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!

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[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!

Make Your Own Candy

First things first, cut back on the amount of candy that you put in the baskets. Filling the baskets with more gifts and less candy means that fewer items are needed to fill the basket. To further save, make your own candy at home. We bought this cross mold 2 years ago to make our own chocolates for the baskets and it has been worth every penny. Hard candies are another easy candy to make. You can go even further and try your hand at making your own peeps.

Even the most frugal moms can get swept up in spending on the holidays. This year I used these exact tips to fill 5 Easter baskets for under 50 dollars.

Skip the Grass

I don’t know about you but I hate that plastic Easter grass. It always ends up all over the house for weeks after the holiday has ended. A few years ago I started filling the baskets with tissue paper and it’s fantastic. We always have some on hand and it is easily folded for storage. It is an easy and economical alternative.

Reuse Your Baskets

Don’t buy new Easter baskets every year. If you decide you want to freshen up your baskets, give them a makeover. I am a fan of traditional baskets and ours are getting an awesome Pokémon makeover this year. However, those plastic Easter buckets can be easily updated as well.

Hollar is Your Secret Weapon

When you have a budget of $10 per basket it is important to bargain shop. That is where Hollar comes in. Instead of running all over town in search of the best deals, I can jump on Hollar and get everything. The best part is that shipping is free with purchases over $25 which means your entire budget can go to basket-fillers. This year, I was able to get brand name items to fill our baskets at a fraction of the cost. Here are just a few of the items I scored this year:

Those deals don’t even scratch the surface of what you can find on Hollar. Your family can have an awesome Easter on a small budget. We were able to fill 5 Easter baskets for under 50 dollars and you can too! Did I mention that if you sign up for a new account you’ll get a $2 credit towards your purchase? That’s free money to fill your baskets! If you want even more ways to save on Easter find out how you can make the day easier with this DIY Golden Bunny Bank. Now I’d love to hear how your save on Easter? Let me know your tips in the comments!

One of our family’s favorite shows to watch together is Cupcake Wars. My oldest has even decided that when he grows up, he and I are going to go on it and win. Of course, he clearly doesn’t realize that all of those cupcakes I bake come from a box but that’s okay. We’ll let him dream. To give him a little taste of the competition, I surprised him with a Cupcake Wars monster party.

[bctt tweet=”Find out how to throw a Cupcake Wars monster party for less than $100! #ad #party” username=”diyadulation”]

After the raging success of the party, I can teach you how to throw a Cupcake Wars monster party for less than $100 with Oriental Trading. Surprise your aspiring young baker with a party he’ll never forget!

Party Supplies

Cupcakes

It’s not practical to have the kids create their own cupcakes from scratch in the time-span of a birthday party. Instead, bring cupcakes that are already baked and iced with white frosting. Make the competition about the decorations. Encourage kids to create the most outrageous and awesome monster cupcake ever!

$ Saving Tip: Make your own cupcakes and only add enough frosting to seal them. There is going to be plenty of candy added to them at the party.

Goodie Bag Creation

Fill each of your monster gift bags with the following:

Fan

Glasses

Sucker

3+ Temporary Tattoos

4+ Pixie Stix

$ Saving Tip: Buy the goodie bag items in bulk from Oriental Trading to have plenty to fill the bags without spending a lot of cash.

Party Set-Up

Place your tablecloths on each the tables.
Add a monster centerpiece to each one.
Place a blank chef’s hat at each seat.
Provide markers throughout the table.
Have everything else set off to the side but easily accessible.

$ Saving Tip: Don’t feel the need for a ton of party décor. There are so many monster items for decorating that it looks like there is a ton of décor.

Party Outline

Have the kids decorate their chef’s hats with markers.

When they have finished, fit the hats to each child’s head.
Next, provide each kid with a frosted cupcake on a monster plate.

Fill a paint tray with various sprinkles for each child.

Then let everyone pick a cupcake wrapper, monster eyes, and cotton candy for monster fur.

Note:

They may need help with the cupcake wrappers.

As the kids finish decorating their cupcakes, set them off to the side for judging.
Once all of the cupcakes are finished, hold up each cupcake creation one at a time and have kids and parents vote by a show of hands.

Tips:

We let everyone vote as many times as they wanted and still had a clear winner.
Keep track of votes for each cupcake in some form.

You can have a specified prize for the winner if you would like. We did not and the kids were still happy.

Let the kids devour their cupcakes.
Hand out the goody bags for them to play with while they wait for everyone to finish eating.

Once everyone has finished eating, end the party with presents and play.

This party is a big crowd pleaser! Even kids who aren’t into crafts and art will love creating crazy candy cupcake monsters. Remember to always have a backup in case the party activities move along faster than expected. For this party we had mini notebooks for each of the kids to color on and take home. We have also had tissue paper fights in the past which are always exciting for kids. Lastly, if you’re looking to save even more on your party, don’t forget that Oriental Trading has a coupon page, too!