It’s about this time of year when I really start to get excited about the Christmas season. I get a bit of an urge to turn on the Christmas carols and swap out my fall decor for some winter decorations. Also, have you seen Pinterest lately? This is the time of year when amazing Christmas stuff gets pinned!
Alas, it’s so easy to get carried away dreaming about all the projects you want to do. Adding too many crafts, baking and activities can be overwhelming!
Every year I struggle with wanting to make all sorts of neat things to feature on Simply Frugal. But the reality is, I have limited time with two very busy little girls underfoot and other responsibilities to deal with. So any project I do accomplish has to be simple and quick. Preferably something I can do in about an hour, including picture taking!
All this to say, you don’t have to pack your schedule full of Christmas activities, baking, crafting and shopping in order to have a festive and memorable season.
This is why I’m breaking down the steps to an organized Christmas by one task a week. It’s good to have direction and a plan in place! I know without a plan, I become quite scatterbrained! 😛 8 Weeks to a More Organized Christmas is about creating a more relaxed Christmas season with just the right amount of extra projects and activities.
Here’s this week’s task:
Order Christmas Cards
Now, I realize that many of you are not likely to order custom Christmas cards but for those of you that do, now is a great time to do so! Custom Christmas cards can take a while to arrive in the mail and if you want them to be sent out to friends & family in a timely fashion, I’d get on it this week. 🙂
Here are a few designs I love, along with some deals!
Vistaprint Canada has a great selection and currently offering their Christmas cards for up to 50% off for a limited time.
Shutterfly usually has some great coupon codes going that should save you a bundle on high quality cards!
Pink dot Design has a wonderful selection of Christmas cards!
Etsyalso has a ton of shop owners who create beautiful custom cards and templates!
If you aren’t the type to order custom cards you can of course buy a set of boxed cards and add a photo and a letter if you wish! That’s what I’ll be doing this year. I bought a box of cards last year on clearance so I’ll be sticking in our family photo and hand delivering to friends and mailing to out of town family.
This week along with ordering/buying Christmas cards, take care of these tasks as well:
buy stamps, envelopes, if necessary
write Christmas letter, if desired
put family photos inside, if desired
Do you send out Christmas cards each year?
Here are the posts in the 8 Weeks to a More Organized Christmas series so far:
**This year is going to look different for all of us. So while we may not be doing all the parties and events, there is still plenty to do!**
There are so many fun things to do throughout the Christmas season. Gingerbread house making, caroling, Christmas plays, cookie exchanges, dinner parties, Christmas light looking, craft making and even holiday movie watching. There is so much to do, there may not be enough time to do it all!
Why won’t you be able to do everything you want to do? Well, because there’s grocery shopping, laundry, dinner making and everyday life stuff that still has to happen!
This is where planning comes in really handy. After all, life is busy, and it’ll be hard to get the fun things on the schedule if you don’t plan ahead.
Here are the steps to take if you want to do a lot of fun holiday things this year:
Grab your Calendar
First of all, grab your calendar and mark down all the things you know will be happening regardless of the holidays. Doctor’s appointments, school activities, office parties…etc.
Talk as a Family
Next, you’ll want to gather the family to discuss all the activities each of you want to do. Sledding? Cookie decorating party? Christmas play watching? Brainstorm to your heart’s content. Make sure to write down all the Christmas movies you want to watch and even the crafts you want to do. (I have a cool Holiday Bucket List included in the Holiday Planner (only $1!) that’s available in the Simply Frugal store that should come in handy!)
Prioritize
Since there are likely more ideas than time, take a look over the calendar again and plan for the activities you can realistically accomplish. Even with the regular everyday life stuff added in.
Back to the Budget
Before you get carried away with grandiose plans, go back to your budget. What did you allot for fun? The case may be that you’ll have to save some activities for future years.
Fill in your Calendar
Now fill in your calendar with all the activities that you can set in stone. Buy those concert tickets and finalize plans with friends, then put them on the calendar. Make sure to allow for some quiet nights/days at home!
Holiday activities are supposed to be fun so don’t stress about doing everything. Just make a point of doing the things you want to do instead of wishing they would happen. Planning in advance will make the season more relaxing.
I’d love to know, what’s one thing you’ll be adding to your calendar this year?
Sign up for the 8 Weeks to a More Organized Christmas newsletter to receive a FREE Christmas Dinner Checklist! This checklist is quite detailed and will help you remember all the details needed for a memory filled dinner with family and friends. You’ll also receive a weekly email with each week’s “task”.
Here are the posts in the 8 Weeks to a More Organized Christmas series so far:
While I’m fairly certain that many of you are striving to live daily life more simply in terms of less stuff, less waste and less expenses, this series is focusing on simplifying the process of Christmas. Focusing on the organization aspect so that you don’t give too much of yourself in terms of finances or time.
Christmas can become a nuisance rather than a joyful, meaningful time if we’re constantly feeling stressed. This goes to say, I think the best way to have a more organized, more peaceful Christmas is to do your holiday tasks a little at a time. Tasks on our holiday to-do list can easily morph from fun to miserable when we’re too busy or wandering without a plan.
This week’s task is to plan your gift list.
It’s definitely not too early to plan your gift giving, especially if you plan on making some homemade gifts. Since you’ve hopefully planned your holiday budget already, you should know exactly how much money you have for gifts.
This week you should:
Write down all the names of the people you have to purchase gifts for
Add gift ideas for each person
Take a look at this year’s Simply Frugal Holiday Gift Guides that are available! I hope it will help you find a ton of great affordable gift ideas!
But for now, what’s the hardest part about gift giving for your family? What are your solutions?
Sign up for the 8 Weeks to a More Organized Christmas newsletter to receive a FREE Christmas Dinner Checklist! This checklist is quite detailed and will help you remember all the details needed for a memory filled dinner with family and friends. You’ll also receive a weekly email with each week’s “task”.
Are you excited to work your way to a more organized Christmas? Today marks the first day and task in the 8 Weeks to a More Organized Christmas series that I hope will be super helpful to you!
Before we get started, I have a whole bunch of printables and checklists for you to print out to help you along:
Alright, on to the first task, an important one. 🙂 This week, if you haven’t already, sit down with a hot cup of tea, coffee, hot chocolate… and create your holiday budget. This is what you think your holiday season will cost and will allow you to put limits on your holiday spending to keep you from shopping regrets if a credit card bill comes your way!
Here is an extensive list of things you should keep in mind when you create your holiday budget:
Gifts:
spouse
kids
parents
siblings
nieces/nephews
grandparents
neighbors
coworkers
friends
secret Santa gift exchanges
Activities/Events/Parties:
tickets
dining out
clothing
Food (not including regular groceries):
baking ingredients
dessert ingredients
Christmas eve
Christmas dinner/brunch
Boxing day
parties
Cards:
stamps
cards/envelopes
stationary for family newsletter
photos
Clothing:
outfits for photos
parties
Christmas day outfit
Decorations:
tree
lights
ornaments/candles/wreath/etc.
craft supplies
Giving:
charities
volunteering
Now, these suggestions are just a guideline. Every family is different and has different needs. My intent is to bring to mind every possible thing that could incur an expense during the holiday season. I’m sure many of you won’t even spend money on half of these things this year. Also, in my mind, the more planning you do, the more money you will save and the saner you will feel. 🙂
As for my family, we only buy gifts for immediate family and a couple of close friends. My husband and I only exchange stockings. I make some homemade gifts as well as collect credits throughout the year so I can do some online shopping for “free”. Of course, I search for deals too. I will probably buy a few inexpensive Christmas decorations this year. This year, I’m toying with the idea of having a cookie decorating party with the girls’ friends. I think that would be fun! As for any party that we are invited to, I like to bring some baking along.
But enough about us. 🙂
If after writing down your expenses, you’re scared of the number you see, you have two options: Decrease your expenses or increase your income.
Decrease your expenses
To make a happy holiday season, you really don’t need to spend a lot of money. In fact, I’m daring to say, that being extravagant in your spending can be overwhelming not only to you, but the recipient as well. When I was a child, one set of grandparents used to be quite extreme in their gift giving. It was SO exciting, but I remember being quite overwhelmed with all the gifts once Christmas was over.
Gift giving is probably the easiest expense to cut back on. If you have a large extended family, consider drawing names so each member is only responsible for one gift. Or do what our family does and only give gifts to the children. My parents have also started to set a $20 limit on each other in recent years. Jesse and I exchange stockings.
Setting a price limit on each gift will allow you to shop within that budget. If your limit on sister Sue is $30, then that $50 purse is off limits.
It’s possible to decrease your food budget too by shopping the sales and limiting the baking and Christmas dishes you prepare.
When it comes to decorations, why not create some memories by making some homemade decorations? (I’ll be featuring some ideas in a few weeks) Or read my Fond, Frugal Christmas Memory post for a fun Christmas tree idea.
Increase your Income
If decreasing your holiday expenses is not an option, then consider increasing your income. Many retailers hire for the holiday season (and may offer an employee discount!).
A couple of other ideas are to:
Sell extra baking to those that may not have much time to create their own.
Sell unwanted household items for cash (make room for new stuff too!)
What are your tips for staying on budget at Christmas time?
Sign up for the 8 Weeks to a More Organized Christmas newsletter to receive a FREE Christmas Dinner Checklist! This checklist is quite detailed and will help you remember all the details needed for a memory filled dinner with family and friends. You’ll also receive a weekly email with each week’s “task”.
Do you want to finally get your home in order? You may be finding that you still have a bit of extra time these days so it’s the perfect time to whip your house into shape!
The more I think about it, I really think that being organized is the key to saving money. Not only does my sanity thrive when things are organized in my home, I find our bank account is happier too. 🙂
Here are 6 ways being organized can help you save money:
Know what you already own
Having a spot for everything will help ensure that you know what you have on hand at all times. No need to buy the beans that are on sale because you know that you already have plenty in the pantry! Being organized (or more organized because we can’t be perfect!) stops you from spending money to replace items you can’t find.
You’ll avoid late fees
When you have an organized system in place for paying bills and returning borrowed items on time, you’ll certainly avoid the ugly late fees. Avoid paying late fees by implementing a system that will work for you. I have to tell you a story about the one time I had a late fee on the Visa bill. My bill paying “system” is not how my husband would do it and he suggested I try it his way. His way was to pay off an amount as soon as there was a balance. My way is to pay it once a month on the due date, the balance of the statement in full. As soon as I receive the statement in the mail, I log into our online banking and schedule the payment to be made on the due date. Sure, it may be a larger amount doing it my way, but I’m never late in paying it! My husband has learned to just let me do my thing in that regard. 😉
Have time to plan a menu
When you’re organized, you’ll have time to set aside to plan the menu for the week. I’m a firm believer that having a menu plan in place will save you unnecessary trips to the grocery store and your sanity. In our case, it saves us a ton because we’re avoiding the drive thru and actually eating what we buy from the grocery store.
Have time to cut and use coupons
If you’re a coupon user, being organized means you most likely have some time set aside for printing and organizing your coupons. Which also means you are probably organized to use the coupons at the store to pay rock bottom prices!
Know what projects you have on the go
Let’s pretend that I don’t know all about incomplete projects. (you know, those unfinished sewing and knitting projects that I found…) Every once in a while I get an urge to do something creative. But when I take the opportunity to have an organizing session, I usually discover a few unfinished projects.
Most recently, as I was going through my fabric stash, I found two unfinished projects. A purse, which only needs to have the handles sewn on, and material for a sweatshirt I’ve cut out for my husband. I now have two projects to finish to satisfy my creative urge without spending any more money!
Buy gifts well in advance
When you’re on the ball with upcoming special occasions, you can buy ahead when you find a great deal online or in the store. Helping you to avoid paying full price for something near your deadline.
How does being organized save you money? In what ways would you like to be more organized so you can save more?
