Give More, Save More

I can’t believe it is November already! Thanksgiving is right around the corner and Christmas will be here before we know it. And we all know what that means – extra expenses! The holidays tend to be expensive – with meals to cook and presents to give. 

Last year, my family and I came across the following video: http://vodpod.com/watch/1160954-advent-conspiracy and instead of giving each other “sweaters” that we never wear anyways, we gave homemade gifts. This year, we plan to do the same thing. Keilah and I have already started making gifts out of clay for my parents. I found a tub of air dry clay by Crayola at Target for $5 and there are lots of project ideas online at www.crayola.com/canwehelp/products/AirDryClay/gallery.cfm. For my sister, Keilah and I plan to make a picture frame – that spells out a word in pictures. Check out this website for ideas: www.alphabetphotography.ca. We also found a bag of corn husks for under $5 at Wal-Mart. My mom use to collect corn husk dolls when we were kids, so Keilah and I went online to learn how to make them (http://www.teachersfirst.com/summer/cornhusk.htm). 

For more home-made gift ideas, visit http://familycrafts.about.com/od/giftstomake/tp/HomeMadeGiftIdeas.htm or for more ideas on how to give gifts that mean so much more than a gift certificate, visit http://adventconspiracy.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/give-more-gift-info.pdf. This sight also has a PDF that gives additional ideas on how to save money at Christmas: http://adventconspiracy.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/25-ways-to-spend-less.pdf. 

Overall, this year Keilah and I are looking for ways to connect with the people who matter most – instead of swiping the card. I hope all of the links above can help you do the same. And please, post your money-saving tips!

Comments

[Rachel]

I hope my sister doesn't read this blog entry :) It was too good of an idea not to share though!

[Kari and Darek]

Great links! I love the spelling out words with pictures. We are going to use that one this year too!