Ready for Christmas?

Christmas is almost here, and it's that time of year again with all the hustle and bustle of the shopping world. There are so many people spending money on all kinds of different things out there, but the key to this season is frugality. Why spend so much money, when you can come up with more meaningful and thoughtful ideas on your own? So, I thought I'd share some of my own gift ideas here, and if you'd like to add to the list, go ahead; the more, the merrier, truly.:)

One thing that I had read about and have kind of tweaked to fit my own style is scrapbooking pictures and framing them. I'm taking old pictures of family (wedding pics of my mom and dad and an old picture of my grandma and grandpa when they were very young) and scrappin them into frames. I'm also taking pics of our boys and making them black and white or antiqueing them and scrappin them also. Now, before you go on about how expensive scrapbooking supplies are or how you just don't know how to scrapbook, I want you to think outside the box. It just takes a little creativity and thought. I don't really know how to scrapbook either; I'm just winging it. As for supplies, there is a dollar shop here where everything is $1, and they are starting to stock all kinds of supplies, all unique and really beautiful actually. I was even able to buy a big scrapbook for $1. Your local craft store will also sometimes put the paper on sale at a really good deal, like 4/$1 or a similar price. Also, get out old greeting cards, buttons, ribbon, etc. You can also get pretty cool frames at the dollar shop or even in the cheapie frame section at Walmart (in the outside aisles).:) Use what you have; you can come up with some pretty unique creations. Here are a couple pictures of what I have so far.

Another thing you might try is homemade candy or cookies, etc. I'm actually making truffles this year, and I got the recipe from the free Kraft Food & Family magazine that comes in my mailbox. Then you can take that candy and put it in a cute little box you get at the dollar shop. You can find the recipe for the truffles at this website: http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/simply-sensational-truffles-107529.aspx.

Another idea is to get onto Craigslist or Ebay and just look; keep searching for things you're interested in purchasing, and don't let yourself be "taken" with high shipping costs. On Craigslist, you can find things in your local area, so you don't even have to pay shipping. It's pretty cool. Also, Amazon.com and Half.com have all kinds of books, cds, movies, games, etc. for really decent prices. Check out your local thrift store too; what may seem like junk can actually be turned into a treasure for someone. Think outside the box!:)

So, this Christmas, don't get caught spending all that money you've saved up; think outside the box, and save!:)