Friday, November 21, 2008

Almost FREE Christmas

With Christmas nearing, and my cash disappearing, I have been looking for ways to give my kids a fun christmas, while spending as little money as possible.

Here's some ideas I've come up with so far.

1. the library is FREE. (just don't get any late fees!) So, just before Christmas, I am going to rent my limit of children's books, wrap them up & let my kids read all they want. Once they've read the books, they have no use for them anyway, so buying a stack of new books seems a bit "extravagant", at least for this year.
2. Let the kids help cook Christmas breakfast, supper... They get what they really want most & that's your time and attention. I let my kids write up a "menu" on a piece of construction paper, then take "orders" and serve supper. They love it!
3. Any family with kids, probably has toys they don't want or need anymore. Take any toys still in great shape & host a "swap" with friends. Trust me, the kids probably won't even notice the toys are used, especially if it's wrapped-up all fancy. (a swap would also work for those fancy "Christmas picture" outfits that the kids only wear once.)
4. All craft stores have free, project idea sheets for knitting, crafting etc. I have collected a bunch that look simple enough for kids. I will add these to a notebook I am building for my kids. The notebook is a collection of free patterns or instructions I have found online.
Some websites I like so far...
http://www.instructables.com/
http://www.crochettoday.com/default.aspx
http://www.freepatterns.com/
I'll wrap-up the notebook, add a bag full of any fabric scraps, yarn, glue, glitter that I can find around the house. Hopefully this will keep them so busy, they won't realize they didn't get that big screen TV they've been begging for!




To get you started, I made a pdf pattern to sew this cute stuffed chickie.
I can't figure out how to add a pdf to my blog. But, if you'd like a copy of the pattern, just send me an e-mail & I will send you the pattern.

If you have any other ideas for a free, or very cheap, Christmas for kids, please leave me a comment. I'd love to hear other people's ideas!











Tuesday, November 4, 2008

vote!
It's just that simple.