Saving Money on Gifts

It’s time for those after Christmas sales again! Now is the time to buy those Christmas cards, wrapping paper, ornaments, and any other Christmas decoration you can think of for anywhere from 50% to 75% off.  Here’s your opportunity to buy some of next year’s Christmas gifts too. Take advantage of the deals when they are out there. Buying smart when they are at a major discount is a great idea. Nobody has to know when you bought their Christmas gift. Being smart with your money and saving in the process shows you care. Being a smart shopper is the main idea.

Now is a great time to buy candy cheap. I use this opportunity to stock up for gifts for Birthday parties. Every child goes home with a little candy bag as a thank you gift for attending my child’s birthday party. Most candy is marked down to 50% to 75% off. I also pick up little-stuffed animals and ornaments these are great to put into their little gift bags. Buying this after Christmas saves me a bundle on gift bags.

Talking about birthday gifts, I have a great idea that will not cost a lot of money. When we were first married, money was tight and my husband did not know what to get me for my birthday, so this is what he did. He gave me the one present I still have to this day and all it cost was the price of a Walmart picture frame. Every day I read and look at the poem he wrote for me. This poem makes me cry. This gift came from the heart. He thought I wouldn’t like it, but this gift I will cherish for the rest of my life. He wrote me this poem right after our first child was born, and that was 22 years ago and I still have it on my dresser. Making something or writing something will have a lot more meaning than any expensive gift you could ever receive. Here is the poem my husband wrote to me.

The Feather

The sound of a feather

Falling to the ground

I know that I never

will feel that by chains I am bound

From the beginning, when sadness was strong

Cupid pierced my heart with a lance

and in the distance, I heard a song

and I asked you to dance.

You were alone, still, you were scared

Then you let me in

And better we fared.

And now we will never feel all alone

Because our love every day grows,

Yes, your love for me shone

A light in your face glows.

Every morning I awake

Every morning I know

I get up for your sake

for my love for you will every day grow.

So now like a feather floating high in the sky

I want to spend every day with you

Till the day I die.

My mother made each of her 4 children homemade quilts one year, and to this day I still use my quilt. I received this quilt when I was 16 years old, and I am now over 50 years old and still use this quilt during the winter months.

My grandmother knitted blankets and gave all her 20 some grandchildren one for their wedding. This homemade blanket still sits on the back of my couch to this day.

We have been married for 28 years now.  Personalized gifts mean so much more and can save you a bundle of money. Think before you spend. Watch for the after season sales and save big time. Check out thrift shops and you can really find some really nice stuff at a fraction of the price. Now is the time to be thinking about next year’s Christmas shopping if you are a thrifty shopper and want to save money. Don’t let your credit card debt scare you, be a smart shopper and save now for next year.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, and have a safe and Happy New Year from Suzie Homemaker.

Fun Things to do during your Christmas Break

                Christmas is officially here, do you have all your presents bought and wrapped? Christmas can be a very stress full time of the year, but we need to think of some things fun to do with the children and grandchildren. In a couple of days, they will have off for Christmas and will be very excited. So today I will give some easy little projects to do to keep them happy.

Make some Christmas cut out cookies, what child doesn’t like decorating cookies. Here’s my family recipe for Christmas cut out cookies. Every year as a child this was a family project where we each had a plate and a dish of frosting to decorate our favorite cookies.

White Christmas cookies

½ cup butter                                           1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

½ cup shortening                                  3 ½ cups flour

1 cup sugar                                            1 teaspoon baking soda

3 eggs                                                     2 teaspoons cream of tartar

Cream together butter, shortening, and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Add baking soda, cream of tartar, and gradually add the flour to the creamed mixture. Chill for 2 hours. Roll out dough onto a floured surface to about 1/8 inch thick. Take your cookie cutters and make as many different Christmas shapes as you like. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.

Now that winter is here and has blessed us with a lot of snow, why not take the kids outside and build a snow man. My father was always in charge of this project. He would help us lift the heavy snow balls. What child doesn’t like building a snow man .  Have the kids make snow angels. Make a snow castle. Just getting them outside will help pass the time and have some fun in the process.

If you are religious, head to your church for the Christmas programs.  Let’s remember the real meaning of Christmas too. Besides the program you have a church family to celebrate with also.

Every year at this time my father would take us to the local park to go sledding down the hills. Some parks even have ice skating rinks. This was a favorite of our family. Being outside and laughing and having time together.

If you don’t want to be outside as much, try stringing popped corn to make a little chain for your tree or just to drape around a picture or door frame. I added a little twist to this to make it more colorful. Dip the tips of your popped corn in food coloring to add a little color.

There are so many different projects you can do in or around your house for little to no money at all. All that matters is that you are spending time together as a family and making memories that will last a life time. Christmas is about together time. These are a few easy things to do with your children or grandchildren while they are off for the Christmas Holiday. Merry Christmas from Suzie Homemaker.

Christmas Holiday Giving

It is almost Christmas! Where has this year gone? We have less than 14 days until Christmas. Do you have all your shopping done yet? Am I scaring you yet? Christmas is a busy time of year for everybody and the most expensive time of the year. So today I thought I would give you some alternatives to spending way too much money on Christmas gifts. Do you really have to spend a lot of money, to make everybody happy at Christmas time? I would hope the answer would be no.

We as a family decided that Christmas is not about what we get or how much we spend that counts. So Christmas is a little different but still just as rewarding as any other holiday. We decided not to spend over $50 on a Christmas tree that is only up for about 3 weeks. We use our fern as our Christmas tree and we put lights, candy canes, bows, and a lighted angel near the bottom of the tree. This has been our Christmas tree for the last 3 years and everybody loves it. It still looks special decorated up each year. My youngest daughter likes to decorate so we spent an afternoon putting up lights and decorations around the whole house. No Christmas tree expense saves a lot of money each year.

Gift Giving

This is where the money goes really quickly if you do not watch what you spend. My children are a little older so they know how much mom and dad are willing to spend. Learning to be a little more frugal and spending less will not make Christmas any different. Our children just want to spend time with family and friends. Our children don’t want a lot of stuff they cannot use, they want quality time spent together as a family. We have a Christmas meal at the in-laws and visit with the cousins.

Last year my husband’s parents gave a unique gift to everybody, instead of getting something you did not want or need she gave each person a cookbook that everybody liked and a gift card.  This was simple easy with no complaints from anybody, and no gift returns necessary. Everyone got a gift they could use and wanted. Ask people what they want or get a gift list from everybody. Keep it simple and set a price limit so nobody goes overboard.

Another great way to give is by checking out your local homeless shelter or united way. We as a family use gifts from the past that are not being used or wanted anymore and pack them up for a much-needed family in our community. Clothes, toys, blankets, and even food are much appreciated by these families. Christmas is a time for giving, so why not help out a family in need of a little Christmas cheer.

If you are religious, go see a Christmas program done by the little kids. Just listening to them singing all those Christmas songs will put you in the Christmas spirit. Join a choir or group and go Christmas caroling to nursing homes or around your town. Giving your time and your voice will brighten and cheer up their day.  Check if you can do some bell ringing at a store to help the less fortunate.

As you have seen my oldest daughter makes all of her own Christmas gifts to save money. Here are a few more things she made. All her projects she made cost under $6 dollars a piece.

Quality Time Spent Together

When I was growing up, around Christmas it was a time for Christmas TV shows. Every year we looked forward to Frosty the Snowman, Rouduff The Red Nose Reindeer, and A Charlie Brown Christmas. As I grew up watching the black and white version of Scrooge and A Christmas Carol were some of my favorites.  A new favorite of mine is the movie called Christmas Shoes. This movie shows the real meaning of Christmas, plus there is a song called Christmas Shoes. I recommend watching this movie and listening to this song, it will make you cry and learn the real meaning of Christmas. My mother used to make a Birthday cake for Jesus to celebrate his birth.

Making Christmas special doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. Why have all those bills to worry about, start your own holiday traditions and make it special in your own way!. Merry Christmas from Suzie Homemaker.

Homemade Christmas Gifts

                As I promised, here are some more Christmas gifts that my 21-year-old daughter is making. These gifts are inexpensive and easy to make. All you need is a hot glue gun or super glue. My daughter is very artistic and creative when she thinks of gifts to give for Christmas. These projects would also be a great way to get the kids and grandkids involved with. Since most kids don’t have a lot of money to spend this is a great project. Kids like to give their own gifts if, at all possible, this makes them feel special. I went with my daughter to the local Good Will Store and she found a lot of little ornaments and things to put into here Mason jar for her Christmas Gifts. Always check out your local thrift shops or even your own  ornaments that you do not use anymore. This is how she keeps her Christmas gifts a lot cheaper and inexpensive.

Things Needed

Hot glue gun or Super glue                                           fake snow

Ornaments or little figurines                                         T-lights

Any color paint                                                              Paint brush

Glass jar with lid or a Mason jar                                    Scissors

1.       First, paint your covers and lids with whatever color paint you like. Let dry.

2.       Hot glue or Super glue your ornaments or decorations onto the cover, or bottom or your jar

3.       Glue your fake snow or spray paint snow inside of jay.

4.       If you do not glue your decorations to the cover, screw on top and paint.

5.       Add decorations outside of your jar if you like.

My daughter was very lucky. I have a lot of mason jars that she could use since I do a lot of canning. If you like, for the smaller projects use a pint jar instead of quart jars. By going to Thrift shops she found a lot of little decorations very cheap. Making homemade Christmas gifts can be a lot of fun. Giving a personalized gift is always a great way to save money. Christmas can get very expensive if you buy gifts from the store. Why not be a little creative this year and make your own gifts, and save a lot in the process. I hope you enjoy some of my daughters Christmas presents, from Suzie Homemaker.