Christmas Shopping on a Budget

Not the first to admit that I hate shopping for Christmas presents and I'm sure I won't be the last. I don't like wrapping paper, and gift bags are the best thing ever invented. I'm 75% sure that I'm one of those moms that puts things off until a few weeks prior to Christmas before actually going to get the stuff that I should have already purchased. I am not one of those amazing women that have shopping done in June. I actually do know some people that have their shopping done by February by catching all of those awesome sales that they have it every freaking the store following New year's!

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that stores and online sales are insisting

that Black Friday starts 3 weeks prior to the actual Black Friday and continues all the way through Christmas. Heaven forbid they stick to one single day. Of course that would rule out all of the other holidays that stores have sales such as, on President's day or Memorial day... Not that those two days have anything to do with shopping for presents or anything at all shopping related whatsoever. Sales promotions driving me nuts, therefore I honestly try to avoid shopping all together.

Let's get straight to the point. you want to know where to save money and I'm going to tell you where I get my best shopping on. Yes, you can get some great sales at Wal-Mart, but do you really want to deal with that? And yes, you can get some unbelievable sales online on cyber Monday, but I'm totally anti-box/shipping right now because so many people are losing jobs. So I am forced to admit that I am a value shopper to the extreme. Moms, believe it or not your little ones will not remember what you got them from the store when they were itty bitty... So you can take them with you!

My go to stores, when holiday shopping is forced upon me, starts with Ross. I absolutely love that store. First to hit up then makeup and accessories section. They have so many cool stocking stuffers in knickknacks that you can give to Mom, teen daughters, and even teachers if you really like them. Then you head straight to the back! You will find anything from pictures to hang on a wall that you know what your friend really needs, or the really cute puppy stuff bed your grandmother wants. they have so many awesome kitchen things for that brother-in-law that lives in the kitchen! And of course, there is everything you can possibly shove in a gift bag at the last minute close to the register. Most of this stuff is mid to high quality products and no one will know the difference.

You can pretty much do the same thing at places like TJ Maxx and Marshalls! The prices might be a little bit higher, but you can always find something amazing like a really cute purse for your sister or your cousin. 

Now when it comes down to being Santa, don't be that Mom that thinks she has to buy everything. It is not a competition. You do not need an entirely new collection of toys. You just got rid of some of the old ones and you're still dealing with birthday ones that you regret you bought in the first place.

One of the best places besides the dollar store (this includes Family Dollar, Dollar General, Family Dollar, etc) where you really need to check for the basics like candy canes and all of the candy stuff involved... Five Below is a must. There is so much stuff in there that you can literally find something for everyone. Grandpa needs a new book, there are tons and tons and tons and tons of toys/activity sets, home decor, and trust me when I say that they are fully prepared for Christmas presents. They are stocked in the candy department as well. You might even find a fun movie to throw in on your Christmas Eve quality time or find a really cool witty t-shirt for a party you have to attend.

Target has their cheaper stuff up front when you first walk in, which is great, but there's a huge section in the back that is dedicated to stuffing those stockings. I'm never really thrilled about the prices on some of the stuff, but you can usually find something if you're in a bind. And don't forget that there is a 20% off coupon on most toys. You can scan it with your phone in any toy isle.

Last but not least, JCPenney does cram tons of stocking stuffers in the isles. There's always an

awesome amount of $3.50 t-shirts for boys that have really cool themes anywhere from Star Wars to throwback TV shows and heavy metal bands. This might work for brothers as well.

So tell me! Where do you go shopping? I always encourage my friends and family to shop local, but sometimes it just isn't in the budget. You have to shop cheap. I get it. So what is your secret? 

Your Kids have TOO MANY TOYS! Now What?

Your kids have too many toys. Your friends have told you. Your neighbors have told you. The babysitter has told you several times. What's stopping you from doing something about it? Ah, yes. The crying and screaming that you don't want to deal with is the reason your home is in complete chaos and you can't walk across your kid's bedroom without stepping on something. Let's work on NOT having a sharp pain under your foot for a while, shall we? Here are some steps you can take to clean it out!

Step 1. The first thing you need to do is stop adding to the collection of JUNK that seems to end up

under the bed... or even your bed for that matter. You do not need to buy a toy every time you step into Target just so you can go shopping in peace. If you're having a problem breaking that habit, give the kids their own shopping list. It'll give them a responsibility as well as keep you on track. Let's save you some money while you're at it!

Step 2. Talk to your friends and relatives. Let them know that you are clearing things out. They might have some ways to help "make things disappear" or they will at least know that they don't need to add to the collection any time soon.

Step 3. Give them the opportunity to pick out what they want to lose first. You can get creative with this, too. You can put out some boxes with labels that show whether the child wants to sell it (garage sale! Let them keep the money!), donate it to children that don't have toys, or toys that are broken and need to hit the trash can. This can amazingly cut that pile in half.

Step 4. Pack up half of what's left in storage tubs. They can pick what goes in them to play with later, because it's time to rotate. If your child has too many options, they lose imaginative skills. They need to be creative with what they have! You can switch them out every six months, which gives you another opportunity to clean out the newest junk.

Step 5. This may be hard at first, but you can tell your child(ren) that if you find a neglected toy where it doesn't belong, it goes in a donation box. Basically, "It's mine. You lost it when you decided not to take care of it." It hurts at first, but eventually they'll catch on.

Step 6. If you really want to get creative about it, and if you are friends with moms that have kids near the same ages, you can put things into a trade box. Each kid has to put several toys in a box so they can choose one "used/new" toy out of a friend's box. This way, they may be losing a bunch of toys, but they get something else to play with. Take what's left to a facility that helps foster children!

Next thing you know, you have managed to get rid of at least a fourth of the junk that's taking up so much space. You won't hear "I"M BORED!" quite so often. The only project left will be to show your children how to keep what they have organized. Unfortunately, this is a "lead by example" situation. Have them help you organize a room that you've been ignoring, and in turn, help them organize. It won't happen overnight, that's for sure. But either decide to take action, or keep stepping on toys. Your choice!

NOW GET ORGANIZING!