New here and Christmas :)

[mama to B]

Hey everyone, I'm new here.. I have been lurking a bit and decided to sign up!! Anyways.. I'm just wondering what everyone is planning to get the kiddos for christmas! I have a 2 year old DD and am looking for some frugal ideas I'm looking forward to joining in around here!

[Dandelionkid]

I bought them a drum set to share (100) and I really want a fortamagig for all them but it is pretty expensive so we will see. I am waiting until closer to Christmas because last year I bought the deals and I wished to give them something different at the time.

[MissMommyNiceNice]

I collect things throughout the year as I find deals or see a sale.

DS1 is getting this super awesome tree fort thing I got off craigslist for $50. It has a ton of furniture, people, pets, a dog house, everything! New it would have cost me close to $300.

DS2 is getting an Eric Carle hungry caterpillar set, I'll make him a doll (probably do one for DS1 too), and some books or something else small - probably a wooden stacker or a roller ball.

They'll get a few wooden animals from a co op I belong to. And everyone gets new jammies for christmas eve.

Welcome aboard!

[jimblejamble]

http://community.livejournal.com/doingwithout/

This website has a lot of ideas for things to make for children while on a budget, including Waldorf-style dolls, clothes, and felted toys.

Welcome to MDC!

[mama to B]

So far I got her a Dora matching game, pop up pirate and a little people castle. I also have a few things on layaway. I'm finding it hard to stay in my 200$ budget for her.. My parents went all out on us and I really want to do the same for her.

[TheSavedQuarter]

Originally Posted by JessicaRenee

http://community.livejournal.com/doingwithout/

This website has a lot of ideas for things to make for children while on a budget, including Waldorf-style dolls, clothes, and felted toys.

Welcome to MDC!

I love her Waldorf doll instructions!

[zebra15]

My son is 10 and totally into legos and those are $$ since he wants the new releases. (Think $100 plus per set). Plus I will make him a new blanket and something else. AZ is hot so no sweaters or anything.
ETA he also will get some books - he loves to read and his tuition for online classes will be due as well (but tution isnt a present lol)

I save all year to be able to afford the holidays and sometimes my family will send DS items, sometimes no so much.

[Sativarain1]

my boys also love legos and the sets at the stores are NOT affordable for me... would love to hear other ideas on gifts.

[EarthyMamaofDaisy]

Each child is getting a no sew fleece blanket, a 4 pack of playdoh, a package of wooden train track and one is getting a puzzle and the other is getting a Ravensburger mandala maker. I am also getting the game Quirkle for them to share.

[MissMommyNiceNice]

kmart, remember, still has layaway, we use it every year. Now you can extend it to 12 weeks instead of 9. It only costs $5 to do it, totally worth it. I'll be heading over there this week to put some last minute things, like jammies and probably some DVDs.

[OkiMom]

I pick up a few things during the year if I KNOW its something they will like at a good price. However, Im bad at giving them gifts before Christmas so I either have to have DH hide them (so I won't ) or wrap them up.. which means Id have to have wrapping paper.
This year Im hand making a lot. We limit the number of presents to 3 each (not including stockings and PJs, Christmas outfits are given in November so we can use them to take Christmas photos in so I don't count them).

[LaughingHyena]

We're fans of used toys, even as gifts. It does mean being a bit more organised starting looking round early for things and most importantly remembering what I've got and where I put it! Last year we had to hide a climbing frame for a couple of months.

This system may also fall down when the children start making their own requests. I'm surprised that at 4 and 6 they haven't yet. It should still work for the small stocking stuffer things though.

I like to make something for each kid too, last year it was a doorway puppet theatre for them to share and each child got an apron and package of cake sprinkles. They were a big hit.

It's also a tradition in our family that everyone gets new socks for Christmas. Usually more fun (read expensive ) than the plain packs I usually get. We like to have fun with them. Last year I wrapped some of DHs gifts in his new socks and used others as bows on the remaining gifts.

[doubledutch]

she's two? i would get her one cool thing, and probably used, or diy if possible. play kitchen, skuut or rody or some other indoor ride-on thing, musical instrument.

if you want the convenience of just going to the store and buying something, play tents are ridiculously cheap (like $20) and get a ton of mileage among the kids i know, anyway. just get one big (frugal) gift.

if you also want to do a stocking, i think it's probably cheaper (and more fun for her) to buy a set of something, open it, take everything out of the package, and put all the bits into the stocking as individual items. that could work with a set of play food, a dollhouse family, whatever.

[BetsyS]

My kids are 4 months, 2, and 4.

The big boys are getting Bruder trucks. The baby is getting a cozy coupe. He's too little, but ours broke, and it's a beloved toy, so it needs to be replaced. Christmas it is. LOL

All 3 are getting Siggs. All 3 are getting new baseball caps (with different things on them appropriate to each).

Then, the 4th present will be individual to each.

I love stockings, and they'll all get stockings. The baby will be almost ready for food at Christmas, so he'll get a couple of jars of food (and my big boys know that he gets to eat at Christmas, so they're excited about this). The big boys get candy, a jar of olives (loved in my house), a can of boiled peanuts, some fruit, matchbox cars, stuff like that. About $15 worth.

[lucky_mia]

I have been earning Amazon gift cards with SwagBucks and I signed up for the free trail of Prime for moms (gives you free shipping). I am using that for gifts. Mostly I have been buying inexpensive holiday books that I am wrapping and we will open one a night leading up to Christmas. Next year I will rewrap the same books and do it again. I'm really looking forward to this tradition.

[HappyMommy2]

This year, my frugal gift is a school folder (1 cent at school sales in Sept), that includes water colors (50 cents), and crayons (25 cents).  I am downloading free coloring pages easily found online of their favorite things (cars, cats, princesses etc.) and asking my Mom to print several copies of each at work.  Water colors are fantastic - even for very young kids!

Last year, I bought $1 wooden frames from the thrift store and added artwork specially made by my kids, and gave it to my mom.  I restricted their colors to a theme that matched a specific room in her house.

Last year, I bought two new-looking wallets at the thrift store.  Then, I went online and found free play money downloads.  I went into Word and created Driver's Licenses with pictures.  They turned out really cute!  I did classes (Class B: Big Boy Bike since that is what Santa brought that year).  My mom printed and laminated them at work.  I filled the wallets with money, their drivers licenses, and free credit-card-looking things that I got for free from the grocery stores or in the mail.

[mattemma04]

My dd would like a video game and I found it online for half off at $20. I won my ds a full set of   harry potter legos during a cartoon network sweepstakes in October so he is set. I plan to get dd a mp3 player. Last year it was $100 per kid,but this year I have to cut it to $50 per kid. I know I won't get any attitude with them over the lack of gifts under the tree.I plan to cook and bake a lot so that will keep them smiling!

Mindware catalog has some neat stuff.We like the science catalogs too. I would check craigs.I have sold a lot of toys for cheap due to the kids outgrowing them.Just be careful of broken items.I hate when people sell broken or incomplete sets.I would never do that,but peopel have done it to me.

[EmsMom]

Someone gave us their unused Nintendo game cube (replaced with a newer console).  For my kids, it is their first game system so they are pretty happy with it.  And I can pick up games used quite cheap off of Amazon.  So my kids are each getting a new game, books (some used), new pajamas (needed!) and by dd is getting an mp3 player and my ds is getting a Lego set.  He is also getting two very nice playmobil sets purchased at a summer yard sale.  And their stockings will have some good stuff: for my 12 year old dd, less toxic nail polish, some hair stuff, chocolate coins, probably some small bags of chips, etc that they don't usually get.  She will also get a music gift card for her new player.  My 7 year old ds is getting some star wars playing cards and a very cool folding telescope for pirate play, small set of legos.  I really didn't spend all that much and it has been spread out over a few months.  Any gifts anybody else is getting will be homemade - soup,cookies, etc.  I wish my kids were still little enough to want more waldorf dolls!!  We have kept the holidays pretty simple for their whole lives and they don't really seem to mind.  My dd just had a birthday and I gave her a charm bracelet that used to me mine at her age and a book because she reads ALL OF THE TIME!.  She really and truly seemed delighted with that and a cake and a promised shopping excursion with mom that will include one purchase and one "mall snack".  At least I hope she is happy with it....

[2lilsweetfoxes]

For my older DD (9), I got a $40 Build-a-bear gift card, Pajamas, 3 games for the Wii, a Tiana doll from Princess and the Frog, and a Knitting Machine and some yarn.  For my son (7), he's getting a Megablocks Thomas set, Toy Story Andy's Pack, Moon Dough, a 10-pack of Hotwheels cars, and Pajamas.  For my younger DD (19 months) is a Muno (Yo Gabba Gabba) pillow, Wonder Pets Schoolhouse toy, an Ariel (Little Mermaid) doll, and a Sippy cup.  I still need to buy her some pajamas and shoes.

Our family gift was a Warriors of Rock Guitar Hero set for the Wii.  (I bought the Wii as my DD's Christmas gift last year--it has really become a family thing, though)

[MommaRNCCRN]

We have a Wii, that I bought during my spendthrift days. My DS, who is 6 wants Madden NFL 2011 Football, which has already  been purchased for him by his Auntie K.....He wants an Ohio State Football jersey #`12, A remote controlled car/truck/tank. I though of getting him a new Nintendo DSi XL as his original DS lite is about falling apart and he does use that an awful lot. He will probably also get some clothes, a new pair of shoes and some books