I am beginning my 2011 Christmas planning. I need to lower the money spent on gifts, due to the additional number of grandchildren. I am on a retirement income. Any ideas?
By Linda Baker from Hendersonville, NC
I buy a certain amount each month. Some other ideas would be to buy them a movie pass, a gift card to a fast food place or a gift card to some place like WalMart. My grandkids love when they get gift cards to fast food places or WalMart. They range in age from 14-24.
I shop for my kids all year. I do it in three stages: 1) put aside$5 a week starting in January until about April, 2) as soon as they start becoming available I hit yard sale, garage sale and flea markets. I also keep my eye on the clearance racks in walmart & Rite Aid. I visit the occasional Goodwill & Thrift store as well, 3) I wrap the gifts and start giving them out starting with the first birthday in November, then December followed by Christmas and then the last gift for a birthday in January.
Start out with a budget. Decide early on how much you can afford to spend on each person. Then do just as "redhatterb" and "Suntydt" suggested and start hitting the garage sales, flea markets, etc. Keep in mind their individual passions and hobbies and just stop when you reach your per person budget limit.
Most of the "older" youngsters in our family know well that the adults try to equal out the dollar amount and not the number of presents and the younger ones don't understand the dollar amounts so are as pleased as punch just to get a bunch of silly, inexpensive, wrapped presents.
It's a good lesson for the older kids to learn that budgeting is part of the gift giving process and keeps the holiday more positively focused on the sentiment rather than the material treasures! Happy searching and shopping! :-)
Once a month check out sales, like for toys at a good price if the children are small enough for toys, maybe purchase 2 gifts if the prices are good.
In our family we drew names for the adults and set a small limit of $20. and for the 2 grandkids age 7 and 17 we bought gifts. I gave gift cards worth $25. to each one and a small gift to open. I am on social security this year and money is very tight.
Make a list of the children's name and ages, decide on how much you can spend for materials and then make age appropriate gifts. There are places on the internet to find directions to make building blocks, gift books, coloring books etc. For older children perhaps a handcraft, knit, or crochet a sweater, a scarf or a hat. Or find out what they need for storage and find an idea from the internet.
I don't know how many grandchildren you have but how about buying one gift a month. Like a book, or a toy. I don't know how old they are either. Also do you cross stitch, knit, or crochet if you do make them something.
How about recording tapes of you reading stories for the little ones? Used tape recorders show up often at the Goodwill.
My best advice is set a limit per child and stick to it no matter what. Its easy to spend a bit more on one gift and then play catch up with the other gifts, this is suicide to your budget.
If you are able to purchase any gifts on sale or with discounts, then use this as a bonus for yourself. Don't think if you paid half price you need to make up the money for that gift. The receiver will never know.
Also Goodwill has new items you can pickup for a "dime". Good luck.
My kids' aunt used money envelopes, $2 per child. It may not seem like much, but they loved the little treats they could buy with that money - usually McDonalds happy meals. :P
Oh. Linda. I could have written this request myself! I'm just like you, and older woman, not working, on a fixed pension, also single so no partner income to assist. I have five grandchildren under 6 years old, one great grandchild, and another due this year. Then there is also each one's birthday! I just a few days ago went shopping for s gift for one little man who will be two at the end of the month, and also purchased a'put away' gift for another little man who will be three in April.
So basically I shop all year around, getting something for each child, as. and when I can afford it, a book or a toy on sale, and Yes, I have bought gifts from second hand and thrift shops, They sometimes have brand new things donated to them, It can be a little embarrassing at times, I was shopping for a gift for the 2 year old mentioned and had a friend with me. She picked up a very cute toy. and said 'He would love this" probably. But I did not love the price, and had to look for something that fit into my budget.
Try to remember, as I do, that you may not have a lot of money to spend on them, but you do have a lot of love.
You can always make homemade cookies or candies. or make those gift in a jar gifts where you put the cookie or cake or whatever in a jar with instructions attached. Buy the dry ingredients a little at a time and put in a plastic tote so that its dry and air tight till you are ready to bake or put in jars.
I am on a budget and this past year my children have given me 4 grandchildren. Although I would love to buy them all expensive gifts, I just don't have resources. How do you grandmothers deal with the problem of lots of grandchildren and not a lot of money?
I'm not a grandma, but one grandchild out of 23. My grandparents always gave us each $10. It adds up to quite a bit, but it saves the hassle of finding a lot of gifts, and spending an exuberant amount! Another good idea that I would appreciate is start writing your life story. Give them what you have done by Christmas, and then pieces of it as you finish it for each special event. A third idea is write a personal letter to each one. As a kid, they may not appreciate or understand the significance, but when they are older it is something they will treasure forever - and it will make it so much more meaningful to know that they aren't "just another grandkid" but they as an individual are special to you!
Nicole
I would love it if my children's grandmas would read books they loved as children onto cassettes for my children to listen too. I also wish they would tape all those wonderful family stories that are going to be lost, and make a special family tree notebook. Even tape stories of how you felt the first time you saw the grandchild anf other times that were special for the two of you. If you feel like you must include more McDonalds gift certificate are inexpensive and kids LOVE em!
Yolanda
Homemade items! Mittens, scarves, blankets, cookies, or cross-stitch their names and put it in a frame. You might also consider McDonald's gift certificates or a "gold" dollar. How about making up a booklet of the story of your life, including pictures of you as a child? It would mean so much to them in the future.
Jann McClain - Abilene, TX
I am a grandmother on a budget. When the grandchildren started to come along we made the decision not to buy toys. I refuse to buy clothing because I hated getting that from my grandmother. So I make things. Brownies, crocheted items, etc. Throughout the year I pick up crayons, books etc. and have those on hand for little presents. If the children are older, gift certificates for a special night at
grandma's house might work.
Linda
depending on the age of the child. there are various ways to do something for each child. You could make a little pillow for them to lay of the floor and put thier name on them.
ages2-7 likes these. ages 7-14 send them a 10$ gift certificate to wal mart or K mart. they can buy what they want. for ages older than 14, I made a scrapbook for them with old pictures(which we all have a collection of many the same ones) like pictures of grandparents, g-grandparents, parents, themselves, brother/sisters, cousins and date of picture name of person and how they are related. It make a great ancestry background for them to go on. Seems everyone is tracing there background now a days. That makes a wonderful gift to them. Or give the children something of yours that you would like for them to keep and hand down thru the generations make sure it is dated and who it came from. I made tooth pillows for the tooth fairy for ages 4-8. Children love them I put a little hook on the back and they can hang it up on thier wall until they loose that tooth. then the tooth fairy can replace the tooth with money. without the hassle of trying to find the tooth when they are alseep. My 14 year old still has his after 11 years. and if the child is a christian, most churchs give bibles away, and a bible with a childs name in it(personalized) with some family background info in it is a wonderful gift to give.
I'm not a grandmother, but I have some ideas...
Homemade gift baskets....color books, crayons, markers, reading books, etc. (you can even print coloring pages form the internet.)
Craft baskets are fun too. (different color paper, markers, glue, scissors, pipe cleaners, eyes, pom poms, etc)
If your grandchildren live close enough, overnight coupons or afternoon coupons. include the things that you will do such as a lunch date-(either out to a restaurant or teach them how to make a lunch.), baking cookies, movie and popcorn, tea party, etc. I know my daughter has always loved doing things like this with grandma and she has learned to cook as well.
My grandmother had 13 grandchildren. We never got birthday or Christmas gifts from her. But every once in a while you would get a box from Gram and it would be full of gifts. It was always a surprise and that made it even more special. We each had our own crochet motif (mine was a butterfly). She would use up her bits and pieces of crochet cotton and crochet your special motif. Clothes were passed from grandchild to grandchild - but the rule was that your motif was sewn onto the shirt, dress, whatever when it was handed down to you - that made it "yours". My other grandmother opened a bank account for each of us - she added to it on each birthday or Christmas - it might only be a dollar or two but by the time college came around it was a nice sum.
Our grandchildren are college age. Buying them clothing is out of the question. Their tastes and ours are worlds apart. Our answer to occasional gifts is home made cookies and/or fruit in season. Each time they're home for a week-end or holiday. They take their "gifts" back to school and share with roommates. They seem to enjoy these treats and it's economical for us.
I am not a grandmother, either - but I have given my nieces and nephew Xmas presents for years when very broke. By starting in September and giving myself time to look around and pick up trifles on sale, and in thrift shops and so on, I usually had a nice variety by Xmas. I also love to give books and very often very nice ones can be found used - or at discounted at a book store like Barnes & Noble. And today we have Amazon, too!
