101 Ways to Save Time, Money and Sanity at Christmas
Here are my 101 hot tips for a super Christmas. Save money, get cheap and free gift ideas. Learn how to save on food and groceries and even get ideas on things to do over the holiday season. Enjoy and have a happy Christmas!
SHOP ONLINE
1. Become an associate and make money!
2. A chinese wholesaler that sells just about everything
3. Buy gifts at Ebay.
4. free items at the Freecycle website.
MAKE MONEY 5.Hold a garage sale and sell your junk. You’ll start the new year de-cluttered too!
6.Sell your stuff on 6. Ebay or the auction sites mentioned in this E-book
7. Visit garage sales for quality items and then sell them on Ebay.
DECORATIONS 8, Cut up old toilet rolls into rings, spray them silver, dip them in glitter and string them up! You will also be saving the environment.
9. Suspend oranges with cloves strung up with ribbon. Smells nice on the tree!
10. A bag of candy sticks are a cheap tree decoration and edible! Yum!.
11. You can pick up tinsel and decorations at thrift shops real cheap!
12. Wrap up home-made biscuits in foil and hang them from the tree.. Use some glitter on the outside or get your children to decorate with coloured paper and glue.
13. Buy a fake Christmas tree from the Op Shop. Why pay full price?
14. Visit your local craft shop. There is a world of thrifty MYO decorations there!
15. Start recycling old food boxes and items. Get creative with spray paint & glitter!
16. Shredded paper from your office makes fabulous fake snow on a tree!.
17. Cut up junk mail into fine pieces colourful and 10. Earth-Happy paper tinsel.
SAVE ON CARDS
18. Send cards early in December to avoid costly postage.
19. Send e-cards. These are are Earth-Happy and much cheaper.
20. Use old food boxes to make your own cards.
21. Recycle Xmas cards sent to you pre-Christmas by cutting them up and 4. making them into little gift tags.
22. Paste wrapping onto food box cardboard to make little cards.
23. Scale down your Xmas card list to only your best friends.
24. Send a postcard if you must send a card. They are cheaper to post.
25. Recycle the cards you received last year by cutting off the front and making 8. them into postcards. Free and also cheaper to send!
26. Buy Christmas cards on sale in December for next year.
27. Buy Christmas cards at discount stores.
SAVE ON WRAPPING 28. Buy a big roll of butcher paper for the whole year and a bulk roll of ribbon. Red is good!
29. Find a florist supplier and buy tissue paper in bulk for the year.
30. Buy wrapping paper on Christmas Eve. It is hugely discounted.
31. Shop online at stores who offer free wrapping.
32. Shop at retail stores that offer a free gift wrapping service.
33. Use leftover wallpaper for wrapping.
34. Spray twigs, cones and leaves to dress up a present.
35. Use flowers from the garden instead of expensive bows and ribbons.
36. For big kid’s presents use a pillow case and ribbon.
37. Use scrap material from sewing instead of cards or wrapping. Lovely!
THRIFT STORE – GIFT IDEAS
38. Funky lamps can really make a room sing.
39. Retro platters and kitchenware for the kitchen.
MAKE YOUR OWN – GIFT IDEAS 40. Make your own food hampers. Get ideas from online stores and magazines.Buy nuts, chocolate and snacks at cheap retailers.
41. Make your own boxes of Chocolates and create your own branding on a painted, recycled food box!
42. Make food gifts of homemade jam, baked bread, biscuits, candles, soaps, oils or butters. Include a recipe for a special touch
PRINTABLES
43. Google ‘downloadables’ online and print of MYO gifts.
44. Mums. Frame or journal the story of the day your child was born.
45. Make a forgetful relative a framed calendar of all your relatives birthdays!
PERSONALISED GIFT IDEAS
46. Make colouring books for children using clip art on your computer.
47. Make personalised address labels for someone in business.
48. Put together journals, family trees or diaries for family members.
EDUCATIONAL – GIFT IDEAS
49. Reference books make great gifts because they are so practical.
50. Books about your recipient’s hobby are always well received.
51. Give web nerds software relating to their hobby. They will love you forever.
ART AND FRAMES – GIFT IDEAS
52. Personalise and frame pictures that suit places your recipient has visited, animals they love, and people they might admire.
53. Scrapbooking Paper is gorgeous. Frame a piece for a trendy gift.
54. Frame old newspaper pages. These look fabulous and stylish on a wall.
ORGANISATIONAL – GIFT IDEA 55. Give self-help books such as motivational, success and inspirational books. These types of gifts keep giving all year and are life changing! Audio books are great too.
EARTH-HAPPY GIFTS
56. Buy a small plant. Give it in a beautifully wrapped pot.
57. Give a gift that supports a cause on behalf of your recipient.
58. Oxfam have fun and cheap ideas that save the world.
GIVE YOUR TIME OR AN EXPERIENCE 59. Pledge to clean someone’s car.
60. Give time to a local charity instead of money.
61. Give one hour of your time offering your special skills to someone.
STOCKING FILLERS
62. Get free samples from cosmetic counters for stocking fillers. See website section.
GENERAL – GIFT IDEAS
63. A bottle of sparkling Champagne goes well for the ladies.
64. A six pack of beer wrapped creatively is a great present for a bloke.
65. Give your favourite cleanskin wine with a personalised brand label.
TOTALLY – FREE GIFT IDEAS
66. Give away your not so treasured items. For exampe, designer clothes you don’t wear. Wash them up, make them smell beautiful and then wrap in tissue paper for a quality effect.
67. Don’t buy for adults. Just buy for the kids.
68. Convert your credit card reward points into gift cards.
EARTH-HAPPY – GIFT IDEAS
69. A tree with an invite to plant it together, and a promise to repeat the tradition every year on the same day.
70. An eco-hamper to kick start a young greenie.
71. Donation on behalf of recipient. For example, buying a goat for a village.
SOME GIFT BUYING STRATEGIES 72. Give experience gifts rather than things. The memories are more last a lifetime instead of a day.
73. Get together, pool your money and buy each person a big quality gift instead.
74. Buy gift cards so your relatives can take advantage of bargains after Christmas.
BUDGETING AND SHOPPING TIPS 75. NEVER use credit at Christmas. Reduce your spend and be realistic.
76. Make a budget and make sure you stick to it.
77. Track your spending. Record every penny when out shopping. Keep a little notebook with you at all times to track your expenses or log purchases on your mobile.
78. Declare you budget. Tell friends and relatives you are on a budget.
SAVE ON GROCERIES
79. Get huge discounts by buying food on Christmas Eve.
80. Source local meat wholesalers. They often advertise in your local paper. You can save up to 50 percent on meat.
81. Leave the kids at home when Christmas food shopping.
82. Don’t buy more than you need.
SAVE ON ALCOHOL
83. Go for wine bottles that offer 33% more if buying from general liquor stores.
84. If on a real budget buy bulk cask wine and decanter it into recycled bottles. A little sneaky but hopefully no-one will know the difference!
85. Stock up on cheap alcohol during non-holiday periods. It is cheaper.
86. Switch from white to red wine. People generally sip red slower.
HOLIDAY ADVENTURES – AT HOME
87. Rent DVDs or tape movies in December leading up to Christmas and watch them over the Christmas period with family or friends.
88. Play board games. Buy them at thrift shops or borrow them.
HOLIDAY ADVENTURES – IN THE GARDEN
89. Hold a garden party for one of those boring nights between Christmas and New Year.
90. Catch up on reading your favourite novel or magazines.
91. Clean up the yard together or get help with starting your veggie garden.
HOLIDAY ADVENTURES – IN THE COMMUNITY
92. Go for long walks to through local parks and down your main street.
93. Get some space. Go for a long walk everyday alone to stay refreshed and happy.
94. Meet the neighbours. Take them over some yummy home baking.
HOLIDAY ADVENTURES – IN YOUR LOCAL REGION
95. Research the opening hours of local attractions and visit them with family.
96. Go to free 91. Carols by Candlelight nights in your region.
97. Visit the beach for the day if you live near one.
SOME BONUS TIPS
98. Wrap pieces of Christmas cake in cellophane up for a quick and easy gift for unexpected guests.
99. Buy quality fairy lights that don’t bust if one bulb does. Invest now to save later.
100. Tie items around a wire coat hanger worked into a circle to make a cool wreath. Use plants from the garden, ribbon, tinsel, candy canes and whatever else you might have on hand.
101. For kids give a lucky dip in a box. Get the child to pick out one card. On the card will be an adventure to a cheap local attraction. Give the gift of your time.
Penina Petersen is author of Penina Petersen is author of eco-smart cookbook Table Tucker and writes for magazines in Australia. She also runs a forum, chat room, online cooking school and online store. The tips above are snippets from Penina’s Christmas Ebook Range priced $5 each:
1. Christmas Super Saver – 500+ Smart & Savvy Tips for a Super Christmas
2. Christmas Easy Menu – Menu & Shopping List for a Budget-Gourmet Christmas
3. Christmas Holiday Planner – The Ultimate Guide to Getting Christmas Sorted in a Snap!
When you think of scrapbooking you usually think of making scrapbook albums. How you tried using your scrapbooking materials for other projects? These project ideas are great for Scrapbooking With Kids.
1. Decorate jars and use them as small storage items in your children’s bedrooms, like marble collections or collectible game cards. Look in your scrapbooking supplies for stickers and rub-ons to embellish any size jar. Baby food jars and Mason jars work well for this project.
2. Make greeting cards when scrapbooking with your children. Nearly any type of scrapbooking material can be used for making cards. Children will love creating their own Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day or birthday cards.
3. Holiday decorations are easy to make with scrapbooking materials. For example, Thanksgiving embellishments and cardstock can make name plates for the holiday table. Use your creativity and help your children make a centerpiece for the table out of paper and scrapbooking supplies.
4. Help your child keep a vacation journal. Before you go on vacation, create a scrapbook album to take along and have your child complete the album while traveling. Select a small album so it will be easy to pack in a child’s carry-on bag. Have pages pre-designed for some of the places you are planning to visit. You could even include some journaling prompts throughout the album. Some examples are “My Favorite Ride at Disneyland” or “The Best Thing about Staying in a Hotel.” Then attach a small plastic bag filled with colored pencils or markers, lots of vacation-themed stickers and some adhesive to attach memorabilia and photos from the trip. Let your child do the rest!
5. Scrapbooking for children is an opportunity to make gifts for your family. Flip through any scrapbooking magazine, and you are sure to see a gift project. Your child can use scrapbooking supplies to make picture frames, pencil holders, photo cubes, or note cards. Children also can design pre-made gift scrapbooks, like a recipe album for grandma or an ABC album for a new baby cousin.
6. Christmas ornaments make great scrapbooking projects for gifts. There is no limit to the kinds of ornaments you can make from scrapbooking supplies. Don’t be afraid to get messy and use glitter for this project.
7. Birthday parties and sleepovers are the perfect project for using your scrapbooking supplies with your children. Begin with crafting invitations out of paper and embellishments. Have enough materials to keep the same theme throughout the project. Take the time to create thank you notes at the same time. Then use your scrapbook materials to make napkin holders, name plates, centerpieces and party decorations. Finally, using the same theme, decorate goodie bags for your guests to take home.
You’ll find hours of fun in these scrapbooking for kids projects. In most cases, you have everything you need in your scrapbooking supplies right now. Scrapbooking for children is a chance to spend quality time with your kids and encourage their creativity and imaginations. Try one of these projects today with your child.
About the Author
Christine Perry is an avid scrapbooker and has over 10 years of scrapbooking experience. Her favorite scrapbooking subjects are her reluctant teenagers. She invites you to her website, http://www.intoscrapbooking.com for more Scrapbooking Tips
and information on Scrapbooking Forums
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Scrapbook Ideas & Tips : How to Design a Birthday Scrapbook
I am scrapbooking and I am not sure what to do with the vellum stickers?they do not have sticky on them so do you glue them?
So it’s just a vellum embellishment. You can buy glue just made for vellum or use brads ( like holes punched near all four corners if item is square/rectangular) to attach it to the page or card you are making. ( I don’t like the glues adhesives for vellum – seems like they always show through…. Do you have a local scrapbook store you can go ask at? Good to see options in person.
Just found out after 10 years of working for my company..they are planning on closing?
I feel as if the security blanket that’s been wrapped around me..is no longer there. Luckily my boss is great. He’s offering to keep paying me until I find a new job. This is not happening for several months so hopefully I will find a new job before this one is gone. I just don’t know where to turn! I have been so comfortable here!
My question is this. Do I try to find a new job? or take this time to finally try and start my scrapbooking business? In today’s economy I’m so scared! I really want to be able to do what makes me happy rather then sitting at a desk watching the time tick by. Life is to short to be unhappy at work.
I don’t know what to do !! Please help..any advice will be great!! Thanks
The security blanket you THOUGHT you had has ALWAYS been a myth. My answer to your question is option 3. Look for a new job WHILE you start your scrapbooking business part time. You can expect it to take AT LEAST a year before your new business brings in enough to feed yourself.
looking for a website with some info. about the Creative Memories Scrapbooking regional showcase in VA July 31?
Creative Memories Scapbooking regional showcase in Williamsburg VA July 31 – Aug. 2nd 2009. I am trying to find a calendar of events, what the gifts are, what meals are included. I have Googled and am doing it wrong or can not find anything. Please help…
If you don’t have a consultant, I recommend that you look for one on their website, by clicking “find a consultant” on their front page. Any Creative Memories Consultant can give you the Guest Registration Form, which is due on July 10th, so you still have ample time to get your form in. Event fee: $95.00.
Oct 8, 2009 @ PE – Foto Depot Cards & Calendars, Photos 2 Memories Kit
One is always looking for new and innovative ideas for scrapbooking and sometimes one does not come up with great ideas, which actually make scrapbooking fun yet enjoyable. Then one thinks of looking up for assistance from friends, peers, children and family. However, not any more, as the Internet is the biggest resource of free scrapbooking printables. In many cases, you will find what you are looking for faster than searching a catalog or even at your local craft store.
Free scrapbooking printables will also save a great deal of money in the long run because all one has to pay for is the paper that is used for printing the designs on and the ink for the printer. One can easily download these free scrapbooking printables as they are available in JPG format. Free scrapbooking printables come in various layout designs and one can also customized them according to one’s requirement. In fact one can choose from a variety of designs, such as Easter egg backdrops, birthday frame layouts, school frame layouts, and baby letters, stocking letters, stencil sheets, rose pictures and heart frame layouts. Free scrapbooking printables can be selected in various sizes also. Many times one has to settle for what is offered by the manufacturers. For example, one can print the same free scrapbook printables of stars but can change the size accordingly. The overall look then appears like the stars shooting from the sky. One also has the choice of the colored paper that one wants to use for printing the free scrapbooking printables for their scrapbooking projects.
The choices of free scrapbooking printables to be found online are endless. One can also choose from numbers, pictures, animals, symbols, and more. In fact, many website offer a free newsletter with weekly Scrapbooking Pages. In some cases, one can even design one’s free scrapbook printables from different clip art options. Free scrapbooking printables with borders can add dimensions and completely change the overall appearance of any scrapbooking page. There are literally thousands of different free scrapbooking printable boarders you can choose from. Some of them are elegant and others are quite simple. For a bolder look that adds flare, choose one of the innovative free scrapbooking printables.
One will run across several sites online that offer free scrapbooking printables, yet they ask for a donation of a dollar or more. This is to help cover the cost of keeping the site operational. While donating to this cause is certainly your choice it is encouraged. After all, there are not too many places to find so many scrapbooking printable options for only a dollar. There are so choices that are available that it some times leads to confusion as one is not able to make a choice and it additionally takes lots of time to choose from a given layouts and designs. In fact, weekly Scrapbooking Page Ideas are all around us, waiting for free pickup. If one establishes time for collecting them, one will soon have all one can use.
About the Author
John Foster has special interest in arts. He gives advice to anyone who wants to know about online art school and scrapbooking and others. He refers to www.layersofourlives.com in many of his sessions for art school class for scrapbooking, free scrapbooking printables and DIY scrapbooking art,Scrapbooking Book.
hi there looking for a branch/twig jpg of some sort to help make our Christmas cards this year. Any links to digital scrapbooking freebies would be great! thanks.
You can use CropMom.com to create your Christmas cards.
CropMom is free to use. Upload your photo or photos, then use CropMom’s graphics to create a digital scrapbook layout. You can choose from a variety of sizes.
CropMom lets you download the low-resolution JPEG of your layout for free. The high-resolution, which is suitable for printing, can be purchased for a small fee.
