Here’s an example of how I have used the “buy ahead principle” for purchasing my daughter’s Christmas gifts.

• bath robe – regularly $20, after Christmas sale in Feb for $5
• two-wheel scooter – regularly $17, Black Friday sale for $5
• Hanna Montana doll set – regularly $28-32?, after Christmas sale in Feb for $7-8
• guitar purse – regularly $8-9, clearance for $2-3
• Barbie Advent calendar – regularly $20, after Christmas sale for $5
• Pet Shop bubble bath – regularly $10, clearance for $2.50
• High School Musical umbrella – regularly $8, clearance for $2
• Pet Shop electronic game – regularly $13, clerance for $3.24

This is approximately $125 in gifts for the bargain price of about $35.  My daughter will have a nice selection of toys under the tree this year, and all things that she likes.

Those of you with older children may find buying ahead more difficult, however, it is not impossible.  Try picking up just a few things that you’ll know they’ll like, even if it’s just stocking stuffers or dvds.  Every little bit saved helps.

Did you shop all year for Christmas?

image (c) Karen Weideman

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When I was growing up, my mom’s friend would bring over a platter of homemade treats at Christmas.  I fondly remember the lemon bars and gooey chocolate bars.  She only spent money on ingredients for the sweets, but her time and delicious gift were well appreciated.

Here are a list of ideas to use as family gifts:

• dvds
• board games
• movie passes
• homemade goodies
• gift certificate to a favorite restaurant or ice cream shop
• tickets to a show, zoo, museum, etc.
• theme basket such as snack items or ice cream toppings

This year, I went shopping on Black Friday and found some great dvds and board games at fantastic prices and I thought these would make nice family gifts.  This money saving idea would would work for extended family too.  You might want to check with the person first to make sure this idea is ok with them.  Don’t wait until the last minute though because they may have already purchased gifts for your family and you don’t want to cause hard feelings.

Do you have any ideas for family gifts?

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1)  Avoid gift buying guilt.  Make a list and set a spending limit for each gift.  Don’t give in to the temptation of spending more or buying for extra people.  If you need extra gifts, decide to make money on Craigslist, cutting back on other expenses, or make homemade gifts.

2)  Keep your receipts.  Save someone the embarrassment of asking for the receipt by getting a gift receipt.  Be sure to ask for them at the check out before the end of the transaction.  Also, save your receipt because many times items will go on sale before Christmas.  A few dollars may not be worth your time and gas, but if the item gets drastically reduced you’ll need your receipt to get a price adjustment.

3) Budget for extra expenses.  Many people budget for gifts, but they forget to budget for things such as Christmas cards, stamps, shipping, travel, decorations, and entertaining. 

4)  Avoid credit cards.  Don’t be left with buyer’s remorse after Christmas.  Pay cash for your purchases.

5)  Do your research.  Before making expensive purchases, search the internet for product reviews.  Check Consumer Reports as well.  An hour of work can save you hundreds of dollars. 

What Christmas tips can you offer?

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Tiffany from Stuff Parents Need commented with a great question.

Do you have any tips for how to tactfully remove people from your list? We have a few aunts and uncles that I’d like to stop buying presents for, not because I don’t love them, but because I think us continuing to exchange presents is really unnecessary at this point. But I don’t know how to stop because they always get us something, too!

I just went through this issue a few year’s ago, so here are some tips to make it through the Christmas list cuts.

1)  Suggest a gift exchange.  You could say something like, “I know that many of our budgets are tighter this year.  Rather than us spending money that we don’t have, could we have a gift exchange?”  Suggest making a want list for each person and drawing names.

2)  Suggest a gift game.  Some of you may have heard of Dirty Santa.  This is where you decide who goes first.  That person picks a gift. Then the next person picks a gift. They can keep their gift or take another person’s gift.  A gift can only be taken twice. 

3)  Make a charitable donation instead of gift giving.  Tell your family that everyone is so blessed and you think it would be great to give to a needy child or charity instead.  Perhaps everyone could go in together and purchase some goats, chickens, or something similar through World Vision for an impoverished country.

4)  If you still feel like you can’t completely cut someone out of your Christmas list, cut on the amount you spend.  Purchase each person a gift that costs $3-5 rather than a $10-15 gift.  These could be homemade gifts or something simple like a mug or basket with candy.  I’d certainly be happy if someone gave me a mug of Dove or Ghiradelli chocolates.  It wouldn’t matter if it only cost a few dollars.  

What do you think of these ideas?  Will you be cutting back this year?

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Alligator Girl’s birthday is July 4th and here’s a look at the cool stuff she got, thanks to her Thrifty Mommy! 

• MagNext magnet set – This was a last minute request from her.  Her older brother got a set for his birthday and she wanted a set so that they could play together.  Good thing I had bought an extra set when Target had them 50% off.  Now that she has a set, Cuddlebug has asked for his own set too for his birthday later this month.  We went to Target this weekend and they still had more of them on clearance.  I think we paid $11.98 instead of $23.99.
• WoofTown dog and accessories – All of these were 50-75% off.  The dog was $1.98 instead of $8, the large box of clothing and accessories was $3.24 rather than $12.98, the t-shirt was 75% off for $1.24, but the dog carrier bag was only 50% off.  It was $3.98 rather than $8.  This is one of her most favorite birthday presents.  Even her brothers like this toy.
• Silver star fanny pack – I saw this at Target last week.  I can see this coming in handy in the next few years.  It was $2.48 rather than $9.99.
• Hannah Montana necklace and bracelet set – On sale at Dollar General for $1, regularly $5.
• Precious Places dvd – A freebie from Fisher Price.  I received this just in time.  I hope the other dvd arrives before Cuddlebug’s birthday.
• Animal Jokes dvd and book – I actually got these in a 4-pack at Food Lion.  The entire set was $6, but I opened the package and just gave her one from the set.  This made her gift $1.25.  She is really into jokes lately so she was excited to get this.  She can listen to the cd while reading along in the book.

All of these gifts would have cost about $80. I never would have paid that.  I got it all for less than $30. 

Do you shop the clearance sales for birthday and Christmas presents?

image (c) Karen Weideman

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Check out my bargains:

Laundry Hamper – Sweet Blossoms $3
Laundry Hamper – Cabin Stripe $3
Office Mail Sorter Box $4
Office Organizer Bucket $4
Navy Urban Backpack $4
Sweet Blossom Quilted Backpack $4
Pink Urban Backpack $4
Viva Beads Bracelet $4
2 Kids Floral Apron and Chef Hat $4/each
2 Girl Ditzy Flower Zipper Pouches $1/each

I got all of this for $40 plus $8 shipping.  I am normally not one to order from catalogs or online, but these deals were so great that I couldn’t pass them up.  I’ll be saving the backpacks for next school year and using some of the other items as gifts. 

Hurry, the items are selling out and won’t be around for much longer.

Thanks Nancy for the tip. Image from thirty-one outlet.

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Have you ever realized that it was somebody’s birthday, but did not have a card on hand? I am always running into that problem. So, I decided to make it easy on myself and keep a card making basket handy in my art closet. Whenever I see some card stock on sale, I pick up a package. If I find a great sale at the local craft store, I grab a stamp or two, some ink or some paints to add to my card basket. Then, when an occasion pops up that I am without a card for, I just take out the card basket and whip up a beautiful little card. People love things that are homemade, because they have more thought put into them.

My kids have learned this little card trick and created their own card baskets. Whenever a friend or family member has a birthday, it is a joy to make a custom designed card for the occasion. We scour the web for pictures of the birthday person’s favorite things, print the pictures out and add them to a construction paper card. My daughter, who loves to paint, adds creative artwork to her cards. The babies, who are too young to lend a helping hand, lend their literal hands to make cute prints for baby shower cards.

We have saved a whole lot of money and made for some great art projects, just by eliminating Hallmark purchases. I keep every card that my kids make and put them into their memory boxes, for safe keeping. They love to go through their boxes and look back on what they have created. Our family and friends adore their cards, as well, even more than the gift that accompanies it!

Post from: Thrifty Mommy