If you haven’t already started thinking about Christmas yet, there is no time to waste. In order to get the most bang for your buck you have to start you budget and gift planning now. Most of you already know that I start my Christmas planning in January. If helps me get the best deals on unique and amazing gifts while sticking to my super-strict budget. Don’t worry if you haven’t started your planning yet. I have 5 easy steps to show you how to be a Christmas gift queen on a budget. You will get my exact strategy for finding or making fantastic gifts that your friends and family will love and staying under budget. You will also get a free printable to help you do it. Find the basic budget printable below or become a subscriber and get the entire 10-page Christmas planner for free!

Affiliate links may be used in this post. Ordering a product through these links may result in a commission at no extra cost to you. Read the full disclosure here.

[bctt tweet=”Find out how to be a Christmas gift queen on a budget this year with these tips! #Christmasgifts ” username=”diyadulation”]

Start With Your Budget

The first step to any successful financial endeavor is creating a budget. (Grab your free printable by clicking on the picture above!) You need to know how much you can reasonably spend on your gifts this year. They key word there is reasonably. When setting your budget you want the amount to be what you can afford without acquiring more debt and without jeopardizing your personal financial responsibilities. You can read in-depth about creating a written Christmas budget here, but here is a brief overview of the steps:

Pick Your Number – Determine the total amount that you have to spend on Christmas gifts.

Make Your List – Make a list of everyone that you have to buy for.

Allocate Your Funds – Divide your total budget amount among your list of people that you need to buy gifts for.

Again, you can get tips for paring down your list and percentage ideas for allocating your fund here. These are important for setting the foundation to be a Christmas gift queen on a budget.

Brainstorm Gift Ideas

Next, you will need to brainstorm ideas. Write down friends and family members’ tastes, likes, and needs. This is also the step to write down those big items that are on your children’s wish lists. You can refer to this list when deciding on purchases and in the next step when you are planning DIY gifts. Keep it as a reference for creating your list later.

Bonus Tip:

My oldest wants a new Xbox this year… one with a $400 price tag. That is more than the entire budget for all 3 kids combined. However, since it is the only gift he is asking for, my family and I are all chipping in to get it for him for Christmas. My brother loves this option because all he has to do is hand over money and the gift is bought and wrapped for him. You likely have family members that feel that same way so don’t be afraid to get creative when it comes to those big-ticket items.

Plan Your DIY Gifts

One of the best ways to save money on gifts is to go the DIY route. With that said, don’t plan on making more DIY gifts than you have time available for creation in your schedule. One of my favorite ways to save time on DIY gifts is to make batch gifts. (You can read more about batch gifts on Holiday Gift Options: DIY Your Gifts.) To plan for these gifts you want to write out the following for each gift:

Write down what gifts you are making and for whom you are making it.

List what supplies you need to make it.

Determine the supplies that you already own and what you need to buy.

Lastly, block out time on your calendar for completing the gift.

Make Your List

As I said above, there will specific items that your kids want that you will want to get the best deal on. Put them on your list so that you can compare prices. You also want to include the gifts that you are making for friends and family on this list. If there are materials that you need to purchase, keep them on the list so that you can save on them as well. Many of the craft stores will have awesome sales throughout November. You can also find Lightening Deals frequently on Amazon for materials such as essential oils and battery-operated string lights.

Bonus Tip:

Before you start shopping, check out the Black Friday ad previews. A lot of items can be purchased online now. Knowing the rock-bottom prices ahead of time can save you truckloads of money.

Start Shopping Now

Lastly, start shopping for your gifts now. Many stores are offering Black Friday preview sales this month in advance of the actual day. Kohl’s just had one and Walmart is having one later this month. I have shopped Walmart’s early preview in the past and had great results. I found the same amazing deals without the crowds and with plenty of stock. Don’t forget about the daily Cartwheel toy discount from Target, either. It is another great way to save on those must-have items from your kids’ wish lists. This is why having your gift list ready is so important. Plan ahead for things you may need as part as a gift. For example, if you’re buying your husband that motorbike he’s always wanted, you may need to get in contact with some motorcycle transport companies, to get it delivered to your house. Keep track of the best deals offered so that you can get the best gifts for the best prices and stay under budget.

Bonus Tip:

If you shop at Kohl’s and get Kohl’s Cash, use it to buy stocking stuffers for your family. Pick up lip balm, small toys, and even candy in-store. This is another great way to save money on your Christmas budget.

Whew! That was a lot of information. If you stuck with me to here, thanks! You now know how to be a Christmas gift queen on a budget. Don’t forget that subscribers can download the entire 10-page Christmas Planner for free on the VIP page. Now, as an added bonus to you lovely ladies, let me know what gift you’re most hoping to save on this year in the comments. I will keep an eye out for deals and if I see a great price, I will comment and let you know. You also want to check my tips for Black Friday and Cyber Monday to rock your Christmas savings this year.

See where I’m linking up!

Don’t Forget to Pin It!

I will admit it. I was a minivan snob. I looked at my SUV cars and nothing else. Then the time came that I had to replace my beloved Durango. Every SUV we looked at that had the upgrades I needed, such as 3^rd row seating, were simply out of our price range. My family finally convinced me to try a minivan. That was nearly 5 years ago and now I can’t imagine driving anything else. If you are an SUV snob like I was, here are 5 reasons to be a proud minivan mom.

[bctt tweet=”If you are an SUV snob like I was, here are 5 reasons to be a proud minivan mom. #ad #CarsCom” username=”diyadulation”]

Easily Accommodates Cars Seats

At the time I bought my van I had one child still in a booster seat, one child still in a rear-facing car seat, and a baby on the way. The 2 car seats fit fine in my Durango but it wasn’t going to work when the new baby arrived. When you have a minivan, all of your young children can fit safely secured in their car seats, even with multiple rear-facing ones. That is a reason that any minivan mom can be proud of.

Find out more about car seat safety and which vehicles fit more 3 or more at a time on Cars.com.

Allows Easy Access

In addition to safely accommodating many car seats, minivans also allow you easy access. You can let older children climb into their boosters in the back of the van. This makes it easy to get little ones in and out of car seats from the middle seats.

Bonus Tip:

With three kids, we usually keep one of our stow-and-go seats stowed allowing us, and the kids, easy access to all of the seats. It works best once only one child is still rear-facing.

Perfect for Family Vacation

When you have a big family, most vacations are within driving distance so save on airfare. Minivans are perfect for these vacations. They are roomy enough to hold your entire family and their luggage. They also are reasonable on gas helping your family save money for more of the fun stuff.

If you have a family road-trip coming up, these DIY Road Trip Survival Bags are a must!

Group Event Are Easier

No matter what you, your friends, or your family thinks of your minivan, it will always be requested for large group events. They will ask you to drive everyone because it is convenient and comfortable. We have driven our adult family members to concerts, zoo outings, and more. It’s great because we fit everyone and we only have to pay to park one vehicle instead of many. Who doesn’t love saving money?

Towing Capacity

No, I’m not talking about trailers and campers (although they can totally do that, too). You can haul furniture, mattresses, and more in your van. Minivans are especially great when you need to haul items in the rain. It is automatically protected with no worry of the wind shifting your tarps or worse.

Have you been swayed with these 5 reasons to be a proud minivan mom? They truly are the best family vehicle which is probably why it is such a stereotype of mom life. Now it is a stereotype that I proudly wear. Nothing can beat the protection and comfort minivans offer growing families. Don’t forget to check out Cars.com before running out to buy yours. An informed momma is always a smart buyer. They have tons of reviews and information to help you make the best decision for your family.

See where I’m linking up!

Don’t Forget to Pin It!

It’s time again for another Movie Monday Challenge and this month we are celebrating fall movies. In this house, fall means football season. That meant I had to pick a football movie, of course. This month I chose The Blind Side because it is an absolutely amazing, true story. Even if you’re not a football fan, I highly recommend this movie if you have not yet seen it. It truly gives you hope for the good in the world. It also inspired this free printable football bingo kit. It is a great way to keep younger kids entertained at the games when they may not share your game enthusiasm yet. Grab your printables below!

Affiliate links may be used in this post. Ordering a product through these links may result in a commission at no extra cost to you. Read the full disclosure here.

[bctt tweet=”Grab your free #printable football bingo kit inspired by The Blind Side! #moviechallenge” username=”diyadulation”]

The Blind Side

In case you don’t know about the movie, here is a little bit about it. A well-to-do family helps out a teenager one night. That teenager then ends up becoming a part of their family and they quite literally save his life. He eventually goes on to become an NFL player all because this amazing family gave him a chance. How can you not believe in the power of family and football after that? Again, if you haven’t seen it, you need to.

Free Printable Football Bingo Kit

Okay, as promised, here is the link to grab your free printable football bingo kit. Inside you will find 3 different bingo sheets like the one pictured above. There is also a 4^th sheet of football markers you can cut out to mark objects as they are found. This allows you to re-use the cards over and over. If you don’t mind printing out new ones for each game, you can print only the bingo sheets and let kids use crayons or markers on them, instead.

Step 1

Print out your free printable football bingo kit.

Step 2

Cut out your football markers from the fourth sheet.

Step 3

Place the markers in a re-sealable bag to keep them from getting lost.

Step 4

Place your bingo sheets and bag of football markers in a pocket folder to carry with your family to games.

Tip:

You can also make the sheets more durable without using the football markers. Laminate your sheets as soon as printing and use dry erase markers on them instead. This will make them more durable but can result in messy kiddos if they are as young as ours.

This free printable football bingo kit can be used for more than in person games, too. Whip them out when you’re watching your favorite team at home or for an easy super bowl activity for kids too. You can also use them for an awesome family movie night featuring The Blind Side. Younger kids may not get into the movie but this kit will keep them paying attention to find the items on their bingo sheets. Who would guess one printable set could be so useful? The fun’s not over yet. Check out what my friends have created for this month’s Movie Monday Challenge below!

See where I’m linking up!

On the last Monday of each month, a group of bloggers participate in a #MovieMondayChallenge, hosted by C’mon Get Crafty! We decide on a topic, genre, or specific movie to use for inspiration and everyone gets free reign to create something wonderful!

This month’s challenge was. . . . Fall Movies. Everyone was allowed to choose their own favorite Fall themed film for this challenge.

Now let’s see what everyone else was inspired to create for this month’s #MovieMondayChallenge!! If you’d like to join our Facebook group, you can request an invite here.

INLINKZ:

An InLinkz Link-up

Don’t Forget to Pin It!

Be a Christmas Gift Queen on a Budget

Start With Your Budget

Brainstorm Gift Ideas

Plan Your DIY Gifts

Make Your List

Start Shopping Now

Don’t Forget to Pin It!

5 Reasons to Be a Proud Minivan Mom

Easily Accommodates Cars Seats

Allows Easy Access

Perfect for Family Vacation

Group Event Are Easier

Towing Capacity

Don’t Forget to Pin It!

Free Printable Football Bingo Kit :: Movie Monday Challenge

The Blind Side

Free Printable Football Bingo Kit

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4