Welcome to part two of our series on how to save at Christmas time. Last week, we talked about using Reward Points, Limiting Your List, and Considering Not Exchanging Gifts with Your Spouse. This week, here are three brand stankin’ new tips to share to keep red limited to your Christmas Holiday Photos and not your bank account!
1) Black Friday it Up. I *heart* Black Friday. It’s a seasonal tradition in the Queendom and when I didn’t get to go last year because our entire extended family had the stomach flu (which I brought into the house), I was extremely sad. For the King and I, it’s a full contact sport where we have specific strategies (I stay in the pharmacy and he runs around getting the best deals; we time which stores open when; we study the ads well) and use hand signals to communicate. We have the BEST time! I’m about to reveal to you my favorite Black Friday tool. My favorite site for cruising the ads and getting my plan in order. Did you know that many of the ads have already leaked online including Target, Kmart, Old Navy, Sears, and Lowes? You can know NOW what the deals will be on November 27th. TheBlackFriday.com is my favorite place to look at ads before Thanksgiving Day although there are TONS of websites that specialize in the same thing. Just Google Black Friday Ads and you’ll get a ton of options. Now, a word of caution: STICK to your list and a budget. Do not go hog wild just because stuff is on sale. The King and I always leave the kiddos with the grandparents, shop it up, have coffee and a light breakfast, and return home around 8 AM. We love it.
2) Consider a Gift Limit for Your Kids. Every year we keep our gift giving to our kids at a 3 Gift Maximum. We also fill stockings and give a set of PJs on Christmas Eve, lest you think us horrible parents. The 3 Gift Maximum for us is a reminder of the 3 Gifts Christ received from the Magi but also a hedge to keep us from going completely and wildly overboard (by us I mean ME). Discuss with your spouse what you’d like the gift limit to be, spit on it, and hold the line. Yes it’s hard but it is worth it!
3) Chat with Grandma and Grandpa. We both have rather fabulous parents (love you all!). So every year, if there’s something we’d love for our kids to have, we ask the Grandparents to provide them with that blessing for Christmas. There’s an open line of communication where they ask and we tell. I’ve even had the Eldest Princess create a wish list on American Girl’s Website with plenty of options from $9 to $100+ so that they can choose something she really wants (most retailers give you the same option). You need to be having such conversations TODAY before the holiday shopping is done. I sometimes even send direct links to the Grandmas (because in our families they do the shopping!) because they enjoy online browsing and purchasing. At first, I felt weird about asking for gifts but I always give plenty of options so there are choices involved. It makes life easier for everyone.
So there are my tips for today! Tune in next Thursday for more ideas on how to keep the Happy in your Holidays.
www.queenoffree.net
Great tips!
It seems that every year I put on more then just holiday pounds!
moneytantrum.blogspot.com
We are doing these things too except for Black Friday. We are not Black Friday shoppers. We had the kids cut out pics of toys and things they liked. I also added a few ‘needed’ items to the list. I split the list between our parents so that they don’t buy the same things for the kids. Communication!
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We are doing these things too except for Black Friday. We are not Black Friday shoppers. We had the kids cut out pics of toys and things they liked. I also added a few ‘needed’ items to the list. I split the list between our parents so that they don’t buy the same things for the kids. Communication!