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2010 Christmas Challenge

31K views 785 replies 66 participants last post by  piney 
#1 ·
No time like the present!! :)

I will admit that Christmas is the one time of the year that I like to be a little extravagant. But I am bad about not saving up for it (or buying presents early when they are on sale).

So this challenge is for all of us procrastinators. Specifically, my personal challenge is to have $500 saved by next Christmas AND to have all my presents bought and ready to wrap by the end of November. I'd like to be better about getting gifts ahead of time, when they are on sale; looking for good bargains; generally, being more ready, so I don't drive out in a panic on December 23rd, looking for gifts. :)

I'm going to start by counting the money in my change jar. That will be my first deposit into the Christmas 2010 fund! :)
 
#2 ·
Mahalo madhen for getting us going for next year!! I am using the 12 days of Christmas approach - saving $72 every month to use for 2010 Christmas.

Think I am also going to use our Banks automatic Christmas Club to save for our airline tickets which are always a big chunk of our Christmas budget!!
 
#5 ·
I'm hoping to repeat this year as it worked well. Our Christmas club for 2010 was started in Oct as always. I'll pick up 'filler' at garage sales/thrift stores like this year. Games/puzzles/odds&ends are always useful. I'll make something for everyone again and scour for used books. All that is reasonable and then I can buy each kid one special item. I can't really do that ahead since they don't ever know what they would like.
 
#6 ·
I don't really exchange gifts with anyone, but you are all an inspiration for planning ahead in general.

This doesn't mean I don't spend a good bit at Christmas. I can be very generous to myself LOL! I should take a negative approach -- just stay off Amazon.com next November and December. I should go write that in my calendar.
 
#28 ·
I'm so in...goal of $500 next year if I can - this should include all wrapping, shipping if necessary, xmas cards & postage, gas $ for travels AND baking ingredients. I plan to do something homemade next year - treat and small gift. Plus I think our family agreed to the White Elephant type of gift exchange for next year - easier on all of our budgets.



Who says you can't be your own secret Santa? You'd be the BESTEST gift giver of all! :)

I like it. :) I'm thinking it would be cool to start with something like a silver dollar, so there would be a prize in the middle. :)
That's a great idea!! or maybe a wadded up bill!! I like your creativity!!
Just hope the recipient is aware that there is a prize in the middle or else they may just toss it out figuring they may not need that many rubber bands! Only us frugalites would shove it into a drawer 'just in case' lol.
 
#7 ·
Great plan Joyofsix!! Must admit that I try to stay away from yard sales since I LOVE to buy treasures!! Some areas I am very weak in!!

One thing that I usually don't do is to keep track of what I spend on Christmas - and this year I am going to track for sure.
 
#9 ·
Great plan Joyofsix!! Must admit that I try to stay away from yard sales since I LOVE to buy treasures!! Some areas I am very weak in!!
I don't think it counts against you if you are buying treasures for someone else. ;)
 
#8 ·
One thing that worked well for me also was buying stocking stuffers year-round. I put them in a drawer as I bought them (called it my Christmas drawer) and when it came time to fill stockings this year, I was surprised at how much I had found throughout the year! Some of it was even Freecycle items that I just thought my family members would like! Stocking stuffers are great, because they are relatively cheap and you can wrap them, so there are plenty of things to unwrap at gift-time. :)

Also a big hit this year: lottery scratch tickets in the stockings. Although I bought $20 worth (to split between 5 people) and only one ticket came up a winner at a whopping $3.00, it kept the guys busy for about half an hour, scratching tickets, reading directions, figuring out how to do second chance....overall, worth the entertainment investment. :)
 
#10 ·
Love getting the stocking stuffers year round - tickles my fancy - is more frugal and fun!! I ended up with a huge bin full this year - need for 8 stockings!! This year I want to make more for the stockings - starting with rubber band balls for all!! Okay so I will be open for stocking stuffers to make all year round!!
 
#12 ·
I'm sure it is. From what others have said, just take a marble or ball made from aluminum foil and then start adding rubber bands. Our Office Max sells them - for like $5. Think it will be more fun to make!!
 
#14 ·
That's a great idea!! or maybe a wadded up bill!! I like your creativity!!
 
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#15 ·
I'm collecting cute coffee mugs this year to do mug desserts for my coworkers for Christmas 2010. I need to do 30-32.

I decided to make quilts for all of my immediate family members for 2010, depending on their sleeping arrangements. (1 Queen size for ds and dil), (1 twin for grandson), etc.

I'll be doing alot of clearance shopping for gift basket materials.
So far a pizza basket, a few movie baskets (nieces loved theirs with the throws included this year), and a foot bath/pampering basket.

I'm also going to put away $50 per month, for the later items I will have to buy. I already started the envelope using some of my own Christmas cash from a gift.
 
#26 ·
I'm collecting cute coffee mugs this year to do mug desserts for my coworkers for Christmas 2010. I need to do 30-32.

.
Make friends with a teacher! I have about 6 mugs sitting in my basement ready to go to the donation box. We get so many mugs each year! I'm sure you can get some donated to you!
 
#16 ·
i've been thinking that magazine subscriptions for x-mas 2010 would be a good purchase...(if i can get them for the prices i saw this year....) i kept getting e-mails from amazon.com advertising them for $5 each--and they were good popular mags too)...but of course i had already purchased everything....when you think about it though 12 months of a mag for $5 is an awfully good deal and its the 'gift that keeps on giving'....
 
#18 ·
oh no...there in lies the beauty of the whole thing (besides the price)....if you gave me just 5 minutes to decide for the entire family i guarantee i could do it and everyone would be pleased.....(except for my in-laws...they would require 5 mins of their own coz they already get tons of them).....
 
#19 ·
Magazine subscriptions sound great!!.... and here's the selfish part - would it satisfy my need to create? Personally i would love getting magazine subscriptions!!
 
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#20 ·
Oh a pizza basket is a good idea and not too expensive. I also need to put away some money for 2010 christmas. Not sure the amount yet this year i know i spent less than $150.00. I love the idea of picking up stocking stuffers all year i may expand on that this year. I think i am still leaning towards food gifts for 2010.

I have made a rubberband ball and I think i spent under $2.00 for the rubberbands.
 
#21 ·
I just ordered 2 cones (16oz each) of multicolored Christmas cotton yarn for my scrubbies nad dischclothes for next Christmas. Could not find any around here and I really want to get started!!

The ones I am working on now, I will use for Easter gifts - just need to figure out what I am going to use for HM baskets!!
 
#22 ·
I also started my Christmas club back in Oct. I've managed to sock away 75.00 I would like to join this challenge I'd like to beat what I did this year.I bought for 47 people and spent 275.00 I had to buy a few last min things for DH or it would of been 250.00.
This thread will be an inspiration for me.
 
#23 ·
I usually do fine for Christmas. I pick up gifts year-round and hide them away. The kids are always thrilled.

This year, however, where my Christmas finances fell apart was between dh and I.

Christmas was almost here and I only had a few things for him and he had nothing for me. Despite the fact that I always tell him differently, he always feels the need to spend a lot on me. Don't get me wrong...I love what he gets, but I don't love the bill afterward, as I planned so far and so hard for everything else.

This year he got me a Flip video camera, which I love and will definitely use. However, yikes when the Amex bill comes in January. I bought him a drill, because his old one finally died. Again, needed, but expensive.

So, I need to make sure I have some solid cash put away for this type of buying. I'm totally in. :)
 
#24 ·
I set up a separate savings account in my ING acct for Christmas, so it will be a bit more challenging than a Christmas Club acct, because I have access to it. But it also allows me to pull from it if I find a present in June that I want to use for Christmas. :)
 
#25 ·
AmyBoz, I feel your pain. :) I bought my BIL a hammer-drill, because my sister said he REALLY wanted one but couldn't afford it. Spent more than I intended on him, as I had already picked him up a $25 Lowe's card, but they had a rough year, and they have a couple of rentals, and he does all the handyman work on them and on their home, so I figured it was something he needed more than something he wanted, and it was worth it.
 
#27 ·
Count me in! I plan to set up a Christmas account at the credit union when I go back to work in January. My friend and I are going shopping tomorrow to pick up reduced Christmas stuff that I give to co-workers; picture frames, candles and what-not. I should start a little notebook to keep in my purse to write down things I pick up for people throughout the year. I really like the idea of stocking stuffers throughout the year. Off I go to think of a good storage system for my preparedness!
 
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#30 ·
I was just talking with hubby during our last business meeting that I would like to start a Christmas item in our budget. I am taking out $15 each week. That way, I will have cash available when i see gifts on sale and will be able to only spend CASH. This year, I used my debit card A LOT. Although, this is the second year that I have not charged ONE thing and we will have no financial hardships from all my shopping! Pretty successful!
 
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