Articles: Christmas Ideas

Here are my 101 hot tips for a super Christmas. Save money, get
cheap and free gift ideas. Learn how to save on food and
groceries and even get ideas on things to do over the holiday
season. Enjoy and have a happy Christmas!

SHOP ONLINE

1. Become an associate and make money!

2. A chinese wholesaler that sells just about everything

3. Buy gifts at Ebay.

4. free items at the Freecycle website.

MAKE MONEY

5.Hold a garage sale and sell your junk. You'll start the new
year de-cluttered too!

6.Sell your stuff on 6. Ebay or the auction sites mentioned in
this E-book

7. Visit garage sales for quality items and then sell them on
Ebay.

DECORATIONS

8, Cut up old toilet rolls into rings, spray them silver, dip
them in glitter and string them up! You will also be saving the
environment.

9. Suspend oranges with cloves strung up with ribbon. Smells
nice on the tree!

10. A bag of candy sticks are a cheap tree decoration and
edible! Yum!.

11. You can pick up tinsel and decorations at thrift shops real
cheap!

12. Wrap up home-made biscuits in foil and hang them from the
tree.. Use some glitter on the outside or get your children to
decorate with coloured paper and glue.

13. Buy a fake Christmas tree from the Op Shop. Why pay full
price?

14. Visit your local craft shop. There is a world of thrifty MYO
decorations there!

15. Start recycling old food boxes and items. Get creative with
spray paint & glitter!

16. Shredded paper from your office makes fabulous fake snow on
a tree!.

17. Cut up junk mail into fine pieces colourful and 10.
Earth-Happy paper tinsel.

SAVE ON CARDS

18. Send cards early in December to avoid costly postage.

19. Send e-cards. These are are Earth-Happy and much cheaper.

20. Use old food boxes to make your own cards.

21. Recycle Xmas cards sent to you pre-Christmas by cutting them
up and 4. making them into little gift tags.

22. Paste wrapping onto food box cardboard to make little cards.

23. Scale down your Xmas card list to only your best friends.

24. Send a postcard if you must send a card. They are cheaper to
post.

25. Recycle the cards you received last year by cutting off the
front and making 8. them into postcards. Free and also cheaper
to send!

26. Buy Christmas cards on sale in December for next year.

27. Buy Christmas cards at discount stores.

SAVE ON WRAPPING

28. Buy a big roll of butcher paper for the whole year and a
bulk roll of ribbon. Red is good!

29. Find a florist supplier and buy tissue paper in bulk for the
year.

30. Buy wrapping paper on Christmas Eve. It is hugely discounted.

31. Shop online at stores who offer free wrapping.

32. Shop at retail stores that offer a free gift wrapping
service.

33. Use leftover wallpaper for wrapping.

34. Spray twigs, cones and leaves to dress up a present.

35. Use flowers from the garden instead of expensive bows and
ribbons.

36. For big kid's presents use a pillow case and ribbon.

37. Use scrap material from sewing instead of cards or wrapping.
Lovely!

THRIFT STORE - GIFT IDEAS

38. Funky lamps can really make a room sing.

39. Retro platters and kitchenware for the kitchen.

MAKE YOUR OWN - GIFT IDEAS

40. Make your own food hampers. Get ideas from online stores and
magazines.Buy nuts, chocolate and snacks at cheap retailers. 41.
Make your own boxes of Chocolates and create your own branding
on a painted, recycled food box!

42. Make food gifts of homemade jam, baked bread, biscuits,
candles, soaps, oils or butters. Include a recipe for a special
touch.

PRINTABLES

43. Google 'downloadables' online and print of MYO gifts.

44. Mums. Frame or journal the story of the day your child was
born.

45. Make a forgetful relative a framed calendar of all your
relatives birthdays!

PERSONALISED GIFT IDEAS

46. Make colouring books for children using clip art on your
computer.

47. Make personalised address labels for someone in business.

48. Put together journals, family trees or diaries for family
members.

EDUCATIONAL - GIFT IDEAS

49. Reference books make great gifts because they are so
practical.

50. Books about your recipient's hobby are always well received.

51. Give web nerds software relating to their hobby. They will
love you forever.

ART AND FRAMES - GIFT IDEAS

52. Personalise and frame pictures that suit places your
recipient has visited, animals they love, and people they might
admire.

53. Scrapbooking paper is gorgeous. Frame a piece for a trendy
gift. 54. Frame old newspaper pages. These look fabulous and
stylish on a wall.

ORGANISATIONAL - GIFT IDEA

55. Give self-help books such as motivational, success and
inspirational books. These types of gifts keep giving all year
and are life changing! Audio books are great too.

EARTH-HAPPY GIFTS

56. Buy a small plant. Give it in a beautifully wrapped pot.

57. Give a gift that supports a cause on behalf of your
recipient.

58. Oxfam have fun and cheap ideas that save the world.

GIVE YOUR TIME OR AN EXPERIENCE

59. Pledge to clean someone's car.

60. Give time to a local charity instead of money.

61. Give one hour of your time offering your special skills to
someone.

STOCKING FILLERS

62. Get free samples from cosmetic counters for stocking
fillers. See website section.

GENERAL - GIFT IDEAS

63. A bottle of sparkling Champagne goes well for the ladies.

64. A six pack of beer wrapped creatively is a great present for
a bloke.

65. Give your favourite cleanskin wine with a personalised brand
label.

TOTALLY - FREE GIFT IDEAS

66. Give away your not so treasured items. For exampe, designer
clothes you don't wear. Wash them up, make them smell beautiful
and then wrap in tissue paper for a quality effect.

67. Don't buy for adults. Just buy for the kids.

68. Convert your credit card reward points into gift cards.

EARTH-HAPPY - GIFT IDEAS

69. A tree with an invite to plant it together, and a promise to
repeat the tradition every year on the same day.

70. An eco-hamper to kick start a young greenie.

71. Donation on behalf of recipient. For example, buying a goat
for a village.

SOME GIFT BUYING STRATEGIES

72. Give experience gifts rather than things. The memories are
more last a lifetime instead of a day.

73. Get together, pool your money and buy each person a big
quality gift instead.

74. Buy gift cards so your relatives can take advantage of
bargains after Christmas.

BUDGETING AND SHOPPING TIPS

75. NEVER use credit at Christmas. Reduce your spend and be
realistic.

76. Make a budget and make sure you stick to it.

77. Track your spending. Record every penny when out shopping.
Keep a little notebook with you at all times to track your
expenses or log purchases on your mobile.

78. Declare you budget. Tell friends and relatives you are on a
budget.

SAVE ON GROCERIES

79. Get huge discounts by buying food on Christmas Eve.

80. Source local meat wholesalers. They often advertise in your
local paper. You can save up to 50 percent on meat.

81. Leave the kids at home when Christmas food shopping.

82. Don't buy more than you need.

SAVE ON ALCOHOL

83. Go for wine bottles that offer 33% more if buying from
general liquor stores.

84. If on a real budget buy bulk cask wine and decanter it into
recycled bottles. A little sneaky but hopefully no-one will know
the difference!

85. Stock up on cheap alcohol during non-holiday periods. It is
cheaper.

86. Switch from white to red wine. People generally sip red
slower.

HOLIDAY ADVENTURES - AT HOME

87. Rent DVDs or tape movies in December leading up to Christmas
and watch them over the Christmas period with family or friends.

88. Play board games. Buy them at thrift shops or borrow them.

HOLIDAY ADVENTURES - IN THE GARDEN

89. Hold a garden party for one of those boring nights between
Christmas and New Year.

90. Catch up on reading your favourite novel or magazines.

91. Clean up the yard together or get help with starting your
veggie garden.

HOLIDAY ADVENTURES - IN THE COMMUNITY

92. Go for long walks to through local parks and down your main
street.

93. Get some space. Go for a long walk everyday alone to stay
refreshed and happy.

94. Meet the neighbours. Take them over some yummy home baking.

HOLIDAY ADVENTURES - IN YOUR LOCAL REGION

95. Research the opening hours of local attractions and visit
them with family.

96. Go to free 91. Carols by Candlelight nights in your region.

97. Visit the beach for the day if you live near one.

SOME BONUS TIPS

98. Wrap pieces of Christmas cake in cellophane up for a quick
and easy gift for unexpected guests.

99. Buy quality fairy lights that don't bust if one bulb does.
Invest now to save later.

100. Tie items around a wire coat hanger worked into a circle to
make a cool wreath. Use plants from the garden, ribbon, tinsel,
candy canes and whatever else you might have on hand.

101. For kids give a lucky dip in a box. Get the child to pick
out one card. On the card will be an adventure to a cheap local
attraction. Give the gift of your time.

Visit www.tabletucker.com.au for more hot tips!

About the author:

Penina Petersen is author of eco-smart cookbook Table Tucker
and is a freelance writer in Australia.

Visit www.tabletucker.com.au for more hot tips!