Nov 27 | Household Tips, Holidays, Organization
Here we are, week five of the 8 Weeks to a More Organized Christmas series. That means there are only 28 days left until Christmas! Hopefully you’re feeling a bit more organized than usual because you’ve been following along with the series?
We have a “rule” in our house. One that I actually grew up with so it sort of just stayed in place now that I have a home of my own. Christmas decorating (and Christmas music listening) doesn’t begin until December 1st. Maybe you have that same “rule” in your home? Either way, December 1st happens to be this week. Thursday to be exact. So that puts the focus of this 8 Weeks to a More Organized Christmas post on Christmas decorating! (I’m going to add in Christmas baking planning too since it’s nice to have a plan for all those parties and gifting opportunities.)
It’s easy to get carried away with Christmas decorating. After all, the stores are really good at displaying Christmas decorations juuuust right, so you want to buy them all.
This year, focus on decorating simply. Bring out only your favourite decorations. If you must buy something new, limit yourself to one or two things thing. Find contentment with what you already own. (Ahem, something I’m telling myself…)
Here are a few ways to decorate frugally for Christmas:
Buy Secondhand
Head to your local thrift stores to see if you can snag any good deals on Christmas decor, Christmas linens or even objects you can transform into holiday decorations!
Get your Craft on
Christmas is the perfect opportunity to get the whole family involved in creating some cute homemade decorations. Pinterest is full of family friendly craft ideas to help make your home more festive.
Shop the sales
Even before Christmas you can find some great sales on Christmas decor. There seems to always be some sort of Christmas light sale going on, especially at hardware stores. You might even find some clearance deals on last years stock!
How do you save on Christmas decorations?
Now for the baking. Start making a list of everything you want to make this year. At some point this week, purchase all your baking supplies so you’re good to go whenever you have a spare moment. When you start baking, make the items that can be frozen, first.
Here are some ideas from Simply Frugal to get you started:
Here is a free Baking List printable for you to download that should come in handy!
What will be on your Christmas baking list this year?
Nov 20 | Household Tips, Holidays, Organization
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!
Etsy also 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:
