How To Save Money This Christmas

Times are tight for everyone this Christmas and there are a lot of ideas out there to help you save money.  You could:

• Choose Secret Santas when you gather with your family for Thanksgiving so that you're just giving a gift to one person and not the whole family
  
• Save money on postage and making or buying cards-- send an e-card.  There are a lot of websites that offer free holiday e-cards.  To personalize it you can go to sites that will allow you to upload your family's pictures to incorporate into the e-card. One of my favorite sites for personalized cards is Jib Jab.  You can add all the heads from your family members and even include a personal greeting.  Sometimes you have to pay a small fee to personalize and send a card, but you can send it to as many people as you want. Here is an example of one of their holiday cards starring... ME!! :o)
  

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

• Make your own gifts.  For great ideas on Christmas gifts you can make, head over to Just A Girl's "I Can Make That" party.  

Here's something I made for my cousin who is in primary school.  We live 7 hours from each other so we miss out on doing fun things together.  Something I've always wanted to do with him is mix up all of those fun science experiments I used to make back when I taught kindergarten.  I'm not sure if my students had more fun or if I did.

I made this Ooooey Gooooey Science Experiment kit for him so that he could do some exploring and learning while having fun with his parents.  I just love bonding educational gifts!!

Click HERE for this label

 

I had to put his name on it.  What child doesn't like seeing their name printed on things?

It's filled with everything (except the water) he'll need to mix up three gooey experiments including the recipe cards.

I'm really going for a green themed Christmas this year.  I'm either gifting people with reusable gifts or I'm reusing something to make the gift.  So for this gift I reused a paint can, an olive jar (for the starch) and a sprinkles jar (for the Borax). 

 Click HERE for the recipe cards for Silly Putty, Gak and Flubber

I had to put a caution label on the Borax.

Another idea is to add cookie cutters and straws to play with.

I hope he'll enjoy it as much as I did putting it together.  :o)