Budgeting in July for Christmas 2016

[bababear_50]

Last year was a bust for me . I ended up spending money on my credit card and it took till May to pay it off. Next March I am planning a big trip to Disney with my family so I need to kind of get Christmas planning started early.
I am looking for ideas to start now. Anyone else out there start early?
One idea I read about was to get a $25.00 shopping gift card every other shopping purchase,,then stock pile them till christmas. (This would give me enough 300.00 for Christmas food and entertaining).
Please share your thoughts and ideas.
Thanks
Hugs Mel

 

[SunnieRN]

I always try to start in July, but my grandmunchkins are at ages where what they like changes really quickly. I think I may start buying game stop gift cards, toys r us cards and Target cards. I'm already buying Disney cards for our trip next May.

Do you have Amazon Prime? Tuesday is Prime Day.

 

[Malibustyle23]

I wouldn't buy gift cards unless you know you absolutely want to buy someone something from that store you want to give a gift card. I would tuck cash away so you can spend it anyway when the the deal comes up. Or I would buy things here and there now when you see something that you know someone would like.

Targets cartwheel deals combined with coupons can make a great deal now. Safeway had a digital coupon for $10 off a $50 jcpenny gift card last week. I bought that and combined it with the $10 off $25 weekend coupons for some great deals on clothes. Bath and Body works just ended their semiannual sale.

Those kind of things add up and make nice presents at cheap prices making you look like you spent more or make you able to buy double the gifts. Just keep an eye out all year for great saving and work it to your advantage.

 

[bababear_50]

Thanks for the suggestions,I should mention that I am in Canada so we don't get alot of the great sales that many of you do. I am trying to think of some make homemade gifts that I can do. I do collect airmiles which helps with Starbucks gift cards for our Disney trip.
Thanks
Hugs Mel

 

[brooke789]

Why not just start a new savings account and have it automatically transfer X amount each paycheck/week/etc?

ETA: I know on my Capital One 360 (formerly ING) account I can just create new accounts. so I do that for different things when we want to 'set money aside'.

 

[CoP Luv]

Why not just start a new savings account and have it automatically transfer X amount each paycheck/week/etc?

ETA: I know on my Capital One 360 (formerly ING) account I can just create new accounts. so I do that for different things when we want to 'set money aside'.

We do the same thing. I have a "Gifts" account that I put money in every month which generally covers Christmas and wedding gifts. When a "gift" expense comes up, I just move the money from the account to checking to pay for it and it wouldn't come out of our normal budget.

 

[SunnieRN]

I'm thinking of getting some gift cards because my older grandmunchkin has games and accessories he wants and he can usually find things at gamestop. My younger grandmunchkin loves Leg is and FNAF, so TRU is good. My older grandmunchkin can get games, bionicicles, etc there also.

I will still pick up some things along the away. I already have five Disney movies put away for them, so I'm off to a start anyway lol.

Also, I'm doing Swagbucks. I have 2 $50. Disney gift cards for our trip next May put away and have earned enough for a third card. Not bad for as month and a couple days!!

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

A lot depends on your typical monthly budget and who you shop for. Our family has scaled back from gift giving for adults. We might pick up a little something for everyone, but it's not a ton. Maybe $100 for all the adults. I mostly send everyone printed pictures of our children. That is somewhat cheap at Christmas time, but we spend a lot of money on professional pictures throughout the year.

We shop mostly for the children, so I try to buy toys as I see them on sale. Our daughter already has some stocking stuffer princess toys, a Mr. Potato Head, as well as a bunch of books that she's not quite ready for and a big puzzle that she can't play yet but was $3 in the target dollar section. So far I've spent about $25-30 for all the toys since January. The other thing I do which works well for young kids is to wrap almost everything. It makes the tree more "magical" and exciting. My daughter literally unwraps boxes of chalk and I'll wrap up the $3 puzzle. So that's $5 for two presents under the tree. We do end up spending a little more on wrapping paper that way, but I know she will always remember how the tree was so full of presents.

Make your grocery meal plan early and the traditional dinner foods will go on sale in the weeks between the very end of November through December and there are coupons that whole time as well. So one week it might be fried onions, condensed milk and stuffing and the next week canned corn, gravy, sweet potatoes. If you already know what you are going to want, you can buy the non perishable items throughout the month on the week they are on sale. I save at least $10-$15 buying sides when they are on sale and using coupons.

We also don't budget any cash into our savings account in December and use whatever we want for family memories, presents, food, etc and just throw whatever is left over at the end into savings.

Here's a good resource from FlyLady: http://www.flylady.net/c/holidaycruise.php

 

[bababear_50]

Why not just start a new savings account and have it automatically transfer X amount each paycheck/week/etc?

ETA: I know on my Capital One 360 (formerly ING) account I can just create new accounts. so I do that for different things when we want to 'set money aside'.

Hi
I do have a "Christmas time fund" saving account at my credit union but i use it for my DVC dues.
I think if the money is put onto a grocery shopping card then I will not find other uses for it.

 

[bababear_50]

I'm thinking of getting some gift cards because my older grandmunchkin has games and accessories he wants and he can usually find things at gamestop. My younger grandmunchkin loves Leg is and FNAF, so TRU is good. My older grandmunchkin can get games, bionicicles, etc there also.

I will still pick up some things along the away. I already have five Disney movies put away for them, so I'm off to a start anyway lol.

Also, I'm doing Starbucks. I have 2 $50. Disney gift cards for our trip next May put away and have earned enough for a third card. Not bad for as month and a couple days!!

I have one grand daughter and I have made her 4 special starbucks coupons ($25.00 each) for the theme parks and 4 special souvenir coupons and attached 25.00 USD to each these coupons. I will buy her 1 park pass and 1 water park pass (this will have to wait till I go back to work in Sept).The other park passes her mom and dad are getting. I made one pick a pearl coupon with $25.00 USD attached . From Amazon I ordered a nice cinderella coach pearl cage necklace.
She (grand daughter)mentioned the spa at Disney but I am not sure it will be in the budget,,have to think on it.
So I am thinking I am done for my grand daughter. This year I am not making her a xmas stocking....time to pass that tradition over to her parents.

 

[bababear_50]

A lot depends on your typical monthly budget and who you shop for. Our family has scaled back from gift giving for adults. We might pick up a little something for everyone, but it's not a ton. Maybe $100 for all the adults. I mostly send everyone printed pictures of our children. That is somewhat cheap at Christmas time, but we spend a lot of money on professional pictures throughout the year.

We shop mostly for the children, so I try to buy toys as I see them on sale. Our daughter already has some stocking stuffer princess toys, a Mr. Potato Head, as well as a bunch of books that she's not quite ready for and a big puzzle that she can't play yet but was $3 in the target dollar section. So far I've spent about $25-30 for all the toys since January. The other thing I do which works well for young kids is to wrap almost everything. It makes the tree more "magical" and exciting. My daughter literally unwraps boxes of chalk and I'll wrap up the $3 puzzle. So that's $5 for two presents under the tree. We do end up spending a little more on wrapping paper that way, but I know she will always remember how the tree was so full of presents.

Make your grocery meal plan early and the traditional dinner foods will go on sale in the weeks between the very end of November through December and there are coupons that whole time as well. So one week it might be fried onions, condensed milk and stuffing and the next week canned corn, gravy, sweet potatoes. If you already know what you are going to want, you can buy the non perishable items throughout the month on the week they are on sale. I save at least $10-$15 buying sides when they are on sale and using coupons.

We also don't budget any cash into our savings account in December and use whatever we want for family memories, presents, food, etc and just throw whatever is left over at the end into savings.

Here's a good resource from FlyLady: http://www.flylady.net/c/holidaycruise.php

Thanks for sharing
I think it has occurred to me that being single and raising three sons that I always felt that I kind of had to do everything myself and I am coming to the realization that times have changed and maybe some Christmas traditions need to be passed along.
Hugs Mel

 

[bababear_50]

I found a carton of canning jars in the cupboard (I must have forgot i had them),,anyhow I saw some cute caps for canning jars at the hardware store and I am going to make some mini cinnamon pinecones.(tons of pinecone trees in the forest by my home).
I can use these for extended family gifts and they won't cost much at all.

 

[bababear_50]

My sons and I took a vote and we decided to do Christmas stockings and no Big gifts so this will cut down on the costs.
Although Christmas stockings can become expensive if you are not careful.
I think we need to set a price limit.
Hugs Mel

 

[Narnia_girl]

Hey Mel have you checked Pinterest for homemade gift ideas? People are so clever sometimes! And I love the ones that are titled like "homemade gifts people actually want"

 

[Minniesgal]

I use an excel spreadsheet. I start it in January and put the whole year in regular payments salaries etc. Then I ut in the amounts I want to spend on birthdays in what month, Christmas holiday spending car services etc. Then whatever money is left over is divided by 12 and that give us our monthly expenditure. That way when we come to things like Christmas the money has been planned since january and is siting in the current account waiting for us to spend it no need for several accounts just annual planning

 

[bababear_50]

Hey Mel have you checked Pinterest for homemade gift ideas? People are so clever sometimes! And I love the ones that are titled like "homemade gifts people actually want"

Thanks for the great idea
I can see an evening of "pinterest" tonight.
Hugs Mel

 

[bababear_50]

I use an excel spreadsheet. I start it in January and put the whole year in regular payments salaries etc. Then I ut in the amounts I want to spend on birthdays in what month, Christmas holiday spending car services etc. Then whatever money is left over is divided by 12 and that give us our monthly expenditure. That way when we come to things like Christmas the money has been planned since january and is siting in the current account waiting for us to spend it no need for several accounts just annual planning

I got a surprise when I went to the credit union today....I must have left some money in my "summertime savings account" from last summer. I now have an extra $600.00 that I can use for Christmas
YEAH!!!!
I think I need to adjust my amount which goes into my Christmas time fund.
Hugs Mel

 

[mrudman]

A few years ago, I started cash envelopes for our bills that are less frequent than monthly. I have a "Christmas fund" envelope that I put $100 a month in to for both daughters' gifts ($600 each budgeted per year). This is actually Christmas and birthday combined since their birthdays fall within December.

As I buy Christmas and birthday gifts throughout the year, I pull that amount out of the envelope. Once the money is gone, then their Christmas shopping is done. I start the envelope in November, so if there happens to be any extra money in there at that point each year, it gets pulled out and we do a fun activity over Christmas break with that money.

I'm excited this year because I was able to find a new Apple Watch for $170, which is what younger dd has been begging for since they came out. So this is her main gift, and I'll probably have a couple hundred left over this year since I'll be counting full retail price on that and I try to stay as close as possible for both dd's for what the gifts are actually worth.

 

[MinnieSweetheart]

I got a surprise when I went to the credit union today....I must have left some money in my "summertime savings account" from last summer. I now have an extra $600.00 that I can use for Christmas
YEAH!!!!
I think I need to adjust my amount which goes into my Christmas time fund.
Hugs Mel

HOORAY!! That would pretty much get me through Christmas.