101 Ways to Save Time, Money and Sanity at Christmas
Here are my 101 hot tips for a super Christmas. Save money, get cheap and free gift ideas. Learn how to save on food and groceries and even get ideas on things to do over the holiday season. Enjoy and have a happy Christmas!
SHOP ONLINE
1. Become an associate and make money!
2. A chinese wholesaler that sells just about everything
3. Buy gifts at Ebay.
4. free items at the Freecycle website.
MAKE MONEY
5.Hold a garage sale and sell your junk. You'll start the new year de-cluttered too!
6.Sell your stuff on 6. Ebay or the auction sites mentioned in this E-book
7. Visit garage sales for quality items and then sell them on Ebay.
DECORATIONS
8, Cut up old toilet rolls into rings, spray them silver, dip them in glitter and string them up! You will also be saving the environment.
9. Suspend oranges with cloves strung up with ribbon. Smells nice on the tree!
10. A bag of candy sticks are a cheap tree decoration and edible! Yum!.
11. You can pick up tinsel and decorations at thrift shops real cheap!
12. Wrap up home-made biscuits in foil and hang them from the tree.. Use some glitter on the outside or get your children to decorate with coloured paper and glue.
13. Buy a fake Christmas tree from the Op Shop. Why pay full price?
14. Visit your local craft shop. There is a world of thrifty MYO decorations there!
15. Start recycling old food boxes and items. Get creative with spray paint & glitter!
16. Shredded paper from your office makes fabulous fake snow on a tree!.
17. Cut up junk mail into fine pieces colourful and 10. Earth-Happy paper tinsel.
SAVE ON CARDS
18. Send cards early in December to avoid costly postage.
19. Send e-cards. These are are Earth-Happy and much cheaper.
20. Use old food boxes to make your own cards.
21. Recycle Xmas cards sent to you pre-Christmas by cutting them up and 4. making them into little gift tags.
22. Paste wrapping onto food box cardboard to make little cards.
23. Scale down your Xmas card list to only your best friends.
24. Send a postcard if you must send a card. They are cheaper to post.
25. Recycle the cards you received last year by cutting off the front and making 8. them into postcards. Free and also cheaper to send!
26. Buy Christmas cards on sale in December for next year.
27. Buy Christmas cards at discount stores.
SAVE ON WRAPPING
28. Buy a big roll of butcher paper for the whole year and a bulk roll of ribbon. Red is good!
29. Find a florist supplier and buy tissue paper in bulk for the year.
30. Buy wrapping paper on Christmas Eve. It is hugely discounted.
31. Shop online at stores who offer free wrapping.
32. Shop at retail stores that offer a free gift wrapping service.
33. Use leftover wallpaper for wrapping.
34. Spray twigs, cones and leaves to dress up a present.
35. Use flowers from the garden instead of expensive bows and ribbons.
36. For big kid's presents use a pillow case and ribbon.
37. Use scrap material from sewing instead of cards or wrapping. Lovely!
THRIFT STORE - GIFT IDEAS
38. Funky lamps can really make a room sing.
39. Retro platters and kitchenware for the kitchen.
MAKE YOUR OWN - GIFT IDEAS
40. Make your own food hampers. Get ideas from online stores and magazines.Buy nuts, chocolate and snacks at cheap retailers.
41. Make your own boxes of Chocolates and create your own branding on a painted, recycled food box!
42. Make food gifts of homemade jam, baked bread, biscuits, candles, soaps, oils or butters. Include a recipe for a special touch
PRINTABLES
43. Google ?downloadables' online and print of MYO gifts.
44. Mums. Frame or journal the story of the day your child was born.
45. Make a forgetful relative a framed calendar of all your relatives birthdays!
PERSONALISED GIFT IDEAS
46. Make colouring books for children using clip art on your computer.
47. Make personalised address labels for someone in business.
48. Put together journals, family trees or diaries for family members.
EDUCATIONAL - GIFT IDEAS
49. Reference books make great gifts because they are so practical.
50. Books about your recipient's hobby are always well received.
51. Give web nerds software relating to their hobby. They will love you forever.
ART AND FRAMES - GIFT IDEAS
52. Personalise and frame pictures that suit places your recipient has visited, animals they love, and people they might admire.
53. Scrapbooking paper is gorgeous. Frame a piece for a trendy gift.
54. Frame old newspaper pages. These look fabulous and stylish on a wall.
ORGANISATIONAL - GIFT IDEA
55. Give self-help books such as motivational, success and inspirational books. These types of gifts keep giving all year and are life changing! Audio books are great too.
EARTH-HAPPY GIFTS
56. Buy a small plant. Give it in a beautifully wrapped pot.
57. Give a gift that supports a cause on behalf of your recipient.
58. Oxfam have fun and cheap ideas that save the world.
GIVE YOUR TIME OR AN EXPERIENCE
59. Pledge to clean someone's car.
60. Give time to a local charity instead of money.
61. Give one hour of your time offering your special skills to someone.
STOCKING FILLERS
62. Get free samples from cosmetic counters for stocking fillers. See website section.
GENERAL - GIFT IDEAS
63. A bottle of sparkling Champagne goes well for the ladies.
64. A six pack of beer wrapped creatively is a great present for a bloke.
65. Give your favourite cleanskin wine with a personalised brand label.
TOTALLY - FREE GIFT IDEAS
66. Give away your not so treasured items. For exampe, designer clothes you don't wear. Wash them up, make them smell beautiful and then wrap in tissue paper for a quality effect.
67. Don't buy for adults. Just buy for the kids.
68. Convert your credit card reward points into gift cards.
EARTH-HAPPY - GIFT IDEAS
69. A tree with an invite to plant it together, and a promise to repeat the tradition every year on the same day.
70. An eco-hamper to kick start a young greenie.
71. Donation on behalf of recipient. For example, buying a goat for a village.
SOME GIFT BUYING STRATEGIES
72. Give experience gifts rather than things. The memories are more last a lifetime instead of a day.
73. Get together, pool your money and buy each person a big quality gift instead.
74. Buy gift cards so your relatives can take advantage of bargains after Christmas.
BUDGETING AND SHOPPING TIPS
75. NEVER use credit at Christmas. Reduce your spend and be realistic.
76. Make a budget and make sure you stick to it.
77. Track your spending. Record every penny when out shopping. Keep a little notebook with you at all times to track your expenses or log purchases on your mobile.
78. Declare you budget. Tell friends and relatives you are on a budget.
SAVE ON GROCERIES
79. Get huge discounts by buying food on Christmas Eve.
80. Source local meat wholesalers. They often advertise in your local paper. You can save up to 50 percent on meat.
81. Leave the kids at home when Christmas food shopping.
82. Don't buy more than you need.
SAVE ON ALCOHOL
83. Go for wine bottles that offer 33% more if buying from general liquor stores.
84. If on a real budget buy bulk cask wine and decanter it into recycled bottles. A little sneaky but hopefully no-one will know the difference!
85. Stock up on cheap alcohol during non-holiday periods. It is cheaper.
86. Switch from white to red wine. People generally sip red slower.
HOLIDAY ADVENTURES - AT HOME
87. Rent DVDs or tape movies in December leading up to Christmas and watch them over the Christmas period with family or friends.
88. Play board games. Buy them at thrift shops or borrow them.
HOLIDAY ADVENTURES - IN THE GARDEN
89. Hold a garden party for one of those boring nights between Christmas and New Year.
90. Catch up on reading your favourite novel or magazines.
91. Clean up the yard together or get help with starting your veggie garden.
HOLIDAY ADVENTURES - IN THE COMMUNITY
92. Go for long walks to through local parks and down your main street.
93. Get some space. Go for a long walk everyday alone to stay refreshed and happy.
94. Meet the neighbours. Take them over some yummy home baking.
HOLIDAY ADVENTURES - IN YOUR LOCAL REGION
95. Research the opening hours of local attractions and visit them with family.
96. Go to free 91. Carols by Candlelight nights in your region.
97. Visit the beach for the day if you live near one.
SOME BONUS TIPS
98. Wrap pieces of Christmas cake in cellophane up for a quick and easy gift for unexpected guests.
99. Buy quality fairy lights that don't bust if one bulb does. Invest now to save later.
100. Tie items around a wire coat hanger worked into a circle to make a cool wreath. Use plants from the garden, ribbon, tinsel, candy canes and whatever else you might have on hand.
101. For kids give a lucky dip in a box. Get the child to pick out one card. On the card will be an adventure to a cheap local attraction. Give the gift of your time.
Visit www.tabletucker.com.au for more hot tips! Get Christmas E-books for just $5.00!
Penina Petersen is author of Penina Petersen is author of eco-smart cookbook Table Tucker and writes for magazines in Australia. She also runs a forum, chat room, online cooking school and online store. The tips above are snippets from Penina's Christmas Ebook Range priced $5 each:
1. Christmas Super Saver - 500+ Smart & Savvy Tips for a Super Christmas
2. Christmas Easy Menu - Menu & Shopping List for a Budget-Gourmet Christmas
3. Christmas Holiday Planner - The Ultimate Guide to Getting Christmas Sorted in a Snap!
Visit www.tabletucker.com.au for more hot tips!
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com
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