Thursday, December 3, 2015

Affording Christmas

Hi All!
I wanted to share with you some ways I'm affording Christmas on the lowest budget I've ever had.

1)Earning extra money with MySurvey.com. This is a Legit Company & really does pay you! It takes a few
   weeks to earn enough points to put towards a gift card & usually is in increments of $10 gift cards to Amazon, etc. You have opportunities to donate money through your points to Unicef also. I have already earned a $10 "gift card" in the form of a code emailed to me towards Amazon. I'm on my way to earning enough points to earn a $20 credit in my Paypal account next. I have ordered gifts for Christmas already with this extra money & it only takes me minutes a day per survey & they send you surveys constantly! I'm also earning more by referring friends & when they register, you get more points toward earning more money! It's really simple all! If it wasn't, I wouldn't participate.

2)Selling items on ebay & Craigslist. I have made a good amount of money selling items which, I, in turn then buy Christmas gifts with. I need to get rid of these items anyway & it's like extra money you're not expecting like a nice bonus from work or something like that....

3)Hubby donated blood through our local hospital & received 2 gift cards from it. $20 from a local grocery store(they decided to participate too, so nice) & a $20 Visa card. I, unfortunately can't donate blood, but so nice of hubby to. He does it often because he loves to give back, but he was rewarded this last time. You should consider it if you haven't already. It really can save lives & your local hospitals or the American Red Cross(hubby has gone through them too) always do a little promotion to return the gesture.

4)Making Homemade gifts with minimal investment. I do a few things. I make homemade goodies for my neighbors, Crafty items for one side of my family(I use Free Pallet wood for a lot of the crafts-Hubby & I are handy), a Gift Basket for my In-Laws(buying items through Job Lot, Dollar store, homemade goodies, and sometimes a small gift thrown in like a $5 classic movie(eg.:Movie themed basket),a Chocolate pie for my Sister-in-Law, Secret Santa($15 Max.amount) with our Book Club pals plus I usually throw in some dollar store goodies for a raffle we do(FUN!!)I do Lottery tickets for some relatives & small gifts for my parents that I start very early in the Fall buying. Starting Early helps a lot!

5)Taking Advantage of Super Cash through Old Navy(But Be Careful of hidden rules & don't overspend just to use Super cash), Black Friday deals(but only if something you're buying anyway. *Note: A lot of those Black Friday deals come back as it nears the Christmas deadline.

6) Lunch with some friends in January as a late gift to eachother. We also exchange homemade items with eachother. I have one friend who makes her own Amazing soaps, lotions, etc. & I make body butter, scrubs & may start my own perfumes soon(maybe:) )

7) Layaways that I start in September & October. If you're still lucky enough to have a Sears & a KMart near you, they have No Money down Layaways with not a lot of restrictions. Walmart has layway again but with restrictions, fees & it just doesn't seem worth it.

8)Dollar Stores for Stocking Stuffers!

These are some of the ways I save. With my children being older now(I have a College Student & a High Schooler), they understand the Value of money & are appreciative of less gifts with more value. Hubby & I only fill stockings & 1 or 2 gifts for eachother. We sometimes do homemade coupons for eachother too(Eg.: Free Massage for 1/2 hour or Free Movie of your choice Night). I Hope these ideas help. What are some of the Ways you save for Christmas?

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