Shoved to Them
Start shopping for Christmas now if you haven’t already. I usually start in May or June. Set a strict budget for your children and then STICK TO IT. We usually budget $100 per child. By starting way ahead of time, you can look for bargains and get way more for your money than if you wait until the last minute.
Never spend more than $30-35 on on our parents and less than that on other relatives. What can you get for 30 bucks? One of our favorites is a coffee table book custom printed with our families photos from mypublisher.com (I don’t get paid by them, but I should!) They run about $30 a piece and I have a coupon code for buy one get one free if anyone wants one. The grandparents are thrilled and it looks MUCH more expensive and impressive than it really is. We also have started our brothers and their families out with Fontanini nativity sets (again, no kick back for the plug). Every year we buy a new shepherd or animal for the set at around $15 a piece.
I also bake, a lot. People like homemade candy and baked goods, and they are cheap to give. One of our favorites is candied pecans made from the nuts in our yard. Use what you have. It doesn’t have to be expensive to be appreciated.
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