I was determined this year to not spend a lot this Christmas. I have a tendicy to go over board, I also worry that people won't like their gifts or that it's not enough. I was pleasantly surprised this year. Plus this year we only had one income coming in so I was forced to not go crazy and spend smart.
We didn't have an exact price in mind, all I knew was I didn't want to spend a lot. Normally I go crazy with my niece and nephew spending upwards to $100 if not more, which is crazy! Half the time Kody loves the simplest thing the most. For example one year my dad got him a race car from CVS for just ten bucks and that was his favorite toy!
So this year our grand total was right around $265! Which is pretty good considering we had to buy for 16 people! Not too shabby if you ask me.
The trick with keeping it low cost was keeping an eye out for deals. I got some great deals online, one was an awesome black Friday deal and others I just had coupons. I probably bought at least half, if not more of our gifts online. It's good for us, I always get coupons in my e-mail and now having a new born meant not having to go out into the cold. Also along with shopping online I always look at the competition. For example Snapfish and Shutterfly have great gift ideas, like calendars and mugs that you can personalize with your own pictures but I checked out Wal-Mart and their mugs were cheaper, but just as pretty so I went with them. (They also offered free shipping for the holidays!) Another tip for online shopping, always always always google promo codes for whatever website you may be on. You will be surprised you can usually find some kind of coupon to help take a little more off the price.
I also start buying stuff in November, that way it's more spread out and isn't a shock to our wallet. I probably buy a gift or two every two weeks until Christmas. I still had to go out Christmas eve to get last minute things, like candy and a couple of gift cards.
Another way we saved was that on my side we decided to just buy for the kids. So that meant I didn't have to buy for my two sisters or my brother-in-law, which really saved us. I of course still bought something for my parents because they deserve it.
I was pleasantly surprised at the reactions my gifts got. I always try hard to pay special attention to people as the holidays get close, trying to pick up clues as to things they may need or want. Also having Nella here made giving gifts a million times easier. Slap a picture of her on there and boom instant smiles! My nephews on Scottie's side I was a little nervous about, we usually give them $50 (they are so hard to buy for so money is the easiest!) This year we only gave them $25 (times are hard people!) but we did it in a kind of unique way. We put $25 in a box of chocolates. I split the money up into smaller bills, I think there was a $10, two $5's, three $1's and two dollars in quarters. They really liked it, which made me happy to!
Another big saver was we didn't go crazy on Nella. Call me a bad parent but whatever, she was a little over a month by Christmas so she's not going to remember it anyways. I'm saving ourselves for when she can actually open presents and get excited about it!
Well that's what helped me save this Christmas. I am very proud of myself, as always I worried that people wouldn't like there gifts, or would be disappointed in the "amount" we gave them but everyone seemed to be really happy with what they got. I mean for all know they could be faking it but they did good and I didn't notice, so I'm happy!
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