If you stay on a budget all year round, then Christmas should not be any different. Stay on your budget during the holidays so you don’t get off track through out the rest of the year. How many years have you spent paying of your Christmas credit card debt? There is no reason for that when you start off smart. Here are some great ideas for everyone this year.
Music- People love their ipods and mp3 players in today’s world. They often don’t have time to get all their favorite songs onto their ipod off their cd’s. This year go buy a cheap USB flash drive. You can find the keychain type for around $10 and take some time to place all their favorite songs onto the USB drive. This way is a one click transfer for them, and then they have a nice little device to use for years to come.
Scrap Book- I have done this idea twice now. Once for my husband and once for my mother in law. These were probably the best presents I could have given. It didn’t cost must for supplies, because I had most of the crafty items around my home already. For my mother in law, who is horrible at keeping pictures organized, I created a scarp book of her grand children, my kids. She loved them and showed it off to everyone.
Magazine Subscription- If you have someone who loves to cook, knit, hunts or just about anything else you can think of, then getting them a magazine subscription will be the perfect gift. If you look online, you can usually find great deals. A full year could end up costing you under $20 and they will love the gift all through the year. When I got married, my great grandmother bought me a subscription to a cooking magazine. My husband was from the south and I am not, so my grandma figured I have to learn how to cook like southern people. Every year she renews the subscription, and its one of the best gifts she could have bought me. Each month when it comes in, me and my husband go through them together marking off all the new dishes we would like to try. Each week when I make my menu we add 2-3 brand new meals for the week. It makes dinner fun and exciting and not so boring. Along with that, I am getting pretty talented in the kitchen.
Videos- How many of your relatives or friends have special VHS tapes that they wont get rid of. They probably don’t even have a VCR anymore. Take the tape to your local drug store and have them transfer it to DVD. Then the special video can be watched once again. These costs around $20 and you can even add things to the video. Titles, music, special backgrounds and much more for a small extra fee. Watch the paper for coupons; you can often get a backup copy for free with a coupon.
