • Can you assign a few dishes to others?
  • Who is on your "must gift" list?
  • If your family is large, can you draw names so everyone gets one NICE gift instead a lot of little ones?
  • Have you had your peanut(s) look through a toy catalog to get an insight to what they think is a good gift?
I know - a lot of questions! THIS is the time to look at them and get serious about answers.

 

1) Decorating: If you can reuse what you have and have the kids create your "new" things they will feel like they have input

 

2) Gifties: Look at your list of people and see who you can make something for and who you can buy something for...

 

3) Edibles: What do you plan to make and start making that grocery list! I already shared my cookie exchange party idea for you - all your baking items will soon be on bargain prices and it's going to be the time to stock up on what you need for what you want to bake. 

 
OK - Enough to think about and enough homework! Work on your list and we will start talking about what I am doing for gifts next week, starting with Ms Sarah's teachers.


Breath. Get a cup of coffee or hot chocolate and make a planning session happen. You can do it!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cookie Recipe #21 - Butter Rich Spritz

By -
Image
Cookie Exchange Parties are SO MUCH FUN - for a few simple reasons:You get together with your friends You make only ONE kind of cookie and finish your holiday baking, after swapping out You get new recipes You often have snacks or games! That being said, I do one every year - in December, about 2 weeks before Christmas. (You can read about it HERE or see a TV segment I did on it http://youtu.be/-iUR7GlAiQw ). I thought it would be fun to have a collection of 30 fun recipes to try - one a day in November - so you can be prepared for that holiday baking! Today's recipe idea comes from Book Cooking. net Ingredients 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup butter, softened 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar 2 egg yolks 1/2 teaspoon almond extract 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Directions Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Sift together the flour and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in the egg yolks,...
Read more

Chili Dog Casserole

By -
Image
I know this sounds strange -- and yummy at the same time, LOL You need to know the family history to "get it". We are part German, part English, part Irish and part Tennessee Hillbilly. Seriously. Did you ever see that black and white movie of Gary Cooper's called Sergeant York? Yes, my family comes from the Dyer/Yorks -- same family. Some of the "family recipes" are too far out there for even me to try... But this is a pot luck favorite. SUPER Easy and SUPER Easy to make healthier. We choose the middle of the road option, LOL You need:  1 package hot dog buns (8 ct) 1 package hot dogs 2 cups chili (or 1 can) 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese "fixins" That's it! You could do gluten free or whole grain wheat buns, turkey or tofu dogs, vegetarian chili, vegan or light cheese, you get the drift. We do white buns, cut them up and place in the 9x13 pan, like you see here: Then you dice up the hot dogs ...
Read more

Forget The Resolutions Giveaway Hop!

By -
Image
Forget The Resolutions Giveaway Hop January 21 - 26, 2012 Hosted by Planet Weidknecht and Going Crazy!!Wanna Go?? It's been three weeks since you've made all those resolutions.It's said that it takes 21 days to make a new habit, so you've probably already broken your New Year's Resolutions. I say - FORGET THE RESOLUTIONS ! Let's have a giveaway hop instead! The Forget The Resolutions Giveaway Hop runs from January 21 @ 12:01 a.m. EST to January 26 @ 11:59 p.m. EST. Each blogger is hosting their own giveaway of at least $20.00. After you enter my giveaway, be sure to visit the other blogs and enter theirs too!
Read more