December 9 - 15
Just throwing together some thoughts and accomplishments here...
Just throwing together some thoughts and accomplishments here...
-Bishop has pottery for sale at the studio that he creates at and he sold more of it. It's so affirming for him and gives him some cashola. It also serves as a reminder that I need to get my act together making some money of my own!
-We have friends that host an annual gingerbread house decorating gathering where we bring our own stuff, share decorating items and just have fun together. Bishop never actually does the gingerbread. Keeping that in mind I just didn't buy a kit. I did need to take something to the gathering as we always have munchies on hand so I made cupcakes from items that I had stocked in the pantry. I had cake mix that I stocked up on at $1 and frosting for $1.50 and I decorated it with festive sixlets that I had leftover from a previous project. So nothing out of pocket at this time and the items were previously purchased at lowest price. I love a well-stocked pantry.
-I don't typically send out Christmas cards anymore. I'm not certain what happened. I used to send them out like clockwork - they would be sent out the day after Thanksgiving. Now I just don't send them out. However, this year I did want cards to accompany some gifts that I was sending out to my son in London and daughter in L.A., my parents and siblings. I didn't purchase nor give them Christmas specific cards. I just looked through my stash and used what I had on hand. Some received cards painted by a family member. Others received cards made with my photography. And others received quirky postcards; such as, a postcard that encourages you to collage fruit stickers all over it.
-I mailed out the aforementioned packages to family member with stamps that I had on hand. These were a hodgepodge collection of stamps from pre-"Forever" stamp times. I used the self-serve machine in the lobby of the post office to determine the price and put on the appropriate amount of postage. I think they look fun and interesting!
-I worked Swagbucks and redeemed some for an Amazon gift card that I will use for Christmas presents.
-I discovered some free samples sites. It will be interesting to see what comes of this.
-I created a progress chart for paying things off. It is good for me to have visual reminders.
-Bishop has been helping a bakery with their Christmas orders and they have been sending food home with him. It is so appreciated. He is learning new skills and helping feed the family! Double score!
-Gift giving done quite frugally with pride. Total spent is $328.79. Although I am not done yet it does include gifts for 25 people, this includes my kiddos (and husband) who have multiple gifts, shipping for those that are going to family in other parts of the country or world, and wrapping for all. At this point the only thing that is not included are stockings, some odds and ends, and I might add a little cashola to a gift or two. Full disclosure I don't count the cost of items that have been in the gift stash for over a year. Examples of this would be the flannel shirts and pajamas that I bought through Kohl's, Ebates, etc. years ago and had never gifted the boys. If it was added to the gift stash after Christmas of last year than what I spent counts towards this total. An example of this is that towards the end of December 2018 I made a calendar for my Dad and his wife, I had a coupon for a free calendar from Shutterfly but I did pay for it to be shipped to me, I counted that expenditure in the above total. Some items were absolutely free; such as the items purchased through Amazon using gift cards earned through Swagbucks. (give referral info).
-I purchased highly discounted toothpaste and stocking stuffers at CVS using Extracare rewards and coupons. The hubby needed a new tube of toothpaste and the second tube I saved for a son's stocking.
-The buche de noel that is pictured above was made by Bishop at a baking class. This is a class that we paid for and he learned to make four different traditional Christmas treats, including stollen and panettone. Everything he made he brought home. Although the class was not cheap I do consider classes such as this as a frugal accomplishment as long as I am budgeting them in properly. And here is why... These types of classes function as education and entertainment. They teach a skill that can be parlayed into a money-making or money-saving venture in the future. Additionally, they produce something that benefits the family.
That is all I have for you this week!
See you again soon!
-I don't typically send out Christmas cards anymore. I'm not certain what happened. I used to send them out like clockwork - they would be sent out the day after Thanksgiving. Now I just don't send them out. However, this year I did want cards to accompany some gifts that I was sending out to my son in London and daughter in L.A., my parents and siblings. I didn't purchase nor give them Christmas specific cards. I just looked through my stash and used what I had on hand. Some received cards painted by a family member. Others received cards made with my photography. And others received quirky postcards; such as, a postcard that encourages you to collage fruit stickers all over it.
-I mailed out the aforementioned packages to family member with stamps that I had on hand. These were a hodgepodge collection of stamps from pre-"Forever" stamp times. I used the self-serve machine in the lobby of the post office to determine the price and put on the appropriate amount of postage. I think they look fun and interesting!
-I worked Swagbucks and redeemed some for an Amazon gift card that I will use for Christmas presents.
-I discovered some free samples sites. It will be interesting to see what comes of this.
-I created a progress chart for paying things off. It is good for me to have visual reminders.
-Bishop has been helping a bakery with their Christmas orders and they have been sending food home with him. It is so appreciated. He is learning new skills and helping feed the family! Double score!
-Gift giving done quite frugally with pride. Total spent is $328.79. Although I am not done yet it does include gifts for 25 people, this includes my kiddos (and husband) who have multiple gifts, shipping for those that are going to family in other parts of the country or world, and wrapping for all. At this point the only thing that is not included are stockings, some odds and ends, and I might add a little cashola to a gift or two. Full disclosure I don't count the cost of items that have been in the gift stash for over a year. Examples of this would be the flannel shirts and pajamas that I bought through Kohl's, Ebates, etc. years ago and had never gifted the boys. If it was added to the gift stash after Christmas of last year than what I spent counts towards this total. An example of this is that towards the end of December 2018 I made a calendar for my Dad and his wife, I had a coupon for a free calendar from Shutterfly but I did pay for it to be shipped to me, I counted that expenditure in the above total. Some items were absolutely free; such as the items purchased through Amazon using gift cards earned through Swagbucks. (give referral info).
-I purchased highly discounted toothpaste and stocking stuffers at CVS using Extracare rewards and coupons. The hubby needed a new tube of toothpaste and the second tube I saved for a son's stocking.
-The buche de noel that is pictured above was made by Bishop at a baking class. This is a class that we paid for and he learned to make four different traditional Christmas treats, including stollen and panettone. Everything he made he brought home. Although the class was not cheap I do consider classes such as this as a frugal accomplishment as long as I am budgeting them in properly. And here is why... These types of classes function as education and entertainment. They teach a skill that can be parlayed into a money-making or money-saving venture in the future. Additionally, they produce something that benefits the family.
That is all I have for you this week!
See you again soon!
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