
As I write this we are just a few days from December. Time to
Organize
Prioritize
Tell Your Children Lies (only about why you have all of those bags in your closet)
Here are a few fun things to do to enjoy this holiday month. The ideas are, of course, on the tightwad.
Get out your advent calendar, or make an advent calendar. If you are so inclined, get out your advent wreath and decorate with candles. Here are some instructions to make an Advent wreath.
Organize your shopping list. Time to write down what you have bought for everyone so far. I usually write a dollar amount next to my kid's gifts just to make sure I keep the amount I spend fairly the same. Hide this list where only you can find it.
Organize your commitment calendar. This is the time of the year when most parents schedule in at least one holiday performance of some type. Then, there are deadlines for gift giving like making sure you have teacher gifts, relative gifts, or friend gifts. If you are making gifts, schedule a workday to produce them. If you are shopping , schedule a shopping day-don't forget to write down the dates of craft bazaars you might want to visit to take care of this gift buying.
If you write Christmas cards get your list out and try to write 2 cards a day. Many people write ecards now that you can send for free at places like 123greetings.com.
Go to the library to check out some Christmas stories. If you have small children you may want to get enough books to read a story every night until Christmas Eve. If you don't have kids, find yourself a Christmas story to read. This time of year Christmas romances and mysteries hit the shelves in the stores so go find last year's book at the library.
Relax and watch a Christmas movie!
Plan a time to take your kids Christmas shopping. Teaching them how to give at Christmas and not just receive makes the holiday more fun for them and you. Give them a dollar amount and help them meet their budget. We have done a "matching funds" program to help them stretch their allowance money. This is a great time to beef up the chores to get some preholiday cleaning out of the way. Everybody benefits.
If you are missing someone this year, make a dish that they loved or cooked for you. I have for years tried to make my Grandmother's cinnamon rolls. I have to admit I still am not successful in making them just as she did, but it is fun to cherish her memory while I cook up another batch of hockey pucks. I think I would add to this list my dad's fudge, my uncle's divinity, my mother's potato soup, and my North Carolina Grandmother's biscuits. (Diets are for January)
As you are shopping, try to use cash or debit when you are in the stores. If you are online and about to checkout with that electronic basket, open a new page and google the store name and coupon code. You will very often find somebody somewhere has a code for you that take off the price or the shipping. It is worth the minute it takes to do it. Also don't be afraid to shop in drugstores. CVS and Walgreens both have products that will make you extra dollars at the checkout. You can use this store credit the next day or save it for the after Christmas sales.
Make a big pot of soup on tree/home decorating day. Let it simmer in the crockpot or on the stove while you work hard. At the end of the job your soup will be waiting so you can put your feet up, slurp and look at your beautiful house. (Don't forget a little Christmas music!)
Have a Merry and Blessed Christmas!
Tightwad Tess











