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$$$ is tight this year. Any Christmas ideas to make it go further?

Posted: Nov 19, 2009

I get together with a group of friends annually around the holidays. We got tired of trading our own baked goods so we decided to trade names this year with a $$ limit. Still doing the baking for other friends and neighbors (cookies, fudge, bread).

Does anyone have any other creative ideas on how to stretch the $$$ during the holidays, recipes, drinks, gifts?

;

Lovely homemade centerpiece - Cheap

[ In Reply To ..]
Most never use the whole bag of fresh cranberries. I use half the bag.

Fill a decorative bowl 3/4 with water, put the other half bag of cranberries in the water to float with 2-3 little floating candles. Very pretty.

Christmas exchange idea - truffle

[ In Reply To ..]
We have always drawn names at Thanksgiving for the Christmas exchange since my extended family is so large; that way, everybody only has to buy 1 gift. Last year we shook it up a bit and didn't draw names, but instead had an ornament exchange. It was so much fun! When it was each person's turn to open, they had an option of choosing a gift from the pile or stealing from a person who had already opened their ornament (only 1 steal per round). My nieces who didn't know they were coming until late notice also wanted to participate, so they each made an ornament. Pretty cheap and a whole lot of fun!

Gifts - vikefan

[ In Reply To ..]
One thing for women is to make scented bath crystals. I got the recipe from Heloise. You mix Epsom salts, fragrance, food coloring and glycering. Check her web site. I'm sure she has the recipe there.

Put salts in mason jars and tie pretty ribbons around them.

I love this idea!!! - Silly Girl

[ In Reply To ..]
thanks!

Our dinner is not necessarily pot luck but - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
I have cousins, nieces, nephews, siblings, daughters, and parents come for a big dinner. When some asks, "Can I bring something," I take them up on it. I try to assign someone to bring drinks, alcohol, tea, etc. I ask someone to bring the bread, a salad of some sort, any dish they "specialize" in, and of course a cake, pie, etc. You would be surprised at how far this help can go in cutting on the food budget.

Our family dinners are always pot luck since we have - kj

[ In Reply To ..]
a large family. The one who is having dinner at her house usually does the meat and we all bring a dish or two which she coordinates so we all don't bring the same thing. We have done this for 40 years, ever since I was a kid.

Joanns - gifts

[ In Reply To ..]
The checkout stand by Joann's has $5.00 gifts or less.

A few of my favs - shopaholic

[ In Reply To ..]
I saw on the Black Friday ad that Walmart will have 2-qt crockpots for $4. I have a few people I'm not sure what to get and thought it would be a great idea to get them one of these with a couple of packets of dip mix and a wire whisk. Tie it up with celofane (sp?) Christmas paper and ribbon. Total about $8 each.

One year, I bought wreaths at a craft store and decorated them with pine cones and other decorations and gave those. Total about $7 each.

Every year for the grandparents, I frame the kids' school pictures. You can usually pick up nice frames at the Dollar Store for a good price and have my kids write a message on the back. $2 each for the frames (pics are about $30 each :(

For the kids' teachers last year and again this year, I'm making peanut butter choco dipped pretzel sticks. I give them each 4 and wrap them in Christmas celofane and put them in a cute mug tied up with ribbon. Mugs are $2 each and pretzels only cost $5 total to make about 25.

My best one for this year -- I'm using the reward points on my credit card to get my gift exchange people gift cards. I've racked up a lot of points between building our house and my direct sales business to get 3 or 4 nice ones. I aldo got one for myself for one of the places we eat out at a lot.

everyone has been telling me that everywhere!!! - and it is true

[ In Reply To ..]
I don't even know how I am going to keep my house this Christmas! My sister sent me a $75 gift card to WalMart for the family so I went ahead and bought a couple things (god bless her!) I have been going over the black friday ads on theblackfriday.com and Walmart's came out... not too impressed but it's okay. This year I am going to make gourmet snacks and put them in a tin from the dollar store for my inlaws and parents. I grew up learning a materialistic Xmas so I am prewired to feel guilty if I don't buy buy buy, but this year I actually really can't... oh well just something I have to deal with! I am trying to teach my kids about the spirit of Xmas instead of just GIMMIE GIMMIE GIMMIE like all of my younger Xmases.

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