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The $0 Holiday Challenge

53K views 624 replies 253 participants last post by  kedwards313 
#1 ·
Anyone want to join me in a "make do with what you have" holiday challenge?

This doesnt necessarily mean spending absolutely no money, but as little as possible, definition to be decided by the individual.

We are really poor this Christmas. Heck, we are really poor every Christmas. DH is in the restaurant biz as a waiter. Sept, Oct and Nov are really slow, december is better, but we have a lot of make up to do, and jan and feb are awful. So, we have very little to work with.

So, some people make gifts, but you have to go out and buy supplies, and even that part isnt feasible. And then, okay you have the gift made, and now you have to decorate the house, provide a wonderful meal, cookies, and wrap and ship presents. Oh, wait, now every chairty in america is tugging on your heartstrings, making you feel horribly guilty and terrible about yourself since you cant even quite provide a good Christmas(good by media standards, anyway) for your family, let alone stuff for anyone else. And then "everyone" (which is ussually comprised of writers from their comfy homes where their holdiay is secure) tells you to remember that the holidays arent about giving they are about family, blah blah blah, and yet, they dont tend to give up their fab holiday.
rant ends

Anyway, I do intend to sign up on the holiday fairy swap here on mdc, but from my end, I want to really do the holiday well without feeling guilty, burntout, overextended, or like I didnt do "enough"

Anyone want to join me? We can post our successes, how we made gifts from dryer lint and wrapped them in a pumpkin shell dried in such a way that it was beautfiful enough to make Martha Stewart cry red and green tears!! We can hold each other accountable when we want to break down adn blow the rent money ona last minute trip to Goodwill and Toysrus. We can support each other when we are feeling poor bc of what others are doing. We can post reactions of recipients of our gifts.

Anyone up for it?
 
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#152 ·
So, where do you get all those tiny toys for the I-Spy bags? I didn't have any luck at Goodwill and don't have anything that small for the bags...or am I missing something...what are you using?
 
#154 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by nikirj
So, where do you get all those tiny toys for the I-Spy bags? I didn't have any luck at Goodwill and don't have anything that small for the bags...or am I missing something...what are you using?

Raid your crafting stuff and your/your dp's tool box...old toys, games, puzzle pieces from incomplete set work great, too
. I also had some luck at Walmart and the craft store. Shaped buttons, foam crafting shapes and letters...here is a list of what I put in my son Nathan's bag.

1. a red 5 Uno card
2. puzzle piece
3. dime
4. nickel
5. penny
6. quarter
7. googly eye
8. green clover button
9. silver button
10. paper clip
11. smiley face
12. pencil (sharpened VERY short)
13. bumblebee
14. beehive
15. green pompom
16. jingle bell
17. "HOPE" (scrapbooking word)
18. blue game piece from TROUBLE game
19. bolt
20. ponytail holder
21. wooden star
22. safety pin (I superglued this shut so that it wouldn't come open and hurt someone.)
23. red fuse
24. key
25. lincoln log
26. red block
27. clothes pin
28. purple pompom
29. yellow wire cap
30. blue N
31. purple A
32. white T
33. red H
34. orange A
35. pink N

HTH
 
#155 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by boysrus
But, while poking around, I came across a few ideas for making heated rice bags :http://www.cancerlynx.com/morericebag.html

I am trying to think of ways to decorate a rice sock, so it deosnt look like you are just giving a sock!! ANy ideas?
I've made these before! I fill a tube sock with rice, then sew across the open end to close it. If the sock is thin, I'll "double-bag" it in another sock. Then I sew a tube of fabric (leftovers from other projects or old clothes) that will fit around the sock. Make it about a foot longer than the rice sock, and leave one end open so you can drop the sock in. When you've gotten the rice sock in, sew up the open fabric end and tie one knot on each end of the fabric, close to the sock. The extra fabric will stick out so that you can hold onto the neck warmer or tie it loosely around your neck so it stays put. Does that make sense at all? It'll look a little bit like a piece of wrapped candy, or a holiday cracker.

*Make sure you give the recipient an instruction card that include the following hints/warnings:

- Do not microwave for more than 2 minutes. (Yes, rice socks can burn.)
- DO NOT WASH! (A lady I gave one to, WITH INSTRUCTIONS, decided it was a good idea to put the whole thing in her washing machine, despite the warning. Can we say MESS? :LOL) If you were feeling ambitious, you could leave an opening (close it with velcro or snaps or overlapping fabric like a pillow sham) so that they can remove the cover to wash it. I don't bother with that, and just tell people not to wash them.

- You can also put the neck warmer in the freezer indefinitely for a soothing cold pack.
 
#156 ·
Sorry mamas, I have been nearly kicked off of my computer for the last week- DP is busy programming a website so I have have not been able to get a good post for a while.

Anyhow, I had some card stock around my house, and I got my spiritual midwifery book out and made some copies of drawings in it- then I colored them and burned the edges and made cards for my mom- 5 cards. It took about 2 nights of Rainey watching a movie and coloring on HER OWN paper
to get it all done, I then place a gold ribbon on them. The photo of them is in the link.

I also had a ton of fleece laying around so I made a hat for my niece- My DD is modeling it in the photos
It had to only cost $0.25 to make.

I made all the bean bags, but I have not uploaded a photo yet. They turned out good, I made me a heat pack to try it (I used crushed corn instead of rice) it has a corn smell, but I think I can get something cheap at the co/op to mask that smell, just not sure what yet. Lavender oil is like 15 bucks at my store, and I am broke so I need something like leaves or something that will smell good- any ideas???

So after I find something good smelling I am going to make heat pads for my mom, sister and MIL.

Also, I went to a scrap booking show and wal-mart photo lab was there. They gave me a disk that I can put in my *puter* and I can order a ton of stuff and it goes right over to their one-hour lab!!! And you can get these little calenders with your kids photos on them, or what every photos you want for something like $0.29 We did this before with a great photo of Rainey and everyone loved it! I think I am going to do it again for the great grandparents and such. And maybe make a snack, pretzels with choc. or something like that. It is simple and cheap but I know they would love a photo of Rainey. The only problem is one of my fave photos is this one http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/angbir...cc.jpg&.src=ph and it was taken last March when she turned 1- do you all think it is too old?

So here is the link to some of the gift I have made so far!

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/angbirth/album?.dir=/6c03
 
#157 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by mcmrymoon
for my nephew who loves himself and sports - i am getting a picture frame with many openings, covering the mat with sports fabric - adding his name to the mat - viola a place to celebrate himself!
:
 
#158 ·
Ang, do you think bulk lavender would help the smell? Not the oil, put the lavender itself. I want to see pics of your socks!

Okay, sueami, I was just coming to ask for ideas on how to cheaply make play"silks!" how much did you spend on hte fabric, what lengths, do you have to sew the edges, and did you dye it?

The dowel is a good idea. Very easy. I like the idea of a quilters hoop, bc my boys running around with a dowel, whew!!
 
#159 ·
i got my niece some play "silks".. by just going to a used clothing store (Value Village around here!), and buying some silky scaves for $1-$2 each... the kind the old ladies wear as shawls. they're pretty neat, some are square, some rectangle, and a triangle one too i think. all sorts of cool colours/patterns.
 
#160 ·
Sigh..again..

Had T'giving with my brother and his wife; everyone went around and said what they want; we asked for mostly nothing, except maybe tickets to a play or sporting event (even DD didn't ask for anything), and SIL jumps in with a laundry list of stuff.

I asked them if there was a charity or organization that they supported that I could donate some money to, and they both basically laughed at me.

On another note, has anyone done an I-Spy bag like an I-Spy tube? A toy store around here is selling them; same concept, but in a tube.
 
#161 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by shelley4
i got my niece some play "silks".. by just going to a used clothing store (Value Village around here!), and buying some silky scaves for $1-$2 each... the kind the old ladies wear as shawls. they're pretty neat, some are square, some rectangle, and a triangle one too i think. all sorts of cool colours/patterns.
This is a great idea, we have a lot of old people in my area and we have even more second hand stores. We have about 10-15K people in all the towns around us and we have at least 6 second hand stores that I can think of


Also you can use them for wrapping paper- great for anyone and great for kids, then they can keep the scarf too.

Quote:
On another note, has anyone done an I-Spy bag like an I-Spy tube? A toy store around here is selling them; same concept, but in a tube.
Where would one find a clear tube? I like this idea better than the bags, I think my nephew (6) would like a tube not a bag.
 
#164 ·
I am LOVING the posts! Thanks Val for starting this. I just got through them all and made some notes for myself. One idea I wanted to share...

Book or Song Tape for Kids
Record yourself on a blank tape reading a book, or maybe a few. You can give just the tape, or you can give the tape and the book with it. You could also record your children singing their favorite songs. My daughter loves recordings of children singing, even more than the ones of adults.

Grandparents that live far away would also really enjoy a recording of your kids singing or (if they are old enough) reading their favorite song/stories.
 
#166 ·
I was just wondering how everyone is coming along in their progress. Or if you're a bunch of slackers like me? I don't have a single present finished yet. The first party will be in two weeks. aaaahhhh
As a group we have geat ideas, do we have great follow-through also, or just Crayon?
 
#167 ·
Well, I just finished writing my nieces book. My dh is going to do the pics instead of stickers. I am over halfway thourgh ds' joke book, but need more index cards to complete. I wrote a book for other ds, have to copy it into the book.
so, slow and steady progress over here
 
#168 ·
Speaking of index cards...

I was thinking it'd be really awesome to print out a whole bunch of "different dough" recipes I have for Gak, flubber, playdough, edible playdough... and give those out as well. It would provide motivation for family time among our friends.

But I'd have to actually buy index cards, or try to be resourceful with plain old printer paper or something...
 
#170 ·
So far I have a half-sewn balaclava for dd, cut out of some polar fleece I had leftover from making diaper pants, sitting on my table. It's been half-sewn for several days now.
:

Next week, maybe I'll felt a sweater. Then on Dec. 23, I'll do everything else.
 
#171 ·
We're going to Memphis tomorrow to do an "Early Christmas" with my husbands HUGE family! They're so materialistic, it's sickening! I just know the boys are going to come home with a trashbag full of crap-junk toys to donate to the thrift.
:
My MIL called the other night saying we were going to do one night with her brother and his 2 new grandbabies, as well as us and my nephew. Which makes one 4yo, and 4 small babies. She asked if I had gotten presents for them yet? :LOL I was like, "um... no!" They're babies ... that I live very far from and don't know at all! Anyhow, she thought maybe I'd just want to draw a name and buy for one of them. It just comes down to, I don't want the crap Fisher-Price toys they'd buy for my children, and they probably don't want the handmade toys I'd give their kids, so I suggested the Angel Tree, and maybe we could all buy gifts for a needy child. My MIL said... "umm.. well.. that's not exactly what we had in mind."

Well, I've made the handprint ornaments for grandparents. The salt dough turned out so heavy that we made the last set with plaster of paris (I think it $4 at Walmart for a big container of mix that lasts forever!) I've made a 12" Baba doll for my nephew, and we made a playdough kit for a distant cousin (we have to take that one to Memphis for the main kid's gift swap - fortunatly that one was to draw a name of someone to buy for, so we're not buying for 15 kids). It turned out cute. We bought all these funky kitchen knives, rollers and gadgets at the thrift, and bought some popcicle sticks, and DS made some playdough, and we put it all in a Christmas tin, and labelled it " Hunter's Softdough Set".
 
#172 ·
Here are directions for little elves from my mailing list, everyday waldorf. They are really easy and take a remarkably small amount of felt. I'm working on them today. One thing I would say is sew, don't glue, and fairy fleece works better than yarn for hair.
Annette
LITTLE ELVES
You will need (for one elf)
2" by 3 1/2" piece of felt
glue gun or craft glue, plus a needle and thread and embroidery floss if you would like to sew some of the clothing
10mm wooden bead "head"
pipe cleaner
yarn for hair

Cut a 1 1/2 diameter felt circle, and then cut it in half. Roll one half-circle into a cone shape. Slightly overlap and glue the straight edges together (or sew). This is the body.

Glue the pointed end of the cone to the bead head. Cut one 1/2" by 1 1/2 " felt piece and roll into a tube for the sleeves. Glue or sew along the end. Glue or stitch the center of the tube to the back of the body. These are the arms.

Cut one 1/2" by 2" felt piece. Roll into a tube for pants and glue or sew along the long edge. Fold in half and glue or stitch inside body cone. These will be the legs.

Cut four 1 1/2 " lengths of pipe cleaner and fold them in half. Glue the ends inside the sleeves and pants legs. Folded ends will form the hands and feet (so the folded ends should be sticking out of the sleeves and pants, not the cut ends).

Glue loops of yatn to the bead head for hair. For a hat, roll the other half of the felt circle into a cone. Slightly overlap and glue or sew the straight edges together. Glue the open end to the bead head. Add facial features to your elf.
 
#174 ·
Ok, got thru all the replies. Some things we have done for little $$:

coffee and hot chocolate mixes
Cookie in a jar mixes - just put in ziplock bags instead of jar if mailing
peanut brittle
biscotti
breads
chocolate bark, peppermint bark, etc.
homemade coffee liquer
ornaments and magnets using the kids handprints, footprints and pictures - grandparents love these
Fingerprint poem - similar to handprint poem - put in $1 or frame or recycled frame or let grandparents frame - print out poem on cardstock and have child put painted fingerprints around edge
homemade felt board and felt characters
coupon book - homemade, laminated (I got a laminator on sale a few years ago and use it all the time!)
hand-stamped notecards - if any of you are into scrapbooking, my sister gave these one year as gifts, they were so nice.
kid's artwork - framed
photo albums - DD & I made some for her out of card stock and old wallpaper samples for the cover, punched holes and tied together with string.
costume jewelry - make from old buttons and beads. Get the backings cheap from walmart or recycle ones you don't use anymore. I also made barrettes this way one year. Pulled off the stuff I didn't like and glued shells on for a seashore-themed barrette.
Decorate old picture frames. Glue on shells or other themed items.
Doll furniture out of shoeboxes, old tins, etc.
Play food from old food boxes. May need to stuff with styrofoam to help them hold their shape.
Wooden blocks - made from old pieces of lumber, sanded. Paint if you have the right kind of paint.
Decorated lightswitch plates
bath bombs, bath salts, bath teas, bubble bath
Flaxseed pillows - or rice pillows to heat in microwave and put over eyes or on shoulders
Scented hot pads - made with rice and lavender or whatever scent you like - when hot pan is put on them they release the scent
homemade candles
homemade soaps
childsize aprons, hotpads, oven mitts, chef hats
mini-baking sets - mini loaf pan, some cookie cutters, mini whisk, etc.

That's all I can think of right now.
 
#175 ·
Ooooo, my kind of thread


I'm really into this right now. The money is tight suddenly so I'm trying to see how little I can spend this Christmas and still get gifts that people will appreciate
!

For the in-laws I'm crocheting scarves. I wanted to do it in their favorite colors so I had to buy one skein of yarn (I already had all the other colors). So that's 4 scarves for less than $4


Then I'm going to make them all rice bags this weekend. I went through my cloth last night and have it all picked out. I just have to buy rice (cheap, generic, white rice!).

GMIL will also get a coupon for us to come to her place and hang pictures (she recently moved to assisted living).

My mom is getting the silicone potholders my MIL gave me last year. I don't like them and the other day my mom was over and telling me how great they are and she wishes she had more. Cool! Dh said "but my mom gave them to us" Uh, yeah, but honey, let's NOT get sentimental over POTHOLDERS. Come on!

For my family gift lottery we have three people to buy for. My cousin is getting my (gently used) dog training book and clicker to go with it (for her adorable, completely wild, untrained pug). My mom's cousin will get a one serving tea pot off my shelf. The friend of the family who's name I drew I'm a bit stuck on. She's really into donating to charity and I want to do that but I can't do much. I'm thinking I'll donate $10 (I can get a share of tree seedlings in her name from Heifer for that) and then what? She's a college student so nothing cluttery, nothing that needs to be cooked, or microwaved. Maybe just a plate of cookies along with it.

Dh? I have no clue.

The kids I *really* want to find the money to get pop up soccer goals for but I might have to let that go for now. I can always suggest it to a relative who can afford $20 (sad how a year ago I would have said "pshaw, what's $20?" :LOL). Otherwise, I'm finding stuff around the house (shhhhhhh!) for them. When I was looking at my cloth for the rice bags I found a set of wooden, matching game picture tiles. I think my dd got them for her 2nd birthday and never played with them. So they are going to ds. For my dd, a friend gave us a hand-me-down toy that usually I would just hand to my dd. This year it will get wrapped
I am also planning on going to the thrift store and buying them both baby dolls which they will love. Oh, and they'll each get a few books from the thrift store. They both love books
and they are usually only a dollar or two each there (less sometimes!).

We usually only give 2 or 3 presents each (plus usually one to share) so it won't be much different this year.

We do stockings but I have always tried not to go nuts with that either. Stockings are candy, toothbrushes, a small toy and a small book. I can find some small doll or car at the thrift store for the stocking or
: just grab something from around the house and they'll never notice. Honest, they won't.

I'm thinking of baking something for my dad and his girlfriend (or maybe rice bags for them).

I think that's it!
 
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