Preparing for the holidays.....

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-02-2008
Preparing for the holidays.....
17
Mon, 07-28-2008 - 3:36pm

In my new budget conscious mode I am trying to gather a list and prepare for the holidays. I know I am going to a wedding for a dear friend in Boston (I am a bridesmaid!) in April so

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-07-2005
Wed, 07-30-2008 - 10:04am

You might want to consider a new tree AFTER the holiday.


I got a $100 xmas tree after xmas at Target (pre lit and tall) for $10. I love it.

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-01-2007
Thu, 07-31-2008 - 4:58pm
This is my first time on this board, but what fun to find others who pre-plan for Christmas.
I start my Christmas shopping the day after Christmas for the next year and then in the weeks following as things drop to 75 percent off. Then I just check clearance aisles for gifts the rest of the year. I have a list on my computer of all the birthdays and people I need Christmas presents for and then as I buy stuff I put it on the list and then it goes in a bin in the garage until its time to wrap it.
I have a friend who has 3 kids that i buy for (I'm single with one foster child, so I tend to spoil the other children around me) and I'm already done with their Christmas presents (she's a single mom). I did tell her this year that this would be the last year they get birthday from me too. There are just too many people to buy for. Of the many kids I'm very attached to, only my nephew (and foster child) will get birthday presents from now on. Anyway, I've been done with her family for two months now and I think I spent less than 50 bucks on all four of them-total! The kids are getting a ton of books, a few toys and a few outfits.
As for everyone else, I'm getting close to done. I still have my parents to buy for, my brother's birthday (I got his Christmas present last week) and some close friends who don't have kids, make way more money than I can imagine and spoil ME rotten every year. Other than that, I'm done.
One other thing I do is keep a present box in my garage. It's full of little things I find on sale that can be used for birthday or wedding presents. When my brother got married two years ago I had enough in the present box to fill a basket (which was also in the box) with kitchen items. I think most everything in the basket I bought for less than $1 over several years.
Ok, I've gone on forever, but this is something that is so important to how my money gets spread out and people totally make fun of me for it, so I got kinda excited when I saw this thread.
One more things, something I did last year for the first time, I went through my present box and took out the things that I had been storing for several years and hadn't given to anyone. Instead of giving them out I posted them on Craigslist for around the price I believed I bought them at (this included some oil lamps, candles and stockings) and managed to sell everything, which helped me with my December expenses and helped some other people with some low cost/new presents for their family members.
Anyway, I'll end now, but probably be back to this forum to see what other wonderful things you guys do to stretch those dollars!
Heidi
Photobucketf
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-11-2007
Sun, 08-03-2008 - 1:29pm
This is the perfect board for my question. Christmas present buying with my inlaws has gotten out of hand, everybody is spending $30 to $50 on each niece and nephew and there are 7 of them. Two of them are mine and quite honestly I don't think they need to be getting presents from all thier aunts and uncles, it is just too much (including my sibs they have 4 aunts and one uncle). I don't think anybody else in the family sees anything wrong with it. How do I deal with the subject without being seen as the jerk inlaw??
anonymous
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-10-2005
Sun, 08-03-2008 - 3:44pm

Keep an eye out on amazon.com and overstock.com for artificial (pardon me, "everlasting") Christmas trees.

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-25-2006
Mon, 08-04-2008 - 11:25am

I can understand your frustration.

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-02-2008
Mon, 08-04-2008 - 3:01pm

Ugh - workfromhomemom - I am with you 100%


I am the one who suggested a grab bag amongst the adults this year. Let alone if I suggested it with the kids. I would be killed! LOL. I hate to appear cheap but I refuse to believe I am the only person who struggles to buy gift after gift after gift each year.


There is no easy way around it. You gotta put it out there but as someone else said - do it soon or don't do it this year. Good luck and when you figure out how to do it - let me know! LOL.

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-11-2007
Mon, 08-04-2008 - 6:53pm
Thanks so much for your ideas. I am the type of person that puts a lot of thought into gifts and makes them personal and my nieces and nephews are either babys, or at the point where they open the gift that you put so much worry, excitement and money into and literally throw it on a pile of gifts and if you're lucky they smile or thier parents tell them to say thank you. Also I need to be honest, I barely spend $50 on each of my parents and I only spend about $30 on my teenage sister (because we don't have a lot of resources) and I resent being expected to spend so much on these kids. Plus, I saw the pile of stuff my little girl got last christmas. My Husband and I buy everything our kids need and more, thier grandparents spoil them, they just don't need all the excess, I want them to appreciate things when they get older. I love your ideas of the experience, I think a toboganing day would be awesome. I also would love them to give to charity but I don't see anybody going for that. They might go for the gift exchange though. Maybe I'll do it the chicken way and send everybody an email...
anonymous

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