Homemade And Frugal Holidays

For those of you on a shoestring budget (like I am!), or even if you just want to have a holiday season that is more frugal and more gentle upon the earth, consider some of these ideas! Some people may groan at the idea of thinking about the holidays in mid October, but if you are going to put some of these ideas into your holidays this season, then *NOW* is a great time to start thinking about them. 

Consider some new traditions in your home that will help promote an atmosphere of what I like to call 'The True Spirit Of The Holidays' (tm). 

In other words: less commercialism, less accumulation of 'stuff', and more enjoyment as a family. Spending time together is, in my opinion, the most important part of the holidays!

1.  Homemade Gifts:  Whether for your own immediate family, or friends and co-workers (and don't forget your friendly postal carrier!), this is a tradition that is a great one to start (or reintroduce).  There was always a least one item that was homemade under the tree when I was a child, and I promise you that it was as meaningful to me as any other gift I received!

Ideas to try: Gift bags (like pictured at the top of the page, filled with baked goods, small picture frames with beloved photos within, or other goodies), yummies-in-a-jar (cookie mixes are always a favorite - but don't forget the baking directions!), homemade tree ornaments, wreaths, knitted items, even painted rocks can be fun to receive.  Turn an old favorite sweater into a pair of mittens (there are links online for instructions on how to do this fairly easily), or an old pair of jeans into a purse! How about seeds from some of your garden triumphs in a personalized envelope?!  p.s. you can make homemade 'poppers/bonbons' for each place setting. Simply fill a toiletpaper roll with candies and treats and wrap with paper, tied with ribbons. (see this link for instructions!)

2. Consider Second-Hand Items(!): When I'm near a Goodwill store (or other consignment shop), I like to take about 20 minutes to poke around and see what's there. So far, I've found a (brand new, still in the box) cute stamping toy for my daughter, a gently-used Candyland board game (Goodwill is pretty good about checking to ensure all the pieces are present in games) for my son, and a (practically new) snowboard for the family - which will join its mate in the shed (which was also a Goodwill find, if I remember correctly).  I'll continue to keep my eyes open for gently-used (and sometimes even new in the box) items for under the Yule tree this year.

3. Recycled Items For Holiday-Afternoon Fun:  What if we redefined what a holiday could look like in our homes? Guess what? We CAN!  I decided that this year, I want the focus to be on our family time together.  Of course, the first part of the morning (Yule/Christmas in our home) will be about opening presents and then playing with our new treasures.  After the treasures, however, I decided to create a few games and activities out of recycled materials.

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Some ideas include: A)  Setting up a 'bowling alley' (use empty 2-liter bottles as the 'pins' - you can tape a strip of paper over the label and instead write numbers on the pins, going from 1-6 or 1-9 depending on your ability to collect bottles between now and then! Use a bouncy ball, soccer ball, whatever you have handy as the ball.)   

Here's a pic and link for a similar idea using a halloween theme: 

 B)  Print off holiday coloring pages, connect-the-dots, holiday mazes, and other holiday activity pages from the internet on the back side of already-used paper.  If you must use new paper, then print using the economy setting in the ink section, and don't forget to print on both sides of the paper.  p.s. some printers will print on a paper bag. Simply cut the bag open and insert into the printer and hit the 'print' key.  How fun to create holiday pictures on a paper bag!  They are often 'frame worthy'!

There are tons of free resources for these holiday pages; just do a google search! Put out some crayons, coloring pencils and markers and let the little ones have at it!   C)   Have house-of-cards building competitions! Pick teams and see which team can make the highest house!  You'll need about a deck of cards per person/team...the more, the better!     D)   Have story time (with holiday store-bought or borrowed library books), holiday movie time or perhaps a holiday sing-along!

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On Yule/Christmas, I always start the morning by putting on holiday music (personally, I love our local station, which can be live-streamed online at http://player.streamtheworld.com/_players/citadel/?sid=3009&nid=2920, which plays holiday music nearly 24 hours a day the entire month of December). 

I start some cocoa and get out the marshmallows and fluff. This year, I plan to make a few breakfast items ahead of time - like some banana-nut bread, different flavored muffins, cinnamon rolls and possibly even do up some bacon ahead of time to simplify breakfast in the morning. If people are hungry (though this is RARE!) they can eat first, or save the food till after presents.

Then, come the presents. My husband and I like to set up a 'big item' for the kids. Last year, it was a child-sized tool bench, complete with tools.  This year, we'll be setting up a new hot-wheels track along with the '2-liter bottle bowling alley'. I'm also planning to repair my littlest one's favorite blankey (which has been waiting for repair in my room for a month now) and put it out for her alongside one of her new toys.  I'm also going to set up a cardboard box for her to climb in. At age 2, this is probably going to be her favorite 'gift' of all (don't you just love that?! I might even paint and/or decorate the box!).

Then will come breakfast (with holiday tunes still playing), followed by free time for kids to play with their new treasures.  My ex-husband will likely then stop by to deliver his gifts. After the excitement has died down (likely after lunch) is a good time for introducing the idea of alternative family activities.  Unless it is a movie, the music can stay on while we all enjoy just spending time together as a family.

The holidays do not need to be expensive. Why not consider limiting your shopping list to 1 or 2 'new' items per person, and have the rest be 'salvaged' or homemade items?  I also often throw in the obligatory new bag of underwear and socks for each person, along with toiletries in their stocking such as deodorant, hair ties, shampoo, whatever they are getting low on....and, if I've been very frugal that year, I probably got those items on sale...with a coupon...or even a free sample from somewhere!  I also like to re-use gift bags and even fabric wrapping where possible. The more frugal I can get, the happier I become!

Think outside of the box this holiday season!  Save money, use fewer resources, and focus more on the enjoyment of another holiday season with the ones you love.