kidsmoke Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 So, I know it's tough all over, and I also know that when the going gets tough, creative people get amazingly creative and resourceful! I was wondering what tricks all of you had up your sleeves for getting through the holidays happily, without breaking the family budget. Here's one of my personal best: you know how insanely overpriced ordinary greeting cards are? Well, in our family, it's been traditional to give a card of loving Christmas sentiments in each person's stocking. But this year I had finally had enough of paying so much for a pretty folded piece of paper! I thought about making cards with construction paper, but alas, besides not having the time, I find we are also construction-paper-deprived. That's when it hit me! All those multi-occasion cards I've come into possession of over the years....the slightly oddball birthday cards that never seemed right enough to give someone, the sympathy card bought as a spare and then no one died, the "Get Well" card for someone who (*gulp*) did, the leftover Thank You cards, or Valentines Day cards, or New Baby cards (That turned out to be for the wrong sex, despite the mama's "crystal clear" ultrasound)........let's face it, all us women have a little or not so little stash of these cards that are NEVER going to get used! So, why not get a little creative on their asses, add some frothy glitter, and viola (Pronounced WAH-LAH! if you have an accent in the right spot) ......you have a special, one of a kind Christmas card, once you've Magic Markered out the original interior message, and adapted it with one of your own!!!! I give you examples: An Easter card, fronted with an adorable fuzzy duckling...your new handwritten interior message? "I'd wish you a White Christmas, but then I'd have to fly south!" A sympathy card? Front:"So sorry for your loss" Your interior message: "But don't worry, Santa will be back again next Christmas!" New baby card? Front: "A new little bundle of joy!!!" Your handwritten interior: "You betcha! It's Jesus!" A Father's Day card needs only one word added, so that it reads, "Happy Father's Day!" and you add, in glitter if you like, "Joseph!" A leftover Valentines card easily transforms: "Happy Valentines Day!" and you add, inside: "I can Heart-ly believe it's actually Christmas!" A run-of-the-mill thank you card: "Thank you!" and inside you add, "For all the swell gifts I know you got me!" Hey, times're tough. If you're gonna survive, you need to be flexible! Besides, how cool to finally use up those languishing cards! So again I ask.....how are you all getting through these times?Love, kidsmoke Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mountain bed Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 I had a very similar conversation with my mom recently. She sends out cards for everyone she's ever known. I told her if she could break the greeting card habit she could afford her health insurance. I got a birthday card and a Xmas card from her in the mail already this month. She lives about 1 1/2 miles from here. Whaddya gonna say? Back to the topic at hand, we've instituted the following rules here as a money-saving mechanism for the holidays: the tree can only be on between the hours of 6-12 midnight, and everyone gets one toilet-flush in a 24 hour period. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jimmyjimmy Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 My family has decided to forgo the gift exchange this year altogether; (which is cool by me as it always feels too excessive and wasteful).Instead we collectively decided that we would focus on the things that are most important, which are being together and food. So funding is going towards copious amounts of foodstuffs, adult beverage and airfare. Because of these curious developments I am actually more excited about this holiday season than I have been in years. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
c.lo Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 New baby card? Front: "A new little bundle of joy!!!" Your handwritten interior: "You betcha! It's Jesus!" I cashed in my Airmiles for $175 worth of gift cards & I bought for the nieces & nephew. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 No more greeting cards.... LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 I've been trying to get my family to cut back on Christmas for years, and this year it might finally happen. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
IATTBYB Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 I told my family that my Christmas gift budget this year was going to be used to buy presents for an under-privilaged child in the local school district. My niece and nephews have too much stuff as it is. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yermom Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 My Christmas cards actually are retouched non-seasonal cards this year. (You'll see. )My Christmas corner-cutting also includes buying everything we possibly can off of our daughter's wishlist from thrift stores. Which is actually kind of cool, because she asked for "a stuffed cat" and at thrift store prices, we can afford to give her a whole litter for like $3! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
isadorah Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 I cashed in my visa rewards points for gift cards and presents. and am not sending out cards this year. I also did a lot of shopping online and had gifts shipped directly to the recipient to save on shipping costs on my end. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Moses Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 my brother suggested cutting corners this christmas and was chastized by other family members for "being cheap and trying to ruin the family tradition". so i'm spending like a mad man. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lamradio Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 We always get off relatively cheap because my wife is known for her homemade gifts. She's an amazing cook and every year she will jar or can something. Or like last year, she made a family cook book with recipes passed down from generations. That actually ended up being expensive to print all of them up etc., but it was still awesome... This year she made homemade applesauce and jelly, and jarred it herself. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wendy Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 At my mom's suggestion, we are exchanging gifts to charities in honor of each other instead of giving actual stuff, except the teens/college kids who haven't wanted anything but cash as they've gotten older (but this year they are getting less of it). The exciting thing about the charity giving is trying to think which charity to give to for each of my siblings and mom. I'm thinking about giving to the food bank in each person's community, maybe the ASPCA for some of the animal lovers in the family. I better get on this, too. Eeks! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
quarter23cd Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 We started off with an agreement of "not spending too much" this year, although that seems to be going out the window little by little as we inch closer to xmas. There are definitely no "big" items on the list for anybody this year, though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lammycat Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 Less tape on the gift-wrapping! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jenbobblehead Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 I've been trying to get my family to cut back on Christmas for years, and this year it might finally happen.are you getting the kitchenaid stand mixer?? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NightOfJoy Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 Eating more lentils. I can eat lunch for a week on $5 dollars of lentils, veggies and spices. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Duck-Billed Catechist Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 I'm holding Santa hostage, taking his goodies, and demanding a homestead in Costa Rica. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 are you getting the kitchenaid stand mixer??That's up to my mom. She offered, and I told her we'd gladly accept one, but that we'd understand if she decided not to spend that kind of money in this economy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pillowy star Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 I've managed to stay within my self-imposed budget for Tara (new is she won't get any cash, just stuff, as she wastes the cash for senseless things like 20 Lattes/month anyway), and stayed 30 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
remphish1 Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 In what may be the worse economy in the last century I have never spent more money. In the last 30 days alone I bought a house, washer, dryer, fridge, 2 TVs, Sleeper Couch, Bed, Dining Room Set, Coffee Table, Area Rugs, Holiday gifts for friends and family and had the trees trimmed in the yard. I always seems to do the opposite of realty! Hopefully I am not completley out of my mind! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NightOfJoy Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 In what may be the worse economy in the last century I have never spent more money. In the last 30 days alone I bought a house, washer, dryer, fridge, 2 TVs, Sleeper Couch, Bed, Dining Room Set, Coffee Table, Area Rugs, Holiday gifts for friends and family and had the tree trimmed in the yard. I always seems to do the oposite of realty! Hopefully I am not completley out of my mind! If you have the cash, its a great time to spend! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beltmann Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 We ditched greeting cards years ago, but mostly because it was just too time-consuming at the precise time of year when time is the most scarce. We also ditched gift bows, but mostly because bows make it too hard to stack up the presents! This year, we banned candy. The daughter was becoming ornery about her fix, so we cut her off cold turkey--at least until Christmas Day. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cryptique Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 I always seems to do the oposite of realty!I'm not certain what the opposite of realty is, but I'm pretty sure that it does not involve buying a house. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
remphish1 Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 The realty is that people are trying to save what ever savings they have left and not spend it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
isadorah Posted December 17, 2008 Share Posted December 17, 2008 The credo is to try and spend the money you are having reasonably without feeling you're missing out, and I think we've been fairly good at that this year and this holiday season. well put. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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