Thursday, October 22, 2009

Christmas is in December this year!

It's time to think about holiday spending. At our house I have been stockpiling food in the pantry and freezer from the great sales and coupon combinations available. Check out Coupon Mom for more on how to get the great deals in your area. My husbands business is a lot like that of a teacher. We found that summers and holiday's are slow or there is no work at all. From experience I have learned that there won't be many checks from mid December till almost the end of January. We will be eating from our well stocked pantry this season. I remember the years when I didn't know when the slow times would be and feeding our family of 6 was quite challenging.

I liked Thrifty Mommy's articles on Pre buying for holidays and cutting back articles. I have a box in my closet with items that I find through out the year that were great deals. We use them for birthdays and holidays. Knowing how much items would usually cost is important in finding a good deal. I noticed at a book store this last week that they had lots of items on clearance. They are making room for their incoming Holiday items. You may check stores in your area for a clearance section. There were some great kits such as scrapbooking, crafts, bracelet making, a harmonica and learn to play book, etc. They were $5 each. At that price I can spend $20 and feel good about getting 4 practical and fun gifts that will hopefully have many hours of enjoyment.


The Sunday paper in our area is a great source of information. I often find free concerts in the area that I promptly add to our calendar. Last year there were many coupons off of gift cards in the Sunday paper. I used a coupon for a FREE $5 i-tunes gift card when you buy $20 in i-tune gift cards at my local grocery store. What was even better was the $20 gift cards also came in a two$10 pack so I kind of got 3 gifts for $20. It's even more fun when you get more than one newspaper.  Twice as many coupons!


Last year during the holiday's restaurants had coupons for $10 gift card when you buy $50 in gift cards at their restaurant. Those denominations could usually also be broken down to $10, $20 or $25 gift amounts. Check the fine print or call and ask the restaurant. If you have a business and get your client’s gifts during the holiday this could be a good choice. If you have an eating out budget for you and your sweetie or your family this is like getting 20% free money. They don't expire and are great to pull out in February when your need a pick-me-up.

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