Anyone on a low budget X-mas this year?

[Kuntry Klucker]

Quote:
That sounds like it will be a really nice Christmas. Sometimes when you take out the gifts and just spend time together those are the best Christmases.

 

[featherfinder]

I know my mom keeps making a comment to the family about moving christmas to February so we will all be better off finacially. Its been a rough year and from what it sounds like its been rough for alot of people. I know my family is just doing small gifts all around and then a family dinner after. I always look foward to the family dinners!

 

[202roosterlane]

Oh yes! I normally spend $2000.00 on 3 grand kids, 2 sisters, 3 parents, husband, 4 grown children, 1 in-law. That's 14 people, decorations and a meal. I think this year I am going to try and do it on $1,000.00 or less. I have been doing shopping all year as I find things on sale or clearance. Same great item, ya know, just on sale! I have this closet I stack things appropriately by person. By the time Thanksivings Day is here, I am done and wrapping them. I am glad for it when I am watching the 6 o'clock news and they say people were running over each other for the Black Friday sale at 3 am or the interstates are completely shut down because excessive holiday traffic. That's when my hot cocoa tastes best and my husband understands why I buy Christmas gifts all year long.

 

[kuntrygirl]

I'm opting - OUT. Won't be buying any Christmas presents. Too expensive and I live too frugal.

 

[jerseygirl1]

Quote:
Yup, you and me both

 

[ladyride]

Our Christmas tradition since mom died : Christmas eve we all get together at my house around lunch time we have a day of playing with the critters , chatting with each other just in general catching up on each others lives. We used to go to Outback for dinner now I live way out in the country an hour from restaurants, so we have like a 4th of July cookout nontraditional meal as everyone gets tired of the usual holiday fare. Once dinner is over we play games, every year we buy a new one we all want to play or think will be fun. At this point we have quite a collection of games. When the kids can't take it anymore we open gifts, the kids get A gift they really want. My sister & I have usually spent the better part of the day making some kind of rich, decadent dessert. We generally continue to play a game til about midnight. I always have to work Christmas day & my sister has Christmas with the in-laws.
There is no tv, ps, x-box we enjoy each other spend real time with each other. I know this may not sound like fun to some but for us it is the richest of times even the kids look forward to. They get undivided attention from the adults we learn about them they learn from us. The youngest who is now 11 has said more than once that she loves coming here in the summer & x-mas cause we do things the kids like to do. They have been enjoying things even more since we moved to country the get out & explore all kinds of things. We don't have ps or x-box we do have cable with movie channels, they do have their computers & games they play with them they just don't usually play them here.
They find so much more to do outside as long as it is not raining. Last Christmas it snowed neither of the nieces had never seen snow so we made a snowman threw snowballs, had a ball, let's not forget the hot cocoa.
I have been asked how do I get by having such a low tech x-mas ?? We all like the fun we can get into with each other.

 

[EKC Farms in the desert]

Maybe the question should have been- who isn't on a low Christmas budget this year??

I have been trying to make a lot of gifts this year. I only really buy for husband, sister, and mother/father. I make cookies for all my close friends. Every one else just gets a card and an ornament.

 

[Tanichca]

Us. With 10 kids, its always a low-budget Christmas. We each get one "Santa" gift and one "Mom and Dad gift." Not including the stuff from our single aunt and our grandparents, but usually we get one gift from them each. But that doesn't matter, we have each other, we have a great meal of tamales and horchata, music, movies, and the Annual Christmas Hike.

 

[oesdog]

DH and I threaten to go away for Christmas every year as the kids expect SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much!!!!!!!!
Why do they always want more the older they get????????

Oesdog

 

[Stacykins]

Made some Christmas soap scented with frankincense, it has goats milk and tussah silk. It will get gift wrapped with a full ingredients list. At least it is a useful present that was handmade rather than some useless knickknack. It is curing now and will be ready for Christmas.