Those who do a frugal Christmas

Anonymous 2

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We always did the oranges thing, too. A sweet tradition.

Two theories of many: (See the others!)
1. "St. Nicholas traveled to the house, and tossed three sacks of gold down the chimney for each of the dowries. The gold happened to land in each of the girls' stockings which were hanging by the fire to dry. The oranges we receive today are a symbol of the gold that was left in the stockings."


2. "During the Great Depression of the 1930s,..."

Here’s Why We Put Oranges in Stockings at Christmas
https://www.thekitchn.com/heres-why-we- ... chn-213985


Olioxenfree wrote: Mon Dec 02, 2019 9:34 pm It's what I grew up with and what my mom grew up with in. It was common where she grew up in France. Oranges are symbolic of gold. Santa was not a thing for my dad's family in Japan, so we get most of our Christmas traditions from our mom.
Anonymous 5 wrote: Mon Dec 02, 2019 9:20 pm My kids have oranges in the fridge every day. This would seem like such a weird thing for them on Xmas morning. :lol:
Anonymous 1 wrote: Mon Dec 02, 2019 9:18 pm I see Keith Haring AND a red panda. I think your 3 year old and I must be kindred spirits. :D

Do you just leave the stockings somewhat empty? When I fill a stocking, I REALLY fill it. Maybe that's part of my problem. (Nevermind, skipped over the part about the oranges and chocolates, I see it now!)

Anonymous 2

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Except me. I didn't respond with a stick up my butt. :lol:

I loved your advice. All very good! I especially liked that you mentioned the thrift store purchase story. Great story and good advice. You can often find some excellent buys there! I loved that you mentioned that it's ok to buy things for the stocking that the kids will use everyday. That's exactly what I do. I love to hit Staples during BTS time for stocking stuffers. And I love to use Michaels 40% off coupon and hit there frequently for stocking stuffers and even some great wood toys, puzzles, decorating items, etc.,

Your response was great. Now, hopefully other members will follow your lead and offer up constructive advice. :)
Anonymous 7 wrote: Mon Dec 02, 2019 9:49 pm
Anonymous 1 wrote: Mon Dec 02, 2019 8:48 pm I was looking more for ideas on stocking stuffers and shopping tips.
KendallsMom wrote: Mon Dec 02, 2019 8:42 pm We aren't frugal, but it doesn't take a brain surgeon to spend money wisely if you have to.
I'll try to be helpful, even though we usually don't HAVE to be frugal, and everyone else who answered seems to have a stick up their butt.

Buy throughout the year. Right after Christmas there are often deals on toys or Christmas-themed items. Depending on the age of your children and how "set" they are in their likes/dislikes/hobbies, you might find some good deals. (i.e "Character" items might not be a good idea for younger children who could outgrow their love for it in several months, but if you have an older child you know loves art, then maybe look for discounts on those types of items.) A lot of places do different sales throughout the year (think of things like spring clearance or Christmas in July) that you can take advantage of.

Look for good sales - especially, of course, things like Black Friday. Certain places have kick@ss deals on various things, often with coupons and points/rewards to make it better. Start planning ahead of time and get the best deal possible. One year I used a BF deal to get DS sneakers. I bought two pairs at a good price. One I gave him for Christmas. I bought him the same shoes (they were a bit pricier at the time) in the next size up and gave them to him for his birthday (which is in June.) (This only works if your child isn't picky about fashion. I KNOW mine likes to buy the same design most of the time and his feet grow slow so it worked for me.)

Stocking stuffers - you can use things you know they need anyway. Soap/body wash/toothbrush/etc. Get "fun" items at back-to-school time (cute pens/notebooks/art supplies) that are cheaper in July/August/September.

Remember that things don't always have to be new. Often you can find good deals on sites where people sell things, for things that are in good condition. This works especially well for younger kids with riding toys/play kitchens/etc, but never hurts to look for things older kids like as well. One of the most memorable gifts from my childhood was something my younger brother got. This present was HUGE (to us young kids) and wrapped really weird and we were both wondering what it could be. I remember being kind of jealous that he got this awesome-looking, biggest present there was. Turns out it was a He-Man castle (play-set size, not some life-size "play house" type thing) with tons of little He-Man character action figures. He just LOVED that thing and even I thought it was pretty neat. I thought I heard my mom say later on she got it at the thrift store (which would have been a good deal), but found out when I was much older that she got it for FREE from someone whose boys had outgrown/didn't want it (and He-Man was VERY much all the rage when he got it, it wasn't something 5 years old and "not cool" anymore).

Also avoid the "fad" toys or whatever's new and big that year. I always told my son that I wasn't buying anything he saw on commercials on TV because they were usually junk and overpriced (and us adults know they often quit playing with them quickly when they're not as cool as the ad makes them out to be). And for the "new and big" stuff, those things will often be cheaper in a month or two.
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I always plan WELL in advance so I know what the plan is and don’t go on amazon or into target blind.
I also break things into categories like books, clothes, toys and stuff that plugs in- I get a few things from each category like a shirt and pants or a couple books or new ear buds or a set of legos.
That makes it easier (for me) to go “I already bought him 2 books, I don’t need to get him this one too.” It also makes it easier to go “he has a epic f**k ton of legos so I’m just getting one smaller set because he does love them.”
Anonymous 8

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Anonymous 1 wrote: Mon Dec 02, 2019 8:40 pm How do you do it? This isn't a humble brag, trust me, I seriously admire people who spend less, but I can't imagine spending less than a few hundred dollars on gifts & stocking filler for one kid.
Sweetie, a few hundred is as frugal as one can get. We spend that on just two stockings not counting gifts
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Anonymous 1 wrote: Mon Dec 02, 2019 8:46 pm I didn't ask why, I asked how.
Ilovemydaughter06 wrote: Mon Dec 02, 2019 8:43 pm Because to some of us, it's not all about the presents & coming on here & bragging about how much we spent. To some of us it's more about making memories & spending time with loved ones.
Idk. I just buy one or two items. My boys didn't ask for much this year so I really can't see spending a lot on them. I'd rather do things with them. I've always been like that though so I'm not sure why you need instructions. Make a budget and stick to it.
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Anonymous 5 wrote: Mon Dec 02, 2019 9:20 pm My kids have oranges in the fridge every day. This would seem like such a weird thing for them on Xmas morning. :lol:
Anonymous 1 wrote: Mon Dec 02, 2019 9:18 pm I see Keith Haring AND a red panda. I think your 3 year old and I must be kindred spirits. :D

Do you just leave the stockings somewhat empty? When I fill a stocking, I REALLY fill it. Maybe that's part of my problem. (Nevermind, skipped over the part about the oranges and chocolates, I see it now!)
Olioxenfree wrote: Mon Dec 02, 2019 9:12 pm We spend $150 per child and that's plenty for our kids. Our rules are stay in budget, they don't need every single things they ask for, and we don't get things unless we think the kids will really like and use them, no filler junk no matter how cheap it is. This is what we got the kids this year, the smaller things will go in stockings along with a few chocolates and an orange. They always have a great Christmas.
nine year old son-
Screen Shot 2019-11-05 at 1.16.09 PM.png
eight year old son-
Screen Shot 2019-11-05 at 1.16.17 PM.png
six year old daughter-
Screen Shot 2019-11-05 at 1.16.24 PM.png
three year old son-
Screen Shot 2019-11-05 at 1.16.31 PM.png
one year old son-
Screen Shot 2019-11-05 at 1.16.38 PM.png
My father used to be pleased to see an orange in his stocking he said. It's traditional and it also was in the days where they weren't so readily available in winter.
I should put some in a stocking for him.
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Buy on sale. Make a list stick to it. Only use cash. The dollar store is great for stocking stuffers.
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Pjmm wrote: Tue Dec 03, 2019 6:48 am
Anonymous 5 wrote: Mon Dec 02, 2019 9:20 pm My kids have oranges in the fridge every day. This would seem like such a weird thing for them on Xmas morning. :lol:
Anonymous 1 wrote: Mon Dec 02, 2019 9:18 pm I see Keith Haring AND a red panda. I think your 3 year old and I must be kindred spirits. :D

Do you just leave the stockings somewhat empty? When I fill a stocking, I REALLY fill it. Maybe that's part of my problem. (Nevermind, skipped over the part about the oranges and chocolates, I see it now!)

My father used to be pleased to see an orange in his stocking he said. It's traditional and it also was in the days where they weren't so readily available in winter.
I should put some in a stocking for him.
Awe my granny used to buy that fruit box the schools so as a fundraiser and we would all get 2 stockings, one with a few toys and candies and one filled with oranges, grapefruits etc. That's one of my favorite Christmas memories with her
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Because it's not about the presents. It's about the memories. Why spend a fortune on something that the kids won't even remember, or want to play with this time next year?
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agander2017 wrote: Tue Dec 03, 2019 6:55 am Because it's not about the presents. It's about the memories. Why spend a fortune on something that the kids won't even remember, or want to play with this time next year?
Heck, not even that, how about a week or so after Christmas.
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