Hi friends, I want to introduce you to Angela D. She is an inspiring wife and mother adding seats to her table through adoption. Angela loves all things frugal and has some great ideas to share with us about how to be generous on a tight budget. I love her ideas and I’m going to implement some of them this year.
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One of my favorite things about Christmas is the spirit of giving, but between Visa fees, travel costs and adoption fees, we definitely have to re-evaluate (with some creativity) how we can give this year. No complaints though. Our daughter is the best gift our family could get!
Already I’m thinking up ways to save over the holidays. I would love to share with you some ways to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas and be able to be frugally generous with others even if your wallet is feeling slim.
STOCKING STUFFERS I’ve recently become a “super couponer.” For the past six months I haven’t paid for toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, dish soap, or razors. I buy everything else at prices much lower than I used to willingly pay.
This year I am using my stockpile to fill stockings with freebies and deals I score: toothbrushes, chapstick, socks, hairclips, and small toys. I’ve paid less than 50 cents for every item that wasn’t free, so a few dollars will fill a stocking! I even have enough of all these items to start filling shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. It’s so fun to see my kids get excited about sharing with children in need, and I know they are going to have a blast packing boxes for OCC this year!
GIFTS Our children receive three gifts from us, just like Jesus did. It keeps the shopping list short and helps keep the focus on others. There are definitely some new ways I’m saving money this year.
Winning Giveaways Through a few blogs I frequent, I have won giveaways that will be given as gifts this year. (My kids don’t read my blog so I figure these secrets are safe here!) My oldest has asked for a tea set to have tea parties when our newest gets home, and I won this adorable one a couple months ago. The Perplexus ball will be fun for my son, the little engineer-in-the-making.
Within the last year I’ve also won jewelry. I loved each so much that I kept them for myself, but they would have been wonderful gifts!
The possibilities are endless for what you might win. If you have a few minutes, google giveaways and see what’s up for grabs! A fantastic place to start is right here. I’m giving away a gift certificate for $35 to CSNstores on October 31.
Creating Personalized Gifts The Grocery Shrink is on my blog reader. Angela has tutorials for making lots of frugal, personalized gifts: some favs are here, here, or here.
Giving of your Time Why not bless a friend or a single mom with a couple hours to do her shopping while watching her kids? What about blessing a widow with an invitation to have dessert with your family? Could you help a friend clean her house before a big get-together? These ideas aren’t exactly pretty gifts wrapped up with gorgeous bows, but they sure are meaningful.
MEALS One of the best parts of Christmas is spending time with people you love. Oh, and lots and lots of eating. Wish I were pregnant this year so I could eat like it 🙂
Giving of your surplus Another benefit to my couponing habit is snagging steals on basics I’ll need for holiday cooking. This Christmas, I plan to cook more often for friends… hopefully that will translate to more dinner parties and more meals for families in need. Also, as I find steals on grocery items, I’m going to buy what I can afford within my budget and share.
Give of yourself It costs nothing but your time to help serve meals at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter. I am sure there’s a nearby ministry where you can invest in lives this Christmas. It is a beautiful way to teach your children the joy that comes from serving others. That’s a priceless gift to yourself too!
Thanks for the chance to share with you! If you have ideas to share or have questions, please leave them in the comments and I’ll do my best to respond.
Blessings, angela
Angela blogs about adoption and her family at A Seat at the Table
