Tight Christmas!!

I make calendars every year. The grandparents especially love it. You can try sites like Shutterfly or Snapfish. They usually have great deals around this time. Definitely search for coupon codes. Last year, all my calendars ended up being about $8 a piece! Good luck!

I order pics at Walmart website. They usually have many gifts that are definetly under $10. We've done snowglobes, coffee mugs, magnets - all are super big hits, especially for the Grand parents.

We used to do adult gifts, but since my brother and I both had children, now we just give gifts to the kids. Once in a while if I find something particular like a book for my dad, we'll give that. But some other ideas we've done:

1) a mix CD! I always make my brother a mix cd of songs I think he would like. He really appreciates it and says I find a lot of music he's never heard of. This year my M. asked for one too!

2)Homemade caramels. I make these from my great grandma's recipe that my dad remembered from when he was little. Everyone appreciates a little bag and the fact that you made something from scratch.

3)A family board game with an IOU for a game night. I know it sounds corny- but the whole family can get together and do this. Some games are expensive, but a lot of oldies but goodies are pretty reasonable.

good luck- a lot of us are in the same boat!

I second the food thing. Last year my landlord dropped by one night with a homemade rum cake and a bottle of wine. I was so touched that they thought of me. But honestly, it probably cost $4 to make the cake and $4 for the bottle of wine.
What I do for the grownups is food. I make chocolate covered pretzels, peppermint brittle, puppy chow, a couple differant kinds of cookies to get a variety of colors, textures and shapes. I may slip a few store bought things in there too. I mean who can tell the differance in a store bought or hand made chocolate covered pretzel! I buy a bunch of the Christmasy Treat boxes at the dlooar store and tissue paper. Then put a little pile of each thing in. It makes a beautiful gift and makes a whole lot of them. So, I use it for the office gift exchange, gift to my sitter, my bff, extended family, and any drop in guests that show up with a present, so i dont feel like a goof for forgetting them!

Dont fall into the hype of giving someone something just because they gifted you. If you cant afford gifts for the adults- then dont buy for them. Surely they would understand. Your first priority if your children- if you cant do anything beyond that- then dont! Our society is causing us to lose the true meaning of christmas.

If you feel you must give them something- you can do the pictures cheap. Take the pictures yourself and have 5x7 pics printed at Walgreens- very cheap! You can always find frames on sale and even at the dollar store. Get cheap wooden frames and let the kids decorate them with feathers, beads, glitter- whatever they like. Google homemade Christmas ornaments and let the kids make that for the relatives. It really is the thought that counts. Happy holidays and try not to stress over it.

I'm in the same position.

I told my family/relatives.... that we simply cannot... do an all out Christmas/gifts. We are not even doing our usual photo Christmas cards this year. I told my friends too.
Its fine.
MANY people are budget strapped too.

Just concentrate on your kids.
Me and Hubby are not even getting each other Christmas gifts this year.

I did my Christmas shopping already. I buy things on sale.... throughout the year. I keep it under a certain dollar amount.

Put it this way... SURE I would like to give my relatives/family/friends great gifts.... BUT I am NOT going to go into debt for it. Because then THAT will affect my family... and what we can manage or afford or not, even after the Holidays are over.

Even making things home-made can cost money... because then you have to buy all the things to make it. In the first place. So that can add up too.

Just shop smart... and KEEP to a certain dollar amount. Shop sales... dollar stores etc.

Old Navy, Amazon, even E-bay has good sales now. AND free shipping.
I got GOOD useful gifts from there that were $10 and under.

all the best,
Susan

I don't think the picture idea needs to be that expensive! Target has cute frames and you can take the pics yourself and print them out at Walgreens or something.

Or just take a fruit basket for the whole family when you go to visit?

Or take a hot chocolate "bar" -- hot cocoa mix, milk, marshmallows, whipped cream, chocolate syrup.....

My family ALL agreed that no one buys for anyone except the kids.

For 'gifts' I gave my mother, grandmother, and aunt foot and calf rubs, manicures, and head massages. That was free... And they LOVED IT!

If you really want to still do pictures, you can really do it inexpensively. If you take the photo yourself and develop it for under a dollar, and use a dollar store frame (Walmart even has inexpensive frames - 8x10's for $5) you'll still be giving an updated picture, with little expense. And with the photo editing options on any of the online photo developing sites, or at the kiosks in the stores, you can really get creative, adding text to the pictures, or borders, etc.

I would take a pic w/ your camera and put it in a dollar store frame. as long as they get an updated pic of the kids they love it.

I buy girl scout cookies and wrap that. I am helping out a cause and giving a little something to everyone to open.

Have the kids make handprint art My parents LOVE that, and do I.

Hand made jewlery for the females. My M. loves the necklace my son made her, she wares it alot, not just when we are there.

I'm not sure why a framed photo would cost you $20-$30 per person! You don't have to have the pictures taken professionally. Dress the kids up and take the photo yourself! You can find frames at Target, TJ Maxx, Marshall's etc... for $5-$10. Better yet, the Christmas Tree Shop has them for next to nothing! Making prints at CVS will save you some cash.

You could also have your children paint or color some artwork and frame it! If your budget is really that tight, then talk with the siblings and have a "no gifts" Christmas and have it go both ways. I am willing to bet that they will be thankful. You could also suggest that the adults draw names and put a price limit on the gifts. My husband's family started doing that several years ago b/c it was getting out-of-control.

If you really feel like you have to give them something, make a nice dinner for them and include the "fixings" like you would do when someone has a baby (or a death). Make a huge thing of lasagna and portion it into containers for each family. Add a loaf of Italian bread and a bottle of inexpensive wine (if you can) and there you go! They can eat it right away or freeze it for a night that they are too tired to cook and too poor from over-spending to go out! Several years ago my husband went way above the "call of duty" for a client's aging mother. She couldn't afford to pay him for the work he did, but made us several casseroles that were homemade and wonderful! We were both working like crazy at that time and could come home to a nice dinner once in a while that required zero effort on our part!

What about making cookies? You can buy a serving plate at the dollar store or even use disposables and cover with saran wrap and place a bow on top...it is the thought that counts. What about getting "Grandma" or insert other older beloved family member a calender and writing in all of the extended families birthdays and anniversaries and such down. I am buying my grandfather a photo album this year and giving him some pictures of the great grandchildren because he always has a stack of pictures that he does not know what to do with! Please think of the spirit of Christmas and do not get bogged down with what you can spend. So many nice inexpensive things you can come up with when you put your mind to it...think of the gift of time, do you have any skills you can offer up, what about setting a lunch date for after the new year, an offer to babysit for a couple who never gets out much...the possibilities are endless. I wish you a Merry Christmas! Embrace being frugal, good for you for not going into debt over the holidays!

How old are your kids? You can do pictures, but have the kids make the frames. If you want idea on how to do the frames, send me the ages an I will send you some suggestions.

I like the idea of kids making things also. I was reading in a magazine the other day about homemade food items or putting together ingredients to make soup or something.

One idea is the make-your-own calendar - use photos of your kids and the extended family for each month. There are the kinds that you can give them the digital pictures, and then they print them up, or the kinds that are blank with built-in photo frames for each month that you print copies of your pics and insert in each calendar. Whichever works best for personalizing them for the recipient would be a good idea. If you buy them in multiples, you usually get a discount. Another non-photo idea is to take digital pics of different artwork your kids have done throughout the year and then put those on the appropriate months in the printed calendar. This way everyone gets to appreciate your kids artistry - for a whole 'nother year.

HTH!

I say bake them something.

Can't really go wrong with fudge at Christmas time...wrap it up with a pretty bow and your golden!

body wash kits with the deodrant and everything in them. $8. you can get frames at the dollar store. for $1. my so did warm socks for me 2 yrs ago $2 pair and I loved them. christmas ornaments with pics in them. under $3. books. get them at used book stores. who knows other than you. calenders. pot holders and kitchen towels all can be purchased at the $1 store. family dollar or such. another thing that went over real well when I did it was the magnetic notepads for grocery shopping for the women.$1 at family dollar. we got my step son a musical tie at the $1 store. he was begging for one acutally. I am on a really tight budget too this year. here is our list so far minus the baby. 2 books for step son both under 5. musical tie and warm socks with monkeys on them both he picked out.a glass chess set from dollar general for 5. both boys are getting body washes axe is what they love. stockings for the boys bought at the dollar store that has a lump of coal in it. so so far is getting a stocking that says santa I can explain. a ornament with a picture of his deceased son it it. it cost me $2. a charlie brown tree $9 at wal greens. :) he has a sense of humor. and still trying to figure out the rest. my so is gettin a shadow box with some of his deceased sons stuff in it. oldest son is gettin an ou ornament $3 other step son is gettin a michigan ornament $4 lots of ideas you just have to look around

It sounds like you have given frames in the past to family? If so, do you remember the size or can you ask? Then just make a new appropriate size photo to slip over another and say it's for inserting into such and such a frame. Your family will still get a new kid's pic for about $5? without another frame to find space for...

Vistaprint.com often has deals for a free photo calendar. I did one last year and it looked pretty good.

What about a nice plate of cookies you make with your kids? Or have your kids make ornaments for the grandparents/aunts/uncles (you could google it and come up with TONS of ideas). We usually give updated pics of our girls in a nice frame - and you can find some really cool stuff if you look in dollar stores.....you just have to hunt around.

I give framed pictures to family also. You can find decent frames for $5, a 5x7 only cost less than $1.

Everyone is getting homemade cards this year and my kids are getting one or two presents each- that's it. I will be doing cookie plates for the teachers and mail carrier and my husband and I are not exchanging gifts. It is tight this year- really tight but that's okay. We will be having just a game day on Christmas and I think it will be a lot of fun.
don't feel pressured to get everyone a gift. Get some card stock- cut it in half and make Christmas cards with your kids. If you want to give them a present- have your kids make a set of cards and buy some envelopes then tie a bow around them- make sets of 5 or 10- have some blank ones and some birthday or thank you ones also.
~C.

just give the person the picture and let them frame it?

look on Martha Stewart.com. She frequently has make your own gifts. Also, what about making a recipe book with all the family recipes in it. Take pictures of the kids helping you make the recipes and then glue them into the book!