Cutting back on Christmas spending this year

I thought it might be a good idea to post ideas for gifts that are inexpensive. I have made a few Christmas gifts in years past, but, since I've already given these particular gifts and my family members already "have one", I need new ideas!

I will start with the ideas of gifts I have given in the past:

I made family wreaths for each of my kids (grown). What I did was, buy a nice size wreath at the craft store, purchase inexpensive small frames at the dollar store (or wherever I could find them), made copies of baby pictures of my kids when they were little, family picture, pics of the grandbabies, etc. and framed each one - wired each framed photo onto the wreath, put in some berry sprays or whatever, and a 20 count string of white lights and some ribbon. Then I sprayed them with spray glue and sprinkled with the white snow stuff. Also, I put a few blank frames with Christmas card fronts so that they could add pics from the inlaws (who I did not have pics as children) and new baby pics as appropriate.

They were darling! My daughter in law actually cried when I gave them their wreath!

I also made a similar thing for my mom - I made her a Grandchildren tree - because she has too many grandchildren to get all their pics on a wreath. I just purchased a small, prelit tree from Wal - Mart, and basically, did the same thing - framed pics of all the grandchildren and children, glued ribbon to the back of the frames - hung them like ornaments, added some ribbon and some berry sprays. It was beautiful and she has used it every year since, because it is small and she can put it together herself - without much work.

I will post more ideas in a little bit, but, I need other ideas from all of you - because, how many memory or family wreaths can you give . . .

• Cutting back on Christmas spending this year - inexpensive gifts?
  • Christmas this year. - wannie
  • I love your ideas. I'm glad your family does too. - You can't put price on such loving gifts.
  • Crafty Christmas - jss
  • We skipped it entirely last year, and THIS year? - I probably won't even get out of bed.
    • The year without a Christmas? - so sorry for you -- :(
      • Actually, it was a relief. Family spread all over the country, - no small kids, and the whole - sm
        • Okay, I feel better now -- - not as sorry for you
        • Last year I said same thing, Christmas is for children. SM - Cece
  • Love the "family tree" idea! My lists inside......... - LMT
  • we are closing on a house next month and mortgage - is almost double our rent so we...
    • Congrats to both of you new homeowners - In the process of building myself
    • Same here - closing on house end of next month - Christina RTMT

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Was it that bad financially?  Christmas is not supposed to be about gifts; it's about spending it with your loved ones and celebrating the religious aspect of it.  Money or not, we celebrate it every year.  It really saddens me that you feel this way.  Please share your situation, maybe we can come up with some suggestions to help. 

...yep, I'm feeling sorry for myself.  I didn't receive a single Christmas card or gift.  My only child and I decided to forego gifts for each other and just concentrate on providing gifts for my granddaughter.   A friend said she would call last week and we'd go to lunch, but I never heard anything else from her. Makes me realize I really have no friends and am not worth remembering.  Just a card would have made me feel better.

On top of that, I fear I'm going on such thin ice with both of my part-time jobs that I'm afraid every day I go in, I'll be called into the supervisor's office and fired.  I just can't keep up with the transcription as well as the other part-time person has done.  I'm in debt--really have not had a good-paying job in 2 years and things have built up on credit cards.  I used to think I was pretty intelligent--but now have doubts about that, even.  I'm ashamed about my predicament and have avoided people for over a year, so I'm sure that's part of my isolated feeling.  What can I do?

Christmas is next week.  Got pix of the family to put in the cards, and tons of Christmas cards from last year's Christmas sales.  Every day, I say, I will do these cards.  At least to grandma and grandpa on both sides.  Every day, I put it off.  DH got a roll of stamps and he has the cards sitting on his nightstand with pix, he has not done any either. 

Thus far we got several newsletters from people, saying they did this, they did that, they celebrated this birthday, their kid did this and that.  We don't plan to do a newsletter this year, b/c it seems to me these newsletters sound so self-centered! They are not even from family members, they are from DH coworkers and such.

My friends send me e-cards pretty much or we chat over the I-net.  We send holiday greetings and catch up that way.  My son will be getting grandma and grandpa's on both sides presents the end of the week, and I think I will just put the pictures in the packages when I send and forget about the cards.

This is really sad.  Years ago, Dec 1 we'd get a bunch of cards and have ours sent out.  Different colors of ink on the envelopes, red and green, holiday stamps, it would be so fun.  All the cards we'd get my dad or I would put on a board in shape of a tree and we'd put it on the wall. 

Now, it seems with snail mail, and so many other worries about cutting budget, finding enough work, I am not in the mood to write cards.  Maybe it will become a thing of the past, and the boxes of cards will accumulate dust in the top of the closet.

Anybody else in this predicament? Thanks in advance for sharing your card stories.

for occupational therapy assistant this fall at age 69.  Was thinking about coding certificate as I used to do a lot of coding in the clinics I worked in over the years but after reading your more recent work history coding posts, think not;-)  Actually decided on the occupational therapy so I could join a hospital to be a play therapist in pediatrics with positions offered at local hospitals.  Figure the kiddies will think I am like their grandmother;-)  You are never too old and I just checked into FAFSA and evidently I make so little doing MTing for a clinic part-time and a national part-time, I even qualify for some grants.  Go figure.  I didn't mind doing MTing when I started doing this 14 years ago - can't stand it now.  Didn't burn out, just wondering why we are paid so little for the experience, education and responsilbility needed for this job. 

You gals, get it done now, never give up or think you are too old.  You can't put a price tag on a good education and a job you enjoy going to.