Entries Tagged 'Christmas' ↓
December 26th, 2007 — Christmas
Christmas Present for my mum originally posted by lemonad
I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m always really interested in knowing what everyone else received for Christmas, if nothing else, it always gives me some ideas for next year.
Yesterday was spent in a mad flurry of wrapping paper and presents, but in an effort to get organised I’ve been keeping a list of all the presents I received and I thought I’d share it with all of you. I’d love it if you mentioned what your favourite gift was this year.
Books
Midnight’s Children by Salmon Rushdie - Not something I would normally read, but it looks interesting all the same. This one was from my Mum who always includes an interesting book in the piles of presents she gets me.
The Richest Man In Babylon by George Clason - Another great gift from my parents. They don’t know about my blog yet, but have cottoned on to my interest in personal finance. This present wasn’t entirely original - I have been know to hint at times - but definitely welcome.
Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes and How to Correct Them by Gary Belsky - Another personal finance book I can’t wait to get my teeth into.
Lend Me Your Ears: All You Need To Know About Making Speeches and Presentations by Max Atkinson - I want to focus on improving my public speaking skills in the New Year and this was one of the books from my wish list.
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey - My wish list for this year also included a number of personal productivity books and this was at the top of my list. Thanks to my aunt and uncle for that one.
DVDs
Bad Education with Gael Garcia Bernal - A great present from my cousin. My family I love art house movies, Spanish & Latin American movies, and anything by Pedro Almodovar so this movie was always going to go down
The Motorcycle Diaries with Gael Garcia Bernal - I’ve seen this film before but it’s still great to find it under the tree. Gael Garcia Bernal is one of my favourite actors and this movie is always worth watching again.
Other Presents
Apart from the books and DVDs I was also luck enough to receive:
Money - One of my financial goals for the year is to max out my ISA Account before the end of the tax year, so I will be putting this straight towards that goal.
A Teapot - I am planning on moving into my own house in the New Year, and my aunt gave me a lovely tea set ready for the new house.
Pestle and Mortar - One of my great passions in life is cooking and my cousin, who is a chef, gave me a lovely stone pestle and mortar for Christmas.
Socks - I think it is a family tradition that at least one person always has to receive novelty socks and it was my turn this year. They are bright red with Christmas trees on so I think I’ll be saving them for next year.
~
I hope you have enjoyed this list and maybe it’s given you some ideas for next year.
December 18th, 2007 — Christmas, Money Saving, Top 10
snowball fight
Not only can keeping the kids entertained over the holidays can be an expensive proposition, many of us also have to worry about keeping the rest of the extended family entertained as well. Something, which can quickly turn into an expensive proposition. I have come up with my top tips for having a fun, frugal Christmas.
The Free
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Make a snowman - This a little reliant on where you live but if you are lucky enough to have snow making a snowman, playing in the snow or having a snowball fight can be great fun however old you are. It’s also a great way to burn off some of those extra Christmas calories.
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Go carolling - This is guaranteed to put you in the Christmas mood. Even if you don’t attend church regularly, get in touch with your nearest church any they are likely to be having a carol service. Even if they aren’t they will be able to point you in the right direction.
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Light the fire, toast some marshmallows, drink some cocoa & make some Christmas memories - cheap, cheerful and guaranteed to warm you up on a cold winters eve. This can be a great time to reminisce about Christmas past & tell old family stories.
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Play board games or play cards - If everyone can resist the temptation to cheat at Monopoly and not take the game of poker to seriously, then playing board games or cards can be a fun, frugal way to pass the evening. You can always try to plan ahead as well and get friends and family to bring new games with them when they come to visit.
The Nearly Free
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Drive or walk around your town or a town nearby to see all of the Christmas lights - this can vary so much from town to town, but if you town or one close to you has spectacular lights, then this can be a great way to spend an evening. If you decide to walk around town, then you can always stop for a hot chocolate on the way to really top your evening off.
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Visit Santa - This is possibly one of the best ways to keep children entertained at Christmas. The most frugal way to do it is to check your local paper for fetes or Christmas markets. Santa is always out in force at these events, and anything that help you avoid the mall is going to be good for your wallet.
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Go to the theatre - There are loads of options at this time of year, there are some wonderful plays, but the ballet or the panto can also be a great choice. It always pays to look out for special deals before you buy theatre tickets, otherwise it can become expensive. It is also worth looking at matinee performances as these are generally cheaper, and can be more fun for children.
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Go to a professional concert - This can be a great option, especially if carol singing isn’t for you but you still want to enjoy the Christmas music. It is always worth looking in the local papers, are there are often some great concerts on at local churches or universities.
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Rent some movies and have a family night in - Rather than braving the cold to go the cinema, you can always stay at home with a movie. To save even more money, you can always sign up for a free trial of a movie rental service. These always offer at least one months free rental, sometimes up to three if you are really lucky or manage to nab a special offer.
And the Downright Productive - Get Christmas done while you’re having fun.
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One option is to get together with some friends or family and have a party whilst still getting ready for Christmas. You can use the opportunity to make homemade decorations, presents or cards, or you could even get all your Christmas wrapping done. It’s so much easier when you have another paid or hands. Just make sure that you don’t wrap someones present in front of them … it kind of ruins the surprise. All you need to do is provide some drinks and nibbles. Another great option is to have a party to decorate the house - get friends or family round, provide some nibbles and mulled wine, and get everyone to pitch in with the decorations.
I hope you’ve enjoyed these tips … please let me know if you have any top tips that I’ve missed.
Best of the Rest;
One thing I am particularly keen on is highlighting posts from other bloggers that relate to my posts and that I believe are worthwhile additional reading. I plan on including these ‘Best of the Rest’ links is as many of my posts as a I can.
December 17th, 2007 — Christmas, Money Saving, Top 10
sleigh ornament - originally posted by liquid paper
I don’t think there are many people who relish the thought of having to travel long distances over the holiday period. The roads, stations and airports are all packed, and then there’s the risk of getting delayed due to bad weather. Just to really top off that cheery holiday feeling, lots of people also have to content with the extortionate cost of Christmas travel. Here are some of my top tips for cutting the cost of Christmas travel …
Plan Ahead
The general rule is, the further in advance you book, the cheaper it is going to be. It pays to get organised because the sooner you know your plans for Christmas and the sooner you get the tickets booked, the more you are going to save. This is equally true to train and airplane tickets.
Having said this, if your plans change at the last minute there are often some last minute bargains to be had. The key to finding these is to shop around. It is always worth looking at the online travel sites like Expedia and lastminute.com as well as talking to your travel agent. You never know when you’ll get lucky.
Go Public
Taking public transport is almost always going to be cheaper than driving, especially if you book in advance. There are some great deals to be had, and you can even turn it into a Christmas adventure for the kids or just for yourself. Not only are you going to save some money, but you are also going to be helping the environment.
A great example this is David over at My Two Dollars who has decided to take the train from Los Angeles to Chicago for the Christmas break.
Ship Ahead
I remember arriving at the airport in the Quito a few years ago ready to fly back to London for the holidays. I had spent almost a whole day packing, repacking, and packing one last time because I had so much stuff to bring home. In the end, even after all that packing, I was still well over the weight limit for my flight and I had to pay a small fortune in excess baggage fees as a result.
If you are flying for the holidays and even think you might be overweight it pays to ship some of you luggage in advance. It is far cheaper to do this than to have to pay for excess baggage at the airport. It will also give you a chance to shop around for the cheapest courier rather than be at the mercy of the airline on Christmas eve.
Carry On
This isn’t really a money saving tip, more a piece of advice, split you luggage and take all your essential items as carry on. Airlines are not the most reliable people anyway when it comes to luggage and the craziness of the holiday seasons just compounds the problem.
If you are travelling with more than one suitcase, split your clothes and those of your travel companions into different suitcases. That way if worse comes to worst you won’t be out spending money on essentials because your bags lost. Even if you are only taking one suitcase, it is always worth putting as many essentials as you can into your carry on. There is nothing worse than dashing round the shops just before the holidays trying to buy a toothbrush or underwear, trust me.
Best of the Rest;
One thing I am particularly keen on is highlighting posts from other bloggers that relate to my posts and that I believe are worthwhile additional reading. I plan on including these ‘Best of the Rest’ links is as many of my posts as a I can.
December 16th, 2007 — Christmas, Money Saving, Top 10
Christmas Table - originally posted by Lee Jordan
I don’t know about anyone else but I find it impossible to resist all that scrumptious Christmas food: the mince pies, the Christmas cake, the turkey with the stuffing and the Christmas pudding with all that cream. Not only can the calories really start to build up - I’ll definitely be checking out No Calories Needed in January - but the cost can really start to mount up as well. This is especially true if you are cooking for a large family, for friends, or for your extended family. I’ve put together a list of money saving tips which should help you keep the cost of Christmas down … no guarantees it will work on your waistline though …
Get Organised
If you are going to be doing all the cooking for Christmas then getting organised is an absolute must, not only so you manage to get the lunch on the table, but also so that you can save some money along the way.
The first step is to make a list of everything you need. Then comes the hard part, sticking to it. There are so many tempting treats out there, especially at Christmas time, and a trip to the grocery store can play havoc with your budget. Writing a list and sticking should help keep your budget intact.
The next step is to spread the cost and start shopping early. You can obviously only apply this to non-perishable items, but it can really help to keep the cost down. Whenever you see a really good offer, stock up on that item and then tick it off your list. Not only do you have more time to find the special offers, something which is even easier if you have a price book, but it means that you don’t have to worry so much about finding all the money from December’s budget.
Finally, whether you are shopping two months in advance or a few days before Christmas, always remember to compare prices! Comparing the prices, even if it’s only between two different stores, can really help you to save money. A price book can also come in really handy here as well.
Get Cooking
Home made food will almost always cost you way more than cooking your own food from scratch, and that’s without mentioning all the additives, colourings and other nasties that go into ready-made, pre-packaged food. Another advantage of cooking your own is that there is much more room for using store brands. No-one is ever going to notice the difference between store brand and premium label when it is cooked. The same is not always true for store brand vs. premium ready-made food.
If cooking everything seems like a lot of hard work, and it can be, one good idea is to look at what can be made in advance and either frozen or chilled. There are tons of good cooking resources on the web that will help you plan your Christmas cooking schedule.
Enlist the help of friends and family
If you decide to cook from scratch another essential tip is to enlist the help of friends, family, and random strangers silly enough to step into the kitchen. Christmas really is one of those times when the saying ‘the more the merrier’ comes true, and if you can apply that to getting the cooking done life will be easier for everyone.
Another money saving tip, especially if you are entertaining family and friends, is to ask people to bring something with them. This could be as simple as a box of chocolates or it could be dessert or a side dish. Not only does this help cut down on the cost but it also helps with the amount of preparation and work required. This is only one I would recommend with close family and friends, and does require some co-ordination … nothing worse than ten bowls of cranberry sauce and no stuffing!
Special Offers, Coupons & Christmas Saving Schemes
The last money saving tip should help you shave even more money off what should, by now, be a fairly low food bill.
Take advantage of every special offer, coupon and saving scheme you can find.
There are always lots of special offers around Christmas time and getting organised can really help you take advantage of these. It is also worth picking up the local paper, free flyers and in-store magazines every week in the run up to Christmas as you should definitely be able to save some money using coupons. Again, having a shopping list already made will really help you here.
Finally, here in England a number of the large retailers and supermarkets such as Tesco and Asda offer savings stamps schemes. The idea behind these is that you squirrel a little bit of money away each month and then at Christmas time the store will add a bonus to it and you can use the stamps for your Christmas shop. This can be a great idea if you find it hard to save for Christmas and can save you some money at the same time.
Even if you don’t save throughout the year or prefer to use a saving account, you can still take advantage of this Christmas bonus. Provided you buy the stamps by a set date (normally the end of November or the beginning of December) you will still get the bonus. Bonuses range from 5% (Wilkinson) to 2% (Tesco), so it is well worth buying the stamps in November just to get the savings.
I don’t know whether any of the supermarkets in America run a similar system, but if any of you know about one please let me know by leaving a comment and I will add the details to the article - with full credit to you of course.
Best of the Rest;
One thing I am particularly keen on is highlighting posts from other bloggers that relate to my posts and that I believe are worthwhile additional reading. I plan on including these ‘Best of the Rest’ links is as many of my posts as a I can.
December 15th, 2007 — Christmas, Money Saving, Top 10
Christmas Tree Decorations - originally posted by Jason D’Great
One of the nicest things about Christmas is coming home after a long, cold day at work and seeing the house shining with lights and a Christmas wreath on the door. Getting this Christmas spirit does not have to cost a fortune though …
Don’t decorate
I might sound like a complete Scrooge for saying this, but you don’t have to decorate. I never decorated when I was living abroad because I never had family visiting and I always used to celebrate Christmas with friends at their houses.
If you are going to be out of the house for Christmas then it is really worth considering whether you want to decorate or not. I think many of us do it out of habit, rather than out of any enjoyment. Have a think, and you might just decide that you are going to save some money and have a decoration free Christmas this year.
Having said that, if you do decide to decorate here are some money saving tips for you …
Re-use from the year before
You are not Martha Stewart. Let me repeat that one more time … you are not Martha Stewart. This means you do not have to have the best decorations in a 50 mile radius. You do not have create a different them every year. You entire house does not have to be decorated in the same theme. You do not have to buy, make, or lie to investigators to get the most original, awe-inspiring decorations.
We are but mere mortals, and it is perfectly acceptable to re-use your decorations from the year before. It honestly doesn’t matter if the tree looks the same. And you mother-in-law is guaranteed to criticize something regardless of what you, so it may as well be the decorations. Using the same decorations year after year can be a great way not only to save money, but also to create memories, and these last forever.
Get Creative
If you don’t already have a stash of decorations at home then it may well be time to get creative. The internet is awash with ideas for making your own Christmas decorations - I’ll link to some of the best at the bottom of this post. Making your own may not save you any time, though anything is better than fighting the crowds in the shops two weeks before Christmas in my book - but it will definitely save you some money. It can also be a great way to keep the kids entertained over the holidays, and they will love seeing their handicrafts in place of honour on the tree.
Get Cooking
Even if you don’t want to get creative - arts & crafts have never been my strong point either - you can always make some edible Christmas decorations. Not only do these go down a storm with the family, they are great for saving money as they are cheap and easy to make. Some of the best ideas include:
Getting popping - do it the old fashioned way by popping some popcorn and then stringing it.
Gingerbread - gingerbread can make great decorations, especially if you have some cookie cutters, or a steady hand for cutting out the Christmas tree shapes
Chocolate decorations - I know you can buy these in the store, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but it can be really easy to make your own as well.
Bring The Outside In
There are lots of options for getting a little bit of the outdoors inside the house over Christmas. One idea is to make your own Christmas wreath from natural materials such as holly or pine cones. You can also use these to decorate inside the house; holly & ivy strung along the mantle piece can look lovely.
The cost of Christmas trees seems to rise year on year, and I don’t know about anyone else but I have always resented spending money on something that I am going to throw away a few weeks later. An environmentally conscientious alternative to the traditional Christmas tree is to buy a small rooted tree that you can plant in a large plant pot and bring indoors at Christmas time.
Fake It
As every girl already knows, there’s nothing wrong with faking it once in a while. This applies for Christmas trees as well. You will never have to worry about leaving it till the last minute and getting the scrawniest, saddest looking tree left again. You also won’t have to worry about spending hours vacuuming up all the pine needles that seem to fall incessantly from the tree. If you aren’t already sold on the idea of an artificial tree then think about all the money you can save. You can buy an artificial tree from as little as £10. Real trees start at the same price, so even if your artificial tree only lasts for 5 years before you decide to replace it, you will have saved a minimum of £40. Realistically, most people spend at least £25 on a Christmas tree, so you are looking a saving a minimum of £100 ($200). If you already have a tree for this year, you can save even more money by buying your next tree in January.
If you must go shopping …
Shop in January. I think I’ve probably made this point enough by now but just to repeat myself one last time, January is the best possible time to buy anything remotely connected to Christmas. This is true for Christmas cards, presents, decorations and for trees.
Another option is to spread the cost over a few years. This is only really applicable for those of you who may have just got married, or just moved into your first home, but the truth is you don’t have to buy all your decorations the first Christmas you are there. Spreading the cost over a few years not only saves you money, but it gives you the opportunity to buy special mementos that will bring you lasting memories.
Best of the Rest;
One thing I am particularly keen on is highlighting posts from other bloggers that relate to my posts and that I believe are worthwhile additional reading. I plan on including these ‘Best of the Rest’ links is as many of my posts as a I can.
December 12th, 2007 — Christmas, Money Saving, Top 10
Christmas Wrap - originally posted by Paur + Anne
I love wrapping presents almost as much as I love getting to unwrap them. What isn’t so great is the cost of all that wrapping paper, bows, ribbons, and gift cards. The best solution I have come up with is to get creative. Not only does this make wrapping far more fun, it can also help you to save money. Here are my top tips for saving money when wrapping presents:
Reuse and Recycle
Almost anything can be turned into great wrapping paper, especially when you use the right accessories. Some great examples include:
Newspaper; foreign papers work especially well, as do the cartoon pages. The FT can also look great accessorised with a black ribbon.
The pages from magazines can work really well for smaller presents, especially if you can match the theme of the present to the theme of the pictures.
Another good idea is to save you Christmas cards from the year before and use them to make gift tags for the following year. You can normally find a nice image on the front of each card. All you need then is a sharp pair of scissors and a hole punch and you have a gift tag.
Get Creative
If you have children, getting them to create Christmas themed artwork on plain paper can create great wrapping paper, especially for doting grandparents, aunts and uncles. You can either get them to decorate individual sheets of paper, or you can go an buy large rolls of brown wrapping paper, or white paper very inexpensively.
Even if you don’t have children, you can get creative yourself. Block prints always work well. Often the more simple the design or pattern, the better it looks. You definitely don’t have to be the next Picasso to make this work.
Bows and bangles
The first rule here is don’t buy it unless you really have to. This is the perfect time to have a clear out and save some money at the same time. So many us have odd scraps of ribbon, buttons and pretty bits of fabric. All of these can be used with great effect to wrap Christmas presents.
If you must buy, then shop around. Lots of craft and fabric stores will sell odds and ends at reduced prices which can be perfect for wrapping those Christmas presents. And if you can be that organised, nothing beats shopping in January when prices will be at their lowest.
Best of the Rest;
One thing I am particularly keen on is highlighting posts from other bloggers that relate to my posts and that I believe are worthwhile additional reading. I plan on including these ‘Best of the Rest’ links is as many of my posts as a I can.
December 11th, 2007 — Christmas, Money Saving, Top 10
Christmas Cards - Originally posted by Shopping Diva
Sending Christmas cards; some people love it and some people loathe it, but almost everyone does it. Over the next few weeks postal services all over the globe are going to be swamped with millions of Christmas cards. Between buying the cards, buying the stamps, and driving to the Post Office a few hundred times the expense can really start to build up. Here are a few of my top money saving tips …
Save the Planet
Don’t send Christmas cards or at the very least reduce you list to the bare minimum. Most of the people we seem to give Christmas cards to we see everyday anyway; all those co-workers and friends. One option is to send e-cards instead. Another is to make a pact with co-workers or friends that none of you will exchange cards. A great idea to go with this is for everyone to donate some of the money they save to charity. Save the rainforests, give to charity, and save some money all at the same time … could it get any better?
Shop in the Sales
The best possible time of year for buying Christmas cards is January. It’s a little late for this year I know, but every year I put a reminded in my calendar for January to stock up on Christmas cards. No-one is ever going to know that they are the design from last year … and even if they do, do you really care. While this does require some organisation, you can normally save at least 50% of the normal price. Well worth it in my book.
Get Creative
Make your own. I have to confess that this is one that I never do. I am not the most artistic person in the world by an stretch of the imagination, but if you are then this can be a great money saver. All you need is some plain card and some creativity. For those of you with children, getting the children to decorate the Christmas cards can be a great way to keep them occupied over the holidays. Even if they are too young to draw, red and green painted handprints will always be appreciated by doting grandparents.
One word of warning for all you scrap-bookers. This only works as a money saving tip if you resist the urge to spend a small fortune in the craft shop while creating great works of art. Always remember come January, that card you spent a small fortune making is likely to already be in the trash.
Creative not costly is the key here.
Recycle
Save your Christmas cards from the previous year, and then cut them in half to use as postcards. Not only do you save on buying cards, but you also save because the cost of posting a postcard is generally far less than that for a card.
One word of warning here as well. It pays to do each card at a time. Nothing worse than sending your great-aunt the same card she sent you the year before.
Get Some Exercise
Hand deliver cards. Save some money on gas and burn of some of those calories that you are about to absorb by the thousand - who can resist Christmas pudding with double cream after all. Even if you can’t hand deliver all of your cards, most of us can make the effort to walk to the local post office rather than driving.
You are of course excused if you live anywhere that is currently experiencing sub zero temperature or is under 6 foot of snow.
Best of the Rest;
One thing I am particularly keen on is highlighting posts from other bloggers that relate to my posts and that I believe are worthwhile additional reading. I plan on including these ‘Best of the Rest’ links is as many of my posts as a I can.