Yes, I’m already talking about Christmas here!  I firmly believe in staying within a budget for Christmas.  For the past two years, our family has done a “cash Christmas” and I can’t tell you how nice it was in January to not be haunted bycredit card bills!  One of the ways I’m able to stay within my budget each year is by shopping for Christmas gifts year round!

Here’s another “Christmas gifts on a budget” idea for you!  Do you struggle to come up with gift ideas for grandparents that seem to have everything?  What about a photo calendar?  You can make a photo calendar FREE right now through Vistaprint.  You do have to pay shipping, which is $5.67, but that’s still a bargain!

Pick a “theme” for each month and dress your kids up and take pictures!  Here are a few theme ideas:

January – winter theme (coats, gloves, winter hats and snow or a snowman in the background if you get snow where you live!)

February  – Valentine’s theme (have your kids wear red and hold hearts or make “conversation hearts” for them to hold with a message)

March – St. Patrick’s Day theme (have your kids wear green and hold shamrocks)

April – Easter or spring theme (depending on when Easter falls, use Easter baskets/decorations or use a spring theme with flowers)

May – April showers bring May flowers (go with a spring theme if you didn’t use it for April)

June – ready for summer (swimsuits, beach balls, sunglasses, etc.)

July – 4th of July theme (red, white, and blue clothes, use an American flag or red, white and blue stars)

August – use pictures from family vacations

September – back to school (pictures w/ backpacks in “back to school clothes”)

October – Halloween or fall harvest theme (Halloween costumes or pictures with pumpkins and scarecrows)

November – Thanksgiving or fall harvest them (have them make their own turkeys to show off or use the fall harvest theme with pumpkins and scarecrows if you didn’t use it already)

December – Christmas (pictures with a Christmas tree, Santa, etc.)

You can make your free photo calendar here–>Vistaprint free photo calendar

Stay tuned for more “Christmas on a budget” gift ideas!  Do you have a “Christmas on a budget” idea to share?  Comment or send me an e-mail!

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information

Now is the time to take advantage of those clearance sales on school supplies!  You can get crayons for as low as $.20/box and make some really cute teacher gifts!  If you’re really a savvy shoppe and have some things “on hand” already, you can probably make either one of these gifts for under $5!

I LOVE these crayon monograms!  I found this picture at BMoore Celebrations.

All you need for this project is:

-Crayons

-Paper

-Frame (you can find frames at the dollar stores or they also go on sale at Hobby Lobby and Michael’s frequently)

-Glue

You can find the tutorial to create your own here–>Crayon monogram teacher gift

These crayon wreaths are so cute, too!

Here’s what you need for this project:

-Crayons (approximately 64 ct)

-Embroidery hoops (8 inches and 12 inches) or a styrofoam wreath

-Glue gun/glue sticks

-Accessories (ribbon, painted wooden letters, etc.)

You can find the tutorial to create your own here–>Crayon teacher wreath 

Stay tuned for more “Christmas on a budget” gift ideas!  Do you have a “Christmas on a budget” idea to share?  Comment or send me an e-mail!

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information

I firmly believe in staying within a budget for Christmas.  For the past two years, our family has done a “cash Christmas” and I can’t tell you how nice it was in January to not be haunted by credit card bills!  One of the ways I’m able to stay within my budget each year is by shopping for Christmas gifts year round!

There are some GREAT deals at Big Lots this week.  If you price match at Walmart, you can also use coupons (Big Lots does not accept coupons) and you can put together a family movie and game night basket for under $10 that includes the following items:

-Toy Story Operation and/or Battleship – $1 each after coupon when you price match the Big Lots ad (see the details on the Big Lots ad and price matching at Walmart here)

-Skittles – $.80 after coupon

-Movie – $5 (from Walmart’s selection or at Big Lots)

-Popcorn – approximately $1.50 for a box of microwave popcorn

-Popcorn Bowl – $1 at Dollar Tree stores right now! (see the picture above)

The retail value of this gift is $20-$25!

Stay tuned for more “Christmas on a budget” gift ideas!  Do you have a “Christmas on a budget” idea to share?  Comment or send me an e-mail!

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information