A Homemade Christmas Gift: Hot Chocolate on a Stick

I’m pretty giddy with excitement over this homemade Christmas gift idea!
Such a neat twist on the usual powdered hot chocolate mix. I think the recipient will feel extra special receiving this 🙂


I’m pretty giddy with excitement over this homemade Christmas gift idea!
Such a neat twist on the usual powdered hot chocolate mix. I think the recipient will feel extra special receiving this 🙂

The 8 Weeks to a More Organized Christmas series started yesterday, but I wanted to make a separate post with the downloads I made available to you!
There are three different packages to download. The first being blank checklists that you can personalize with your very own things you’d like to get done. The second is a set of checklists with some suggested things to get done each week leading up to Christmas. The third is a Holiday Planner that is the Simply Frugal store!
Simply Click on each image to access the downloads! I hope they’re useful to you!
The Holiday Planner is available for $4.97 and includes 7 useful printables that will ensure you have an organized holiday season. There’s also a bucket list that will help you get all the sightseeing, craft making, movie watching and whatever else tickles your Christmas senses. 🙂

Do you still have some Thanksgiving leftovers to use up? Check out these 7 recipes that use Thanksgiving leftovers in the most recent Yummy Mummy Club newsletter!
What are your favourite ways to use up Thanksgiving leftovers?

Many Canadians go into debt each year to give gifts to those they love for the holidays. Now that the damage is all done, and if you’re one of those people, it’s time to take a serious look at what needs to be payed off. You will need a plan and I’m here to help you with that!
Check out these tips for getting out of debt after the holidays:
Before you can tackle the debt you created, you will need a total. Gather up all of your credit card statements or loan amounts to see what the grand total is. Try not to beat yourself up when you see the total. 🙂 So you got a little caught up in the season… now is the time to get back on track financially.

After you know how much money you’re owing from the holidays, it’s time to create goals to get the debt paid off. For example: “By May, we want to have $300 of our debt paid off.” Your goals should adequately reflect how much debt you are in. Of course, you’ll want to be out of debt way before next Christmas, so this doesn’t happen again!
If your current budget is being taken care of by your income and there’s nothing leftover, making extra money might be your next step. There is so much extra work you can pick up even after the holiday season is over. Consider shoveling snow or even working part time at the mall. Or perhaps you could try selling some of your unwanted/unneeded stuff!
As I mentioned earlier, without a goal in mind for next year, you will be in the same place each time with debt. It’s important to create a goal for Christmas earlier in the season. Set an amount of what you want to save and go from there. If you can swing it, start saving weekly or each time you get paid. It makes a lot more sense to save cash now rather than use credit later. (In other words, credit is for cash you may not have!)
It’s one thing to use credit cards and to get into debt over the holiday season, but it can be detrimental to your family’s income if you continue on this path. Your best bet is to use cash from here on out. You can even put cash in envelopes to keep yourself from spending above and beyond what you budgeted for. Cash is always your friend when budgeting and spending.
Do you have any tips for getting out of debt after the holidays? I’d love to hear them!

Karen from Abundance on a Dime has two great recipes for last minute gifts! Cracker Toffee (pictured above) and Chocolate Barks! Yum!

Have you got an expectant mom on your list? How about a recipe for Belly Butter from Keeper of the Home?

Cookie Dough Truffles…yes please! Don’t they look delicious?

Here’s a great idea for a kid’s gift! Gingerbread playdough from The Idea Room!

These snack bags from Angry Chicken would be a breeze to sew! Maybe you could fill them with some treats?
This is so pretty! For the tea cup and candle lover on your list!
This just looks divine! Tidy Mom has a recipe for Cinnamon Honey Butter!

Today’s homemade Christmas gift idea is perfect for a last-minute gift! Create a thoughtful candle gift this idea that includes a cute printable tag from Lil’ Luna!