My husband hates this story, but when my daughter was about 1 and half i started putting toys away when the batteries died and then wrapped them up for her with new batteries to open for Christmas just after she turned 2 anf she had forgotten all about them so she loved it. It wasn't because we couldnt afford gifts, i just wanted to have the money to spend on other things for the family. She is 7 now and no permanent damage done. 😃
My boys are 21 months apart with my youngest being 6 months. I am buying him one new toy I’ve had my eye on and the rest will be wrapped toys from a bin of stored toys we kept from my toddler.
Hi Dawn, I found an unexpected benefit to minimalism that no one talks about, it might be worth mentioning in one of your videos: me and my husband have better intamcy! We all know that a stressed mom in a messy house is the last person who wants to be sweet in the bedroom. Which sucks because a lot of moms feel this way and as a result couples are lacking in a huge aspect of their marriage :( Since I have gotten rid of most of the toys and all the junk in my bedroom and kids bedrooms, I am so happy when my husband comes home and it helps us both feel less stress! So for the husbands or wives who aren't entirely convinced, I think this is worth talking about. Love your videos! Keep up the good work :)
I am 64 years old and some of my best Christmas time memories are going ice skating and drinking hot chocolate and going to cut down the Christmas tree and decorating it. I can barely remember any of my Christmas gifts. Oh except one year my Mom bought me a Skipper doll and my Grandma (who was a great seamstress) made me a huge selection of clothes for her. Those handmade clothes and that cheap doll made me soooo happy.
Between My sister and I we have 6 kids under the age of 9. So a few years ago, following a stressful year, we decided to not exchange gifts during Christmas. We decided to just have Christmas fun. We go see santa, go to an old fashioned candy store and spend the rest of the weekend playing Christmas games and decorating cookies. We travel over 3 hours to get to her house so we get a whole weekend together. Now my boys are 3 and 7 and they look forward to the weekend of Christmas fun. They don't even miss the gifts. It's all about memories being made.
Melanie, one of the best fun things I did with my children was, in the lull between presents and waiting for the Christmas meal was have them draw the faces of adult family/friends and put them on the table for place settings. The adult had to recognise themselves. We still just about cry with laughter remembering some of the portraits which we keep in the Christmas decoration box to be rediscovered and enjoyed every year.
I just borrowed tons of good classic and new Christmas movies from the library. And tons of Christmas books. The kids will enjoy all these things in the weeks to follow. All free.
@@n0urish_to_fl0urishwithreb37 you could also check out 25 books and wrap them up. Then have the kids open one book up each night to read until xmas. It will be a surprise each night.
We usually can afford $3-400 for Christmas. And we aren’t broke, we have good jobs. We just refuse to use cards and are still working on getting debt free. We do make a lot of cookies to share and show we care. Still we are very blessed with a roof over our heads and food in our belly. The Lord is faithful to provide! Great video 😍
This past Christmas for once I was neither hosting, nor flying to get somewhere. My daughter hosted Christmas in her new house, just a 2 hour drive away. So I was finally able to do something I'd wanted to for a long time -- make a personalized frosted gingerbread cookie for each person -- about 12 people. Each one looked like a Christmas postcard, and it was a relaxing artistic project for me. Inexpensive, but big impact.
Personally, my fave cheap and fun present for the people that we think ought to get a gift but not an extravagant one is to wrap a jumbo pack of toilet paper! It ALWAYS gets a laugh, they get the satisfaction of opening a BIG gift and it costs $10. Best of all, you KNOW they will use it!
I love the tough love message today! Not only are we stressing about money we don’t have to spend, we are sending our kids the message that it’s okay to spend money we don’t have. I want my kids to spend their money wisely, and so I have to be an example of what financial wisdom looks like.
My friend started doing a white elephant gift party and the only rule is that you can't spend any money on it. There are always such goofy gifts. It is definitely a hilarious time! (And a great way to re-gift anything that was on it's way to the charity shop!!!)
Well said Dawn! I have found that children don’t mind gifts in good condition from charity shops and I guess the modern equivalent would be Facebook market place or used from ebay. A less stressed parent is probably the best gift you could give them.
These are good tips for all year, not just at Christmas. We don’t celebrate “Christmas” because we celebrate the Holidays God gave his people in the Bible, but when we were, we were frustrated because it was not even about Christ anymore. We wanted to focus on our Savior, but instead we rushed from here to there so stressed out and going broke. I am a gift giver, I love it! I’ve found ways to bless people by writing them a card, maybe tucking in a small gift card, or baking or making them something. I’ve bought those magnetic bookmarks with scripture on them that I often put in cards. I usually take Thanksgiving as a time to thank teachers, people around me, instead of Christmas. I think it is appropriate when you are really giving a gift at this time to say “Thank you”, “I love you”, “You are special to me”. Thank you Dawn for all that you do! I sometimes wish I could shadow you for a week to see how you manage all that is on your plate! 🤗
I've come to realize from studying the scriptures that Christ never asked us to celebrate his birth. But he did command us to keep his Sabbath Day holy. That's where my honoring of him and his life and death and resurrection will be: every week, every day.
Diana Dye this!! Christmas never really had anything to do with Christ’s birthday anyway. Wrong time of year and a mishmash of other legends mixed in with whatever the catholic church wanted. It’s all so commercialised. We don’t celebrate it and never have. The only good thing about it is all the sales and savings to be made right after (and sometimes leading up to) December 25 😆 tho the craziness at the shops is hardly worth it unless you shop online
I’ve had a Christmas club since I was 13. I’m 60 now. Saving a small amount each week makes things easier. Credit Unions are the best for this. Bake for the mailman.
I love this. I don't like doing gift exchanges, mainly because I feel like they are forced. And honestly, I don't really NEED anything. So I'm happier without the exchanges.
Stefanie Shanks we have a gift exchange and it’s going to cost $180 for our whole family! 6 kid gifts $10 each, 2 adult $25 ,25$ fee for building per fam, plus a side dish and dessert. That’s like 2 weeks of fresh produce for our family. It’s crazy the cousins all like to play with each other- we all like to play games but I don’t want to miss it. Because we never see those family members except for Christmas.
that's awesome! in the beginning you got to be more mindful of everyday decisions eventually it will become second nature and that's how you truly get to experience the benefit of being debt-free
I make up a batch of Christmas Jam in November. (It's made with strawberries, cranberries and spices....very tasty!) I give a jar of this to our mail lady, my hairdresser, my neighbor, etc. It's always very appreciated.
An idea, especially for children, could be (dry) ingredients to a batch of cookies. It gets them thinking about what they need to make it happen and they can spend time with mom/dad in the kitchen making their own treat. What kid wouldn't want their own batch of cookies or brownies?
I LOVE that you are promoting paying cash and not going into debt! THANK YOU FOR THAT! It's a message that more people need to preach and even more people need to hear!
We already do a minimal Christmas (3 gifts: toy, book, clothes with new PJs on Christmas Eve), but this year we've needed clothes for our children and warm PJs sooner than expected, so they know we've already gotten these things this year and we don't need more. We have gotten no one else gifts bc we previously couldn't. My husband has been working toward his Seminary MA for 6 years and he is finally graduating!! This Dec 13 - YAY! The fees and gifts we want to get him, including dinner at a fancy restaurant will be more than our usually Christmas budget. So things will be even more minimal this year.
Such a wonderful message!!! And yes, kids just want us. Think back on your own childhood: what do you remember? The big gift? Or the cozy fire with the family all gathered and paying attention to each other? My favorite memories are playing board games with my dad over the Christmas break.
We told our grown kids to please not bring us Christmas gifts! Our daughter protested, “ I love to give gifts”. Told her we prefer time with her, but if she insists she could remember our birthdays. I want a lunch out or an activity with my adult kids...not stuff. Too much of the joy is taken out the season with an exhausting to do list! I love traditions...we always go to the Christmas Eve church service and I put out a puzzle Christmas Day with the goal it is complete by the time everyone leaves. I love ALL of your videos!
As I continue to simplify (after my husband called it quits this year) I've been struggling with the holidays. My daughter will be travelling with her dad during Christmas. I talked with her, she's 6, and we agreed that this year at my home, rather than having presents for us, we will buy her teacher what she wants for the classroom. I feel really positive about that choice.
Thank you, Dawn! I have a story that I hope may be helpful to someone. My husband is in a particular line of construction, and one year pretty much ran out of work. We did not see it coming and we're left with almost no money at Christmas. We had 5 children ages 5-16. This was about 9 years ago. We ended up with $15 to spend on each kid and a total of $25 for all 5 stockings (my kids never believed in Santa do we didn't have to explain that). It was really difficult, actually embarrassing, but it turned out to be a really special time. We went to a neighbor's land that wouldn't mind and cut a cedar tree and enjoyed what we had. I have a cookie decorating party every year and when people asked what to bring that year I told them sprinkles or whatever we needed. It was still fun. It was very difficult though because I called my sister to explain that we didn't have money and wanted to opt out of gifts except for her youngest two (12 and 4) her other girls were 17,18&22. She would NOT go along with it and said I didn't have to bring gifts but she was because she'd already bought some. I ended up buying her older girls perfume for $1 each. She showed up with gifts for all of us. Even my husband and me. It was pretty hurtful and I felt like she didn't mind embarrassing me. But we survived and didn't go into debt, came out of the slump without have to dig out of debt.
For teachers I think it would be so much easier if every parent gave a small amount and the teacher get a gift certificate from the whole class, rather than 20-30 coffee mugs or candles. If each parent wrote a personal note in a card their child made, it would mean so much more to the teacher than all the trinkets.
Yes so many candles and mugs and #1 Best Teacher knick knacks! Every new years at the charity shop I volunteer at we receive tons of donations of these kind of things from teachers. Then people buy it up again and regift it back to the teachers the next year. Its nuts
YES! All those tchotchkes must drive teachers nuts - Knick-knacks they don’t want, food they can’t eat, scents they don’t like. If every parent contributed $5 or $10 for a Visa gift card it would be easier, cheaper and more useful!
So could you contact the other parents in your class and suggest this? We have this in the UK. We have a class rep who communicates about upcoming events, fundraising etc and she very kindly receives all the donations and purchases thoughtful really well received gifts for the teachers and teaching assistants. We (other parents) are so grateful to have that job off our to do list and collaboratively the meaningful gift costs less for each family than we would spend if we each had to buy something.
I think it is totally reasonable to suggest it to parents, no parent should feel forced but a suggestion to take part would be enough for most of the parents I know to be reaching for their wallets
Such an important topic for living more simply! Love it! 💸 As Dave Ramsey says, "Debt is dumb and cash is king." Families that find financial freedom will not only transform their holidays...but their entire year. One "baby step" at a time!
I lost my job in mid-September (and we already live paycheck to paycheck). My kids are over 18 and we just talked about it - they are awesome and know more about money now...so they agreed to a VERY minimal Christmas! Plus my daughter pointed out: if we are starting to pare down and minimize our "stuff", it's a good time to start.
I found these really cute mini tin Christmas mailboxes at the dollar tree. I thought it would be fun to leave special messages in them for each other during the season! $1 each!
Christmas was always a stress. The last couple years we started doing activities with the kids instead of gifts. They loved it! We get swim passes at our local hotel. Winter doesn't drag on and it gets us out of the house. Thanks for the video. Hope you have a great week!
Consider yourself blessed that you have discovered things don't make us happy, people do! You are young enough to be able to teach that truth to your children and they can see it modeled in their own family. It's always nice to have some savings or an emergency fund to help with a medical issue or a plumbing or car catastrophe, but with day to day living staying on a budget does not have to be a hardship. As FLYlady would say . . . . you are rich in proportion to what you can do without! Thank you for bringing together so many amazing followers, I never knew so many people shared this view!
This is a breath of fresh air! The culture we live in tells us the lie that we have to spend tons of money to make Christmas "special!" Our kids need that quality time, even if its a free hike or super low cost activity! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!!
I so wish I had heard this message 10 years ago! I have struggled to simplify the Christmas season for so long and this message feels like a breath of fresh air and the permission I needed.
I am on an extremely fixed income because of my disability from a stroke. A furnace repair was 1,000 last night and not sure where I will get payments for that, but any Christmas flew out the window. My children are all in their early 30's and I have my first grandson. I plan to make bake goods for my children, and find something practical for the baby. They love home made treats and probably would appreciate that as much as store bought gifts.
As a 43yr old, I can tell you I would be ESTACTIC if my parents gave mw a bag of favorite family holiday treats!! Its not just that you took the time to do it, its the memories that it brings. :)
I couldn't agree with you more! Kids want their parents to spend time with them. Experiences and activities will be remembered, treasured and talked about. Some gifts are forgotten before the new year.
Love this! Don't let people's expectations guide how you spend YOUR money. It's your money and you need to spend or not spend as you see fit. Doing holidays with cash is the only way to go!
I especially like that you pointed out to prioritize who you give gifts to. I, too, think the kids come first. For the single young adults it may be parents or a significant other. And it's so freeing to have the gift recipient list simple! Less shopping. Less money spent usually. And less time in the stores!
I have tried for several years to have the let's do a family name draw gift exchange with no success. Also, no one on either side wants to scale back. It really stinks!!! I am all for it, but nope. I totally agree on the experiences vs things gifts with kids. We are actually doing that with my daughter this year!! I LOVE experiences vs things. Memories go into the heart and don't clutter my house!!!
Beth Young same, we have 6 kids and I have been saying for years- please! No gifts, maybe experience gifts- lunch with grandma, movies or swimming- never happens it’s always 6-10+gifts for each of my kids and 3-4 different christmases. On the big side that 240 things I have to find a spot for! 😵😵😵 please oh please let this year be just games and food! 🤣
Ladies-do your scaled-down ideas ANYWAY. It may take a few years to catch on, but people will see you’re serious and less stressed and might follow. If not-then be the only people who ARE less stressed and rejoice in that. 😀 Unfortunately, many of us (me, included) need to rehome tons of gifts when we’re bombarded by thoughtless relatives-so tell your kids WELL AHEAD OF TIME that “It’s that time of year, kids!” to purge and declutter the toys and stuff that overwhelm your space. When they’re part of it, it’s often easier. This helps to keep the home less cluttered and stressy. Best to you both! 🎁
@@JanuaryLisa Thanks for the advice!! I am going to try to do it this year and set some major limits. I am tired of having to shuffle around tons of stuff in my home, so I am a newbie minimalist. I am trying....lol!
My love language is gifts! I’d like to debunk a common misconception about my love language: just because a gift is more expensive, that doesn’t mean it’s better. It’s not as materialistic as people think. The best gifts for me are “I was out and about, saw this thing, and immediately thought of you!” Food is usually a safe bet. Anything having to do with my fandoms is usually a safe bet. Anything that makes my life easier is usually a safe bet. At my most broke, I decided to create and frame visual versions of inside jokes. They weren’t hard to make, but they ended up being my friends’ favorite gifts that year! Total cost was maybe a few dollars per gift for frames (especially second-hand ones), paper, and printer ink.
This is AWESOME! Wonderful idea! Never heard of that before and I've heard of a lot of gifts that are not things. Wow! I might just steal this! ;) Thanks!
Excellent video!! I totally agree since we found Dave Ramsey several yrs ago it has changed our lives and how we view money, gifts, and holidays. for the past several years we have actually been budgeting our Christmas we start as soon as the New Year begins with our 1st paycheck and began saving all year I make a list of everyone at that we're going to purchase gifts for how much we're going to spend and include food etc. We divide that up by how many paychecks we have for the year through Nov and by Nov 1st were to go shopping :) its so much fun now now stressing over money. Im able to focus on making the gifts special not just something they put on a list. So excited for this year! And since finding the fly lady, and you our house is clean and WAY less stressful as well!! Think this will be our best Christmas yet!! Thank you!!! Bless you and your family!
Family members, grandparents, aunt, uncle use to give me money so that I can buy the gifts that my kids really want, which is great, because like that it's not getting out of control. And I never spend all the money they give me, they know, they are fine with it and I am truly grateful that it works out so well. The gifts we make to them, I do craft with my kids throughout December and we love it. Usually it's something to hang on the tree. It's just beautiful to see the crafted decor grow each year.
Preach, sister!! I am trying one big gift this year (bikes!) because all the little things I thought I was saving money on add up so fast and fill up the house. Yikes!
This is always a good reminder as we approach the holiday season. I'm looking for creative ways to get out of the big family gift opening part of Christmas since I don't want my children to think Christmas is just about consumerism and greed. Thank you for reminding us that Christmas is about spending time with each other and not about going into debt to buy presents.
Hey if the family have stockings. You could just each buy a small gift with a spend limit. So it's a small amount? We are doing that this year 🙌 my idea!
Time together is such a great gift! So many times I hear kids saying they just want time with family and no cellphones - they notice these things. Also for teachers simple is sometimes best like a $5 gift card or school supplies or books from the thrift stores even just chocolate! Just no more mugs lol we get too many :P
I had my kids write down the things that make Christmas enjoyable for them (4 kids, ages 11-19. ) It went exactly like you said! It was all about the traditions that we do as a family... food, stockings, cutting down a Christmas tree. Thank you for all of your encouragement. ❤️
Just a comment on Amazon, When I add something to my wishlist, I always put in a comment for what the price is currently. It has been very interesting to watch the price adjust sometimes. Sometimes it goes down and sometimes it goes up. Other times in the comments section, I will also add what a competitors price is. Good to be informed and wait for the item in a wishlist too.
We start Christmas shopping around April or May. I buy a little bit every paycheck, so I don’t have to get my credit card out around Christmas. Also, we decided that we aren’t sending out Christmas cards this year for the first time. Christmas cards are one of those hidden costs. I realized I spent almost $100 on cards last year.
Thank you so much for this! One of your other videos also talked about asking kids what they want to do on Christmas as a family, and my kids want to 1) play Nerf guns, 2) watch The Grinch movie, and 3) have a birthday party for Jesus. You're so right that our kids just want to spend time with us. Each of them were able to quickly come up with something fun and free (even though I didn't specify not being able to pay for anything) that we can do together as a family. The phrase "People are more important than things" applies not only during the holidays, any time of year. We won't remember all of the presents, but we will remember the memories we make together.
Your house looks so beautiful with that Christmas tree! Since your house is not over full, you are able to give the tree plenty of elbow room, and it really adds to the room!
Yes! Santa has been bringing second-hand gifts to our kids for years- and putting them directly in the stocking or next to it unwrapped. Neither kid knows the difference! As for free activities to do with kids, Home Depot does free kids workshops- they are Christmas themed. Our kids are happy if we make snowmen and snow angels and snow forts with them or go sledding with cousins. When I was young we colored the snow with a spray bottle and some food coloring in water. We also did a family Christmas pageant and played Christmas carols on a set of whistles that were each tuned to a different note (everyone had to play theirs at the right time and we had a lot of good laughs). When everyone got older we played Christmas trivia games from the internet. We like going to a Christmas tree lighting in town, driving around to the houses that have crazy Christmas light displays, making ornaments with things we have around the house (or things my mom has in her craft room). There are a lot of ways to have plenty of christmas cheer that don't cost a thing.
Last year we made fruit and nut gift baskets to give each couple in our family. The younger ones got a travel mug stuffed with candy. It all cost about $40. Thank you, Dollar Tree, BOGO @ Publix, and Dollar General stores. 😁
I make homemade jams, jellies, and butters from our garden and wild berries that we pick. Decorate them with pretty labels and ribbons. That is typically what gets sent out. Now mailing them can get expensive so I try to spread that out during this season. We live pretty far from all of our family. But it is cheaper than a separate gift for each family member. And so far has been received with lots of joy.
Oh my! When you kept saying that you needed a break it freaked me out! Five years ago in December I said that I needed a break - and I got one! I broke my femur the day after my son got married and spent a week in the hospital (including Christmas). So be careful what you wish for! I totally agree with what you said in the video. I plan to make those graham cracker houses with my grand kids! They are so cute! And they look way easier than the kits that you can buy.
We had to scale back a long time ago after a huge financial setback and, thankfully, my kids were little enough to not get affected by the change too much. We do very little on a gift exchange w/ my extended family and tend to stick pretty tight to a budget per person. It has worked well for us.
You have given us al a wonderful gift, thank you for your insights . When children look back it's the experiences, not the stuff, that they cherish. The greatest gift you can give is your time and attention.
YES!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 My kids are getting one gift this year. We’re so blessed that it is enough. We gave a day of service to their grandparents, helping them button up their home and gardens for winter. They LOVED it. Disney + is up now. I could binge watch that for days and consider it the best Christmas ever, haha. Thank you for the timely video, Dawn! Merry Christmas!
This year we are ge tting the kids hydro back packs, and the grandparents are getting them hiking shoes and snow shoes so that everything they get allows for family memories together! For birthdays they get money from grandparents and coupons for one on one grandparent time. We get them one thing that we know they are wanting and sometimes it's used. Not only do my kids not care that it's used, they think it's cool:)
We only buy for kids (keeping a list during the year of what they would really use), adults get something small like a slab of chocolate, bar of scented soap. That's it, works like a bomb! We also asked our kids whether they want a gift or cash to add to their savings goal. They both(ages 6 and 4) said cash.
Here in the Netherlands the main celebration is Saint Nicholas day. Quite a lot of families don't give expensive gifts. Instead you draw one person's name in the lottery and prepare a special poem or story for them that reflects them or your relationship. There is also candy, and people combine for joint gifts etc. But definitely not on credit, the focus is on enjoying and celebrating each other and the season.
One of your very best videos ! I kinda liked how you got a little 'passionate ' about this message. This message is worth being passionate about! I could tell it was coming from experience and you just don't want others to 'suffer/ torture themselves ' in vain. I could tell it was coming from love.
Dawn, thank you so much for sharing this! One struggle for me this year is wanting to bless my adult friends and their children with thoughtful, beautifully wrapped gifts and/or hosting (Friendsgiving, a cookie party, or New Years). I want to experience all the love and goodwill and FUN of the season but we just can’t afford anything. We’ve had a rough year financially with the birth of our third baby, major car repairs and medical stuff. We are barely making it. I am giving myself permission to wait and see about next year... my motto is this: It’s not that we are being Ebeneezer Scrooge- it’s that this year, we are literally Bob Crachit!!!! 😂
Thanks again for a good message. I have stopped sending Christmas cards. They often cost more than you think (including stamps) and are sometimes so impersonal. Since a few years I send all our family and friends an email at the end of each year. It contains a photo of us and a message about what each family member has done or enjoyed in the past year. I get a lot of good responses! We don't buy gifts for Christmas because we celebrate Sinterklaas in the Netherlands (December 5). For Sinterklaas we have agreed with my family that everyone buys something for one family member only. We draw lots so that you don't know who will buy something for you. It saves a lot of gifts! Only the smallest ones (under the age of 4) still receive a few small (practical) gifts.
I have read about some ideas for Christmas such as 1) singing Christmas carols in the neighborhood or old folks home 2) planting a tree in remembrance of someone 3) having a bonfire roasting marshmallows. Different things other than spending all your free time shopping and worrying about gifts. I’m from Southern California and when you are out shopping here, people can be so rude. They are so materialistic.
I don't have a whole lot of money but, the past few years I put a evolope aside for Christmas. I budgeted and I was so surprised by how much money I had saved throughout the summer! You would also be surprised of how many presents you can buy under 70.00 to 60.00 on clearance. I prioritize gifts for my best friends and family and I put the rest of my money towards making homemade baked goods and cards for my friends. Even if you don't bake and are on a tight budget this season, be creative! The possibility's are endless! Like making a homemade hot cocoa jar with a nice little card would impress any friend, teacher or coworker!
Thank you Dawn! This is perfect for my family. This will be the first video of yours that my husband will be watching. Going to be such a blessing to us.💙💙💙
I’m a single mom living on a tight budget and I just love everything you said. You are so right about kids just wanting to spend time with us. I try to really remember that especially during the holidays.Thanks for the reminder!
I love what you said! We are scaling back but trying to make it more fun. We are going to do a scavenger hunt for the gifts. Hopefully it will take more time and we will laugh at the activities of the day! Crossing my fingers!
When we were a young couple with little ones we just bought Christmas items through out the year we buy things when they are 70% off. By the time Christmas came around we had it all bought and paid cash for it all.
No credit cards for us this year and it’s the first time. Omg! I’m not spending as much as I used to since watching your channel. It’s making a difference and our credit debt is getting lower. I’m waiting for payday to buy the rest of my Christmas gifts. My 14 years old is getting clothes he needs since going through a growth spurt. I took my daughter to see Anastasia and we are going to see the nutcracker next week. I believe in making experiences now that the kids are older. I took them to music festivals last year and we had an amazing time with unforgettable memories. I haven’t bought myself anything and I’m using all the clothes I have in my closet. My home looks like a minimalist lives here. I hate cleaning. I prefer to cook and bake.
Thanks you so much! I can't tell you how many brand new and high quality things and clothes I have found at the used store. People dont even realize they are second hand. I think that the most effective way to survive the holidays is making a minimal and mindful plan and stick with it. Thanks for sharing!❤🙏
In our town, the Community Action Center has a shop for free for your family at Christmastime. That way people who literally don't have money can give their kids some gifts. I agree with everything you are saying. Feed My Starving Children is something we did during Christmas break one year. Serving was so fun! We also visited St. Paul's Rice Park and looked at the Christmas lights and ice sculptures.
Yes I have so enjoyed this year thinking you have ten pounds and putting things togeather love the challenge to see what you can get it’s amazing what you can put togeather my hubby bought a good flask he takes that on his journey to work instead of stopping at Costa saves a fortune xx
So true, it's no fun "exchanging gifts" with adults, when we can all usually just buy what we want ourselves. So much more fun to give to people like teachers, mail men/women, bus drivers, etc. because we don't expect anything in return. It's that awkward moment of gift comparison that I really don't like - that moment when you realize you should have spent more because they gave you more, or feeling slighted because you spent more than them. There are times though that we have skipped Christmas gifts for teachers, and opted to do end of year gifts for them instead. It's usually one or the other. :)
Great video! This year we were able to do 2 Operation Christmas Child boxes. I gave my kids $10 per box. It was so eye opening for them to not only do something for someone else put to really watch the prices. We hope to do this every year.
Thank you for watching!! You can find our SIMPLE CHRISTMAS Playlist (with non-annoying toy ideas, what teachers really want, & a holiday house tour!) here: ua-cam.com/play/PLZ-AWUEixtg3Wi6G6pD-FWjIvSxXdHxkL.html
The Minimal Mom, how do you feel about giving baked goods to teachers etc? I was thinking of doing banana bread loafs for teachers and staff members at my daughters school.
Also last year we got the brain flakes and the game that you suggested- my kids loved them! They ah e been playing with brain flakes over all other toys! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻😁😁
The Minimal Mom Dawn - you are such an inspiration. Minimal Mom-mers - you ladies totally rock. Such love and support in this group. Such great ideas. Wow!
I so appreciate this video! We just bought a house this past October and it needs so much work in order for us to even move in to it. I love giving gifts, but we will barely have it for our own kids... it’s so difficult to tell my family.
I so agree with kids and gifts! I have learned that they will remember the “experience” more than the gifts they were given. I read somewhere do experiment on yourself try and remember a gift that was given to you on Christmas or your Birthday...it’s hard to remember what gifts you were given, but you would remember a trip or an activity that you did as a family. Kids will only play with a new toy for a little while and sometimes they break them and you have spent lots of money and time finding that one toy they just had to have. So after all that what was the point? Time is the greats gift for sure!
My husband hates this story, but when my daughter was about 1 and half i started putting toys away when the batteries died and then wrapped them up for her with new batteries to open for Christmas just after she turned 2 anf she had forgotten all about them so she loved it. It wasn't because we couldnt afford gifts, i just wanted to have the money to spend on other things for the family. She is 7 now and no permanent damage done. 😃
LOVE this!!!!! 👏♥️👍
Brilliant 👍👍👍
Yup! Batteries for Christmas and all of a sudden the toys were "new" done that too and proud of my creativity lol
I feel like toddlers just want to unwrap stuff , I've wrapped old toys also
My boys are 21 months apart with my youngest being 6 months. I am buying him one new toy I’ve had my eye on and the rest will be wrapped toys from a bin of stored toys we kept from my toddler.
Hi Dawn,
I found an unexpected benefit to minimalism that no one talks about, it might be worth mentioning in one of your videos: me and my husband have better intamcy! We all know that a stressed mom in a messy house is the last person who wants to be sweet in the bedroom. Which sucks because a lot of moms feel this way and as a result couples are lacking in a huge aspect of their marriage :( Since I have gotten rid of most of the toys and all the junk in my bedroom and kids bedrooms, I am so happy when my husband comes home and it helps us both feel less stress! So for the husbands or wives who aren't entirely convinced, I think this is worth talking about.
Love your videos! Keep up the good work :)
I am 64 years old and some of my best Christmas time memories are going ice skating and drinking hot chocolate and going to cut down the Christmas tree and decorating it. I can barely remember any of my Christmas gifts. Oh except one year my Mom bought me a Skipper doll and my Grandma (who was a great seamstress) made me a huge selection of clothes for her. Those handmade clothes and that cheap doll made me soooo happy.
Exactly! That is SO true! 🥰
Between My sister and I we have 6 kids under the age of 9. So a few years ago, following a stressful year, we decided to not exchange gifts during Christmas. We decided to just have Christmas fun. We go see santa, go to an old fashioned candy store and spend the rest of the weekend playing Christmas games and decorating cookies. We travel over 3 hours to get to her house so we get a whole weekend together. Now my boys are 3 and 7 and they look forward to the weekend of Christmas fun. They don't even miss the gifts. It's all about memories being made.
that is wonderful!
Melanie, one of the best fun things I did with my children was, in the lull between presents and waiting for the Christmas meal was have them draw the faces of adult family/friends and put them on the table for place settings. The adult had to recognise themselves. We still just about cry with laughter remembering some of the portraits which we keep in the Christmas decoration box to be rediscovered and enjoyed every year.
Love this!!!
Melanie Farmery so much fun!
Melanie Farmery so good!
I just borrowed tons of good classic and new Christmas movies from the library. And tons of Christmas books. The kids will enjoy all these things in the weeks to follow. All free.
Yes!!! You always have such great ideas!!! ♥️💚♥️💚
Beautiful idea ❤❤❤
L S such a great idea! I’m ‘stealing it with pride’!
@@n0urish_to_fl0urishwithreb37 you could also check out 25 books and wrap them up. Then have the kids open one book up each night to read until xmas. It will be a surprise each night.
@@bluesouthpaw6326 WOW. This is such a great idea! I am TOTALLY using this idea this year! THANK YOU for this wonderful and frugal idea!
We usually can afford $3-400 for Christmas. And we aren’t broke, we have good jobs. We just refuse to use cards and are still working on getting debt free. We do make a lot of cookies to share and show we care. Still we are very blessed with a roof over our heads and food in our belly. The Lord is faithful to provide!
Great video 😍
This past Christmas for once I was neither hosting, nor flying to get somewhere. My daughter hosted Christmas in her new house, just a 2 hour drive away. So I was finally able to do something I'd wanted to for a long time -- make a personalized frosted gingerbread cookie for each person -- about 12 people. Each one looked like a Christmas postcard, and it was a relaxing artistic project for me. Inexpensive, but big impact.
Personally, my fave cheap and fun present for the people that we think ought to get a gift but not an extravagant one is to wrap a jumbo pack of toilet paper! It ALWAYS gets a laugh, they get the satisfaction of opening a BIG gift and it costs $10. Best of all, you KNOW they will use it!
This is hilarious, I know my husband and I would like this. It is more useful than clothes or decorations that arent your style
Best. Gift. Ever. 👏👏👏👏
a batch of home made fudge, peppermint creams and shortbread - package nicely and gift with a nice card or note.
Leanne Munro I am so ‘stealing-this-idea-with-pride’!! Love it!
I love the tough love message today! Not only are we stressing about money we don’t have to spend, we are sending our kids the message that it’s okay to spend money we don’t have. I want my kids to spend their money wisely, and so I have to be an example of what financial wisdom looks like.
My friend started doing a white elephant gift party and the only rule is that you can't spend any money on it. There are always such goofy gifts. It is definitely a hilarious time! (And a great way to re-gift anything that was on it's way to the charity shop!!!)
That's neat! :)
I love this idea 💡
Well said Dawn!
I have found that children don’t mind gifts in good condition from charity shops and I guess the modern equivalent would be Facebook market place or used from ebay.
A less stressed parent is probably the best gift you could give them.
Yes, amen!!!
These are good tips for all year, not just at Christmas. We don’t celebrate “Christmas” because we celebrate the Holidays God gave his people in the Bible, but when we were, we were frustrated because it was not even about Christ anymore. We wanted to focus on our Savior, but instead we rushed from here to there so stressed out and going broke. I am a gift giver, I love it! I’ve found ways to bless people by writing them a card, maybe tucking in a small gift card, or baking or making them something. I’ve bought those magnetic bookmarks with scripture on them that I often put in cards. I usually take Thanksgiving as a time to thank teachers, people around me, instead of Christmas. I think it is appropriate when you are really giving a gift at this time to say “Thank you”, “I love you”, “You are special to me”.
Thank you Dawn for all that you do! I sometimes wish I could shadow you for a week to see how you manage all that is on your plate! 🤗
Great idea to give gestures of appreciation at Thanksgiving!
I've come to realize from studying the scriptures that Christ never asked us to celebrate his birth. But he did command us to keep his Sabbath Day holy. That's where my honoring of him and his life and death and resurrection will be: every week, every day.
Diana Dye Amen!
Diana Dye this!! Christmas never really had anything to do with Christ’s birthday anyway. Wrong time of year and a mishmash of other legends mixed in with whatever the catholic church wanted. It’s all so commercialised. We don’t celebrate it and never have.
The only good thing about it is all the sales and savings to be made right after (and sometimes leading up to) December 25 😆 tho the craziness at the shops is hardly worth it unless you shop online
Great message. It's funny how people push back when you say "let's not exchange gifts this year" so your "I need a break" is genius!
I’ve had a Christmas club since I was 13. I’m 60 now. Saving a small amount each week makes things easier. Credit Unions are the best for this. Bake for the mailman.
I love this. I don't like doing gift exchanges, mainly because I feel like they are forced. And honestly, I don't really NEED anything. So I'm happier without the exchanges.
Stefanie Shanks me too
Stefanie Shanks we have a gift exchange and it’s going to cost $180 for our whole family! 6 kid gifts $10 each, 2 adult $25 ,25$ fee for building per fam, plus a side dish and dessert. That’s like 2 weeks of fresh produce for our family. It’s crazy the cousins all like to play with each other- we all like to play games but I don’t want to miss it. Because we never see those family members except for Christmas.
Me and my husband did it the Dave Ramsey way now we are completely debt-free truly life changing
RPG G My compliments to you!!! I am doing a debt-free scream on your behalf!!😊😊😊
RPG G My husband and I are on the debt free train too! Love Dave’s principles and plan! Way to go
that's awesome! in the beginning you got to be more mindful of everyday decisions eventually it will become second nature and that's how you truly get to experience the benefit of being debt-free
I make up a batch of Christmas Jam in November. (It's made with strawberries, cranberries and spices....very tasty!) I give a jar of this to our mail lady, my hairdresser, my neighbor, etc. It's always very appreciated.
An idea, especially for children, could be (dry) ingredients to a batch of cookies. It gets them thinking about what they need to make it happen and they can spend time with mom/dad in the kitchen making their own treat.
What kid wouldn't want their own batch of cookies or brownies?
A thoughtful appreciative note to a teacher is a gem to be treasured for years.
I LOVE that you are promoting paying cash and not going into debt! THANK YOU FOR THAT! It's a message that more people need to preach and even more people need to hear!
We already do a minimal Christmas (3 gifts: toy, book, clothes with new PJs on Christmas Eve), but this year we've needed clothes for our children and warm PJs sooner than expected, so they know we've already gotten these things this year and we don't need more. We have gotten no one else gifts bc we previously couldn't.
My husband has been working toward his Seminary MA for 6 years and he is finally graduating!! This Dec 13 - YAY! The fees and gifts we want to get him, including dinner at a fancy restaurant will be more than our usually Christmas budget. So things will be even more minimal this year.
Such a wonderful message!!! And yes, kids just want us. Think back on your own childhood: what do you remember? The big gift? Or the cozy fire with the family all gathered and paying attention to each other? My favorite memories are playing board games with my dad over the Christmas break.
We told our grown kids to please not bring us Christmas gifts! Our daughter protested, “ I love to give gifts”. Told her we prefer time with her, but if she insists she could remember our birthdays. I want a lunch out or an activity with my adult kids...not stuff. Too much of the joy is taken out the season with an exhausting to do list! I love traditions...we always go to the Christmas Eve church service and I put out a puzzle Christmas Day with the goal it is complete by the time everyone leaves. I love ALL of your videos!
As I continue to simplify (after my husband called it quits this year) I've been struggling with the holidays. My daughter will be travelling with her dad during Christmas. I talked with her, she's 6, and we agreed that this year at my home, rather than having presents for us, we will buy her teacher what she wants for the classroom. I feel really positive about that choice.
That is really cool, way to go!!! ♥️
Wow!! That is enormous!! My daughter is a Special Education teacher and she would flip over something like this!!!❤️♥️😘
Thank you, Dawn! I have a story that I hope may be helpful to someone. My husband is in a particular line of construction, and one year pretty much ran out of work. We did not see it coming and we're left with almost no money at Christmas. We had 5 children ages 5-16. This was about 9 years ago. We ended up with $15 to spend on each kid and a total of $25 for all 5 stockings (my kids never believed in Santa do we didn't have to explain that). It was really difficult, actually embarrassing, but it turned out to be a really special time. We went to a neighbor's land that wouldn't mind and cut a cedar tree and enjoyed what we had. I have a cookie decorating party every year and when people asked what to bring that year I told them sprinkles or whatever we needed. It was still fun. It was very difficult though because I called my sister to explain that we didn't have money and wanted to opt out of gifts except for her youngest two (12 and 4) her other girls were 17,18&22. She would NOT go along with it and said I didn't have to bring gifts but she was because she'd already bought some. I ended up buying her older girls perfume for $1 each. She showed up with gifts for all of us. Even my husband and me. It was pretty hurtful and I felt like she didn't mind embarrassing me. But we survived and didn't go into debt, came out of the slump without have to dig out of debt.
For teachers I think it would be so much easier if every parent gave a small amount and the teacher get a gift certificate from the whole class, rather than 20-30 coffee mugs or candles. If each parent wrote a personal note in a card their child made, it would mean so much more to the teacher than all the trinkets.
Yes so many candles and mugs and #1 Best Teacher knick knacks! Every new years at the charity shop I volunteer at we receive tons of donations of these kind of things from teachers. Then people buy it up again and regift it back to the teachers the next year. Its nuts
YES! All those tchotchkes must drive teachers nuts - Knick-knacks they don’t want, food they can’t eat, scents they don’t like. If every parent contributed $5 or $10 for a Visa gift card it would be easier, cheaper and more useful!
So could you contact the other parents in your class and suggest this? We have this in the UK. We have a class rep who communicates about upcoming events, fundraising etc and she very kindly receives all the donations and purchases thoughtful really well received gifts for the teachers and teaching assistants. We (other parents) are so grateful to have that job off our to do list and collaboratively the meaningful gift costs less for each family than we would spend if we each had to buy something.
I think it is totally reasonable to suggest it to parents, no parent should feel forced but a suggestion to take part would be enough for most of the parents I know to be reaching for their wallets
As a teacher myself I would enjoy just a xmas card with a nice note and a picture of the family.
Such an important topic for living more simply! Love it! 💸
As Dave Ramsey says, "Debt is dumb and cash is king." Families that find financial freedom will not only transform their holidays...but their entire year. One "baby step" at a time!
Yes, amen!!! ♥️
Jesus is King. But I still liked your comment. Lol
Living Strategically love love the baby steps and Dave!!
LOVE Dave Ramsey! His teachings changed our lives and our grown chidren's lives! 💕
I lost my job in mid-September (and we already live paycheck to paycheck). My kids are over 18 and we just talked about it - they are awesome and know more about money now...so they agreed to a VERY minimal Christmas! Plus my daughter pointed out: if we are starting to pare down and minimize our "stuff", it's a good time to start.
I like giving people like teachers a nice card or some handmade cookies. Just to show the gratitude. Doesn‘t cost much.
I found these really cute mini tin Christmas mailboxes at the dollar tree. I thought it would be fun to leave special messages in them for each other during the season! $1 each!
Christmas was always a stress. The last couple years we started doing activities with the kids instead of gifts. They loved it! We get swim passes at our local hotel. Winter doesn't drag on and it gets us out of the house. Thanks for the video. Hope you have a great week!
Thank u for the idea
Love that idea!!! ♥️👍
Consider yourself blessed that you have discovered things don't make us happy, people do! You are young enough to be able to teach that truth to your children and they can see it modeled in their own family. It's always nice to have some savings or an emergency fund to help with a medical issue or a plumbing or car catastrophe, but with day to day living staying on a budget does not have to be a hardship. As FLYlady would say . . . . you are rich in proportion to what you can do without! Thank you for bringing together so many amazing followers, I never knew so many people shared this view!
This is a breath of fresh air! The culture we live in tells us the lie that we have to spend tons of money to make Christmas "special!" Our kids need that quality time, even if its a free hike or super low cost activity! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!!
I so wish I had heard this message 10 years ago! I have struggled to simplify the Christmas season for so long and this message feels like a breath of fresh air and the permission I needed.
I am on an extremely fixed income because of my disability from a stroke. A furnace repair was 1,000 last night and not sure where I will get payments for that, but any Christmas flew out the window. My children are all in their early 30's and I have my first grandson. I plan to make bake goods for my children, and find something practical for the baby. They love home made treats and probably would appreciate that as much as store bought gifts.
As a 43yr old, I can tell you I would be ESTACTIC if my parents gave mw a bag of favorite family holiday treats!! Its not just that you took the time to do it, its the memories that it brings. :)
@@trinam2503 thanks for your comment ! This 55 year old will be making lots of goodies! Merry Christmas to you!
I couldn't agree with you more! Kids want their parents to spend time with them. Experiences and activities will be remembered, treasured and talked about. Some gifts are forgotten before the new year.
We only get our kids one gift for Christmas! I really love the idea about doing things with the kids, like ice skating, and making cookies!! 💚
Love this! Don't let people's expectations guide how you spend YOUR money. It's your money and you need to spend or not spend as you see fit. Doing holidays with cash is the only way to go!
I especially like that you pointed out to prioritize who you give gifts to. I, too, think the kids come first. For the single young adults it may be parents or a significant other. And it's so freeing to have the gift recipient list simple! Less shopping. Less money spent usually. And less time in the stores!
I have tried for several years to have the let's do a family name draw gift exchange with no success. Also, no one on either side wants to scale back. It really stinks!!! I am all for it, but nope. I totally agree on the experiences vs things gifts with kids. We are actually doing that with my daughter this year!! I LOVE experiences vs things. Memories go into the heart and don't clutter my house!!!
Beth Young same, we have 6 kids and I have been saying for years- please! No gifts, maybe experience gifts- lunch with grandma, movies or swimming- never happens it’s always 6-10+gifts for each of my kids and 3-4 different christmases. On the big side that 240 things I have to find a spot for! 😵😵😵 please oh please let this year be just games and food! 🤣
Ladies-do your scaled-down ideas ANYWAY. It may take a few years to catch on, but people will see you’re serious and less stressed and might follow. If not-then be the only people who ARE less stressed and rejoice in that. 😀 Unfortunately, many of us (me, included) need to rehome tons of gifts when we’re bombarded by thoughtless relatives-so tell your kids WELL AHEAD OF TIME that “It’s that time of year, kids!” to purge and declutter the toys and stuff that overwhelm your space. When they’re part of it, it’s often easier. This helps to keep the home less cluttered and stressy. Best to you both! 🎁
@@JanuaryLisa Thanks for the advice!! I am going to try to do it this year and set some major limits. I am tired of having to shuffle around tons of stuff in my home, so I am a newbie minimalist. I am trying....lol!
Beth Young - good for you! 💚
Back in October, my cousin had a birthday party and I did not have money to buy her a gift so I made her a necklace/earring set!
Very very nice and thoughtful!
@@simplesgood7694 thank you!
That’s a fabulous gift!! One year my adult niece did the same for me! I loved it!!
@@Nan-59 Thank you!
I always look forward to crafting with the kids so I get supplies on clearance after Christmas and store for the following year.
Love this!!!♥️
My love language is gifts!
I’d like to debunk a common misconception about my love language: just because a gift is more expensive, that doesn’t mean it’s better. It’s not as materialistic as people think.
The best gifts for me are “I was out and about, saw this thing, and immediately thought of you!” Food is usually a safe bet. Anything having to do with my fandoms is usually a safe bet. Anything that makes my life easier is usually a safe bet.
At my most broke, I decided to create and frame visual versions of inside jokes. They weren’t hard to make, but they ended up being my friends’ favorite gifts that year! Total cost was maybe a few dollars per gift for frames (especially second-hand ones), paper, and printer ink.
This is AWESOME! Wonderful idea! Never heard of that before and I've heard of a lot of gifts that are not things. Wow! I might just steal this! ;) Thanks!
YES!!! Thank you!!!! ♥️👍👏
My love language is also gifts, so I totally agree with you.
katuni08 I totally agree. I am a gifts person but only when they are personal, thoughtfilled or sentimental. I don’t need or want anything lavish.
Excellent video!! I totally agree since we found Dave Ramsey several yrs ago it has changed our lives and how we view money, gifts, and holidays. for the past several years we have actually been budgeting our Christmas we start as soon as the New Year begins with our 1st paycheck and began saving all year I make a list of everyone at that we're going to purchase gifts for how much we're going to spend and include food etc. We divide that up by how many paychecks we have for the year through Nov and by Nov 1st were to go shopping :) its so much fun now now stressing over money. Im able to focus on making the gifts special not just something they put on a list. So excited for this year! And since finding the fly lady, and you our house is clean and WAY less stressful as well!! Think this will be our best Christmas yet!! Thank you!!! Bless you and your family!
I love your little tree and gingerbread house on the bar.
Thank you!!! ♥️💚
Family members, grandparents, aunt, uncle use to give me money so that I can buy the gifts that my kids really want, which is great, because like that it's not getting out of control. And I never spend all the money they give me, they know, they are fine with it and I am truly grateful that it works out so well. The gifts we make to them, I do craft with my kids throughout December and we love it. Usually it's something to hang on the tree. It's just beautiful to see the crafted decor grow each year.
Preach, sister!! I am trying one big gift this year (bikes!) because all the little things I thought I was saving money on add up so fast and fill up the house. Yikes!
Awesome!!! ♥️👍
This is always a good reminder as we approach the holiday season. I'm looking for creative ways to get out of the big family gift opening part of Christmas since I don't want my children to think Christmas is just about consumerism and greed. Thank you for reminding us that Christmas is about spending time with each other and not about going into debt to buy presents.
Hey if the family have stockings. You could just each buy a small gift with a spend limit. So it's a small amount? We are doing that this year 🙌 my idea!
Time together is such a great gift! So many times I hear kids saying they just want time with family and no cellphones - they notice these things. Also for teachers simple is sometimes best like a $5 gift card or school supplies or books from the thrift stores even just chocolate! Just no more mugs lol we get too many :P
I had my kids write down the things that make Christmas enjoyable for them (4 kids, ages 11-19. ) It went exactly like you said! It was all about the traditions that we do as a family... food, stockings, cutting down a Christmas tree. Thank you for all of your encouragement. ❤️
My favorite Christmas memory is doing a craft project with my mom.
Road Runner That really is lovely! What a sweet memory!!!
Just a comment on Amazon, When I add something to my wishlist, I always put in a comment for what the price is currently. It has been very interesting to watch the price adjust sometimes. Sometimes it goes down and sometimes it goes up. Other times in the comments section, I will also add what a competitors price is. Good to be informed and wait for the item in a wishlist too.
We start Christmas shopping around April or May. I buy a little bit every paycheck, so I don’t have to get my credit card out around Christmas. Also, we decided that we aren’t sending out Christmas cards this year for the first time. Christmas cards are one of those hidden costs. I realized I spent almost $100 on cards last year.
Thank you so much for this! One of your other videos also talked about asking kids what they want to do on Christmas as a family, and my kids want to 1) play Nerf guns, 2) watch The Grinch movie, and 3) have a birthday party for Jesus. You're so right that our kids just want to spend time with us. Each of them were able to quickly come up with something fun and free (even though I didn't specify not being able to pay for anything) that we can do together as a family.
The phrase "People are more important than things" applies not only during the holidays, any time of year. We won't remember all of the presents, but we will remember the memories we make together.
Jamie Wagner so good!
WORD! Loved this!
I really think the "we are taking a break" is a great approach - as always, thanks for sharing your heart Dawn!
I love this because Christmas isn't about the money you spend, but the thought that goes into it! I need creative ideas for gifts for my Love.
Your house looks so beautiful with that Christmas tree! Since your house is not over full, you are able to give the tree plenty of elbow room, and it really adds to the room!
Wonderful comment about spending time with kids, doing activities with them!!! This is what the world needs more of!! Love your videos!!❤️❤️
Yes! Santa has been bringing second-hand gifts to our kids for years- and putting them directly in the stocking or next to it unwrapped. Neither kid knows the difference! As for free activities to do with kids, Home Depot does free kids workshops- they are Christmas themed. Our kids are happy if we make snowmen and snow angels and snow forts with them or go sledding with cousins. When I was young we colored the snow with a spray bottle and some food coloring in water. We also did a family Christmas pageant and played Christmas carols on a set of whistles that were each tuned to a different note (everyone had to play theirs at the right time and we had a lot of good laughs). When everyone got older we played Christmas trivia games from the internet. We like going to a Christmas tree lighting in town, driving around to the houses that have crazy Christmas light displays, making ornaments with things we have around the house (or things my mom has in her craft room). There are a lot of ways to have plenty of christmas cheer that don't cost a thing.
Last year we made fruit and nut gift baskets to give each couple in our family. The younger ones got a travel mug stuffed with candy. It all cost about $40. Thank you, Dollar Tree, BOGO @ Publix, and Dollar General stores. 😁
I make homemade jams, jellies, and butters from our garden and wild berries that we pick. Decorate them with pretty labels and ribbons. That is typically what gets sent out. Now mailing them can get expensive so I try to spread that out during this season. We live pretty far from all of our family. But it is cheaper than a separate gift for each family member. And so far has been received with lots of joy.
I strongly agree with every word you said. Really refreshing!!
Thank you!! 😊♥️
Oh my! When you kept saying that you needed a break it freaked me out! Five years ago in December I said that I needed a break - and I got one! I broke my femur the day after my son got married and spent a week in the hospital (including Christmas). So be careful what you wish for! I totally agree with what you said in the video. I plan to make those graham cracker houses with my grand kids! They are so cute! And they look way easier than the kits that you can buy.
That's a great video Dawn! Love it ❤️
We had to scale back a long time ago after a huge financial setback and, thankfully, my kids were little enough to not get affected by the change too much. We do very little on a gift exchange w/ my extended family and tend to stick pretty tight to a budget per person. It has worked well for us.
Christmas with the kranks 😄
You have given us al a wonderful gift, thank you for your insights . When children look back it's the experiences, not the stuff, that they cherish. The greatest gift you can give is your time and attention.
YES!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 My kids are getting one gift this year. We’re so blessed that it is enough.
We gave a day of service to their grandparents, helping them button up their home and gardens for winter. They LOVED it.
Disney + is up now. I could binge watch that for days and consider it the best Christmas ever, haha.
Thank you for the timely video, Dawn! Merry Christmas!
This year we are ge tting the kids hydro back packs, and the grandparents are getting them hiking shoes and snow shoes so that everything they get allows for family memories together! For birthdays they get money from grandparents and coupons for one on one grandparent time. We get them one thing that we know they are wanting and sometimes it's used. Not only do my kids not care that it's used, they think it's cool:)
This was such a great video! I love hearing your perspective on this! Don't hold back thinking you sound preachy...you're not! 😊
We only buy for kids (keeping a list during the year of what they would really use), adults get something small like a slab of chocolate, bar of scented soap. That's it, works like a bomb! We also asked our kids whether they want a gift or cash to add to their savings goal. They both(ages 6 and 4) said cash.
I save all year for Xmas so that’s a good way to stick to your budget xx
Here in the Netherlands the main celebration is Saint Nicholas day. Quite a lot of families don't give expensive gifts. Instead you draw one person's name in the lottery and prepare a special poem or story for them that reflects them or your relationship. There is also candy, and people combine for joint gifts etc. But definitely not on credit, the focus is on enjoying and celebrating each other and the season.
One of your very best videos ! I kinda liked how you got a little 'passionate ' about this message. This message is worth being passionate about!
I could tell it was coming from experience and you just don't want others to 'suffer/ torture themselves ' in vain. I could tell it was coming from love.
Dawn, thank you so much for sharing this! One struggle for me this year is wanting to bless my adult friends and their children with thoughtful, beautifully wrapped gifts and/or hosting (Friendsgiving, a cookie party, or New Years). I want to experience all the love and goodwill and FUN of the season but we just can’t afford anything. We’ve had a rough year financially with the birth of our third baby, major car repairs and medical stuff. We are barely making it. I am giving myself permission to wait and see about next year... my motto is this: It’s not that we are being Ebeneezer Scrooge- it’s that this year, we are literally Bob Crachit!!!! 😂
Thanks again for a good message. I have stopped sending Christmas cards. They often cost more than you think (including stamps) and are sometimes so impersonal. Since a few years I send all our family and friends an email at the end of each year. It contains a photo of us and a message about what each family member has done or enjoyed in the past year. I get a lot of good responses! We don't buy gifts for Christmas because we celebrate Sinterklaas in the Netherlands (December 5). For Sinterklaas we have agreed with my family that everyone buys something for one family member only. We draw lots so that you don't know who will buy something for you. It saves a lot of gifts! Only the smallest ones (under the age of 4) still receive a few small (practical) gifts.
I have read about some ideas for Christmas such as 1) singing Christmas carols in the neighborhood or old folks home 2) planting a tree in remembrance of someone 3) having a bonfire roasting marshmallows.
Different things other than spending all your free time shopping and worrying about gifts. I’m from Southern California and when you are out shopping here, people can be so rude. They are so materialistic.
Love your videos!! I feel like I've had a visit with you at your home.
That's such a nice compliment, thank you!!! 😊♥️
I don't have a whole lot of money but, the past few years I put a evolope aside for Christmas. I budgeted and I was so surprised by how much money I had saved throughout the summer! You would also be surprised of how many presents you can buy under 70.00 to 60.00 on clearance. I prioritize gifts for my best friends and family and I put the rest of my money towards making homemade baked goods and cards for my friends. Even if you don't bake and are on a tight budget this season, be creative! The possibility's are endless! Like making a homemade hot cocoa jar with a nice little card would impress any friend, teacher or coworker!
Thank you Dawn! This is perfect for my family. This will be the first video of yours that my husband will be watching. Going to be such a blessing to us.💙💙💙
Great video. I don’t know what we would do without our holiday budget. We are also scaling down on gifts this year. It’s all cash or nothing.
So awesome!! ♥️👍
How Debbie Saves help me! What is your budget!
I’m definitely taking a break this year!!! Thanks for the inspiration!!!
I’m a single mom living on a tight budget and I just love everything you said. You are so right about kids just wanting to spend time with us. I try to really remember that especially during the holidays.Thanks for the reminder!
I love what you said! We are scaling back but trying to make it more fun. We are going to do a scavenger hunt for the gifts. Hopefully it will take more time and we will laugh at the activities of the day! Crossing my fingers!
When we were a young couple with little ones we just bought Christmas items through out the year we buy things when they are 70% off. By the time Christmas came around we had it all bought and paid cash for it all.
No credit cards for us this year and it’s the first time. Omg! I’m not spending as much as I used to since watching your channel. It’s making a difference and our credit debt is getting lower. I’m waiting for payday to buy the rest of my Christmas gifts. My 14 years old is getting clothes he needs since going through a growth spurt. I took my daughter to see Anastasia and we are going to see the nutcracker next week. I believe in making experiences now that the kids are older. I took them to music festivals last year and we had an amazing time with unforgettable memories. I haven’t bought myself anything and I’m using all the clothes I have in my closet. My home looks like a minimalist lives here. I hate cleaning. I prefer to cook and bake.
Thanks you so much! I can't tell you how many brand new and high quality things and clothes I have found at the used store. People dont even realize they are second hand.
I think that the most effective way to survive the holidays is making a minimal and mindful plan and stick with it.
Thanks for sharing!❤🙏
Yes! Well said!! ♥️
I've found plenty of clothes that would normally cost over $100, for only $5-$10 at thrift stores!
Teachers and post people appreciate home made biscuits and cakes wrapped in pretty box’s. I know I do 😊
If you bake a small plate of goodies is always nice
You can always bake cookies. Great gift for teachers and coaches and mail people
In our town, the Community Action Center has a shop for free for your family at Christmastime. That way people who literally don't have money can give their kids some gifts. I agree with everything you are saying. Feed My Starving Children is something we did during Christmas break one year. Serving was so fun! We also visited St. Paul's Rice Park and looked at the Christmas lights and ice sculptures.
Yes I have so enjoyed this year thinking you have ten pounds and putting things togeather love the challenge to see what you can get it’s amazing what you can put togeather my hubby bought a good flask he takes that on his journey to work instead of stopping at Costa saves a fortune xx
So true, it's no fun "exchanging gifts" with adults, when we can all usually just buy what we want ourselves. So much more fun to give to people like teachers, mail men/women, bus drivers, etc. because we don't expect anything in return. It's that awkward moment of gift comparison that I really don't like - that moment when you realize you should have spent more because they gave you more, or feeling slighted because you spent more than them. There are times though that we have skipped Christmas gifts for teachers, and opted to do end of year gifts for them instead. It's usually one or the other. :)
Great video! This year we were able to do 2 Operation Christmas Child boxes. I gave my kids $10 per box. It was so eye opening for them to not only do something for someone else put to really watch the prices. We hope to do this every year.
Your videos are the best and you have the most genuine approach to family and friends who don’t quite “get it”
Thank you for watching!! You can find our SIMPLE CHRISTMAS Playlist (with non-annoying toy ideas, what teachers really want, & a holiday house tour!) here: ua-cam.com/play/PLZ-AWUEixtg3Wi6G6pD-FWjIvSxXdHxkL.html
The Minimal Mom, how do you feel about giving baked goods to teachers etc? I was thinking of doing banana bread loafs for teachers and staff members at my daughters school.
The Minimal Mom best video ever!
Also last year we got the brain flakes and the game that you suggested- my kids loved them! They ah e been playing with brain flakes over all other toys! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻😁😁
The Minimal Mom Dawn - you are such an inspiration.
Minimal Mom-mers - you ladies totally rock. Such love and support in this group. Such great ideas. Wow!
@@miriamhdez4900 I think that's a great idea!!!
I so appreciate this video! We just bought a house this past October and it needs so much work in order for us to even move in to it. I love giving gifts, but we will barely have it for our own kids... it’s so difficult to tell my family.
I so agree with kids and gifts! I have learned that they will remember the “experience” more than the gifts they were given.
I read somewhere do experiment on yourself try and remember a gift that was given to you on Christmas or your Birthday...it’s hard to remember what gifts you were given, but you would remember a trip or an activity that you did as a family.
Kids will only play with a new toy for a little while and sometimes they break them and you have spent lots of money and time finding that one toy they just had to have. So after all that what was the point? Time is the greats gift for sure!
Thank you for this video 🙏 it has to be one of the best I’ve watched on UA-cam about budgeting and organising for Christmas