Sunday, November 02, 2008

Frugality

I've been exploring several aspects of frugality and have of course been reading The Tightwad Gazette (which has some really amazing ideas).

One area that I really need to work on this year is Christmas. We all know that stuff does not equal love but its hard for this child of the '80s to get that through her head.

We generally plan a thrifty Christmas but it always gets way out of hand. I'm hoping that with some planning we can avoid our common pitfalls.

Our general plan for the kids goes thusly: one set of pajamas to be opened on Christmas Eve (akin to a party dress, I suppose), a book, and a toy plus stocking items.

My hope is that this year I can make these gifts as frugal as possible by finding excellent deals and even buying used. I won't bore you with the details of all of this but I am interested in hearing your holiday ideas.

Do people really like getting handmade items?

If so what items have you received that you really appreciated and loved?

What are good handmade or inexpensive ideas for men (as I find them hardest group for which to come up with ideas)?

What are some ways that you try to keep things under control?


One idea that I am exploring, specifically for extended relatives, are handmade ornaments.
This week I've made these which takes one to one and half hours to complete.




Are these silly? How many should each person get? I was thinking a Christmas card (made by Mara) with a nice note and picture of the kids with the ornament attached. Good? Lame? I appreciate your feedback.

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Do people really like getting handmade items?" It depends on the person. I love getting handmade gifts! To think that someone thought enough of me to *make* me something is really cool. My favorite handmade gift is a pair of socks Trish (shack) made me for my bday last year. Love, love, love. No idea on the men's gifts. That's pretty hard. I usually make my husband a hat every year. I try to keep things under control by going with "something you want, something you need, something to wear, something to read" and I leave the rest to the grandparents. They love overdoing it. I love your gift idea. So cute. I think an ornament is a very special gift to give.

7:40 PM  

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