Christmas On A Budget – Starting Early!

I know, I know, summer isn’t even over yet but there’s only 17 weeks until CHRISTMAS so it’s time to get planning!

Although I do love Christmas it’s quite a stressful time for me especially being on benefits with 2 children means we really have to try and spread the cost of Christmas so we have to start early and pick up deals & Bargains on the way. This year I am determined to be well prepared again and get started early so from this week onwards I’ll be looking out for & picking up bargains & stashing them for the girls. With only 8 pay day’s to help us out I’m hoping to find and share with you some of the awesome bargain’s I’ll (hopefully) be finding over the next 17 weeks.

I’ll be looking for an Android Tablet of some sort for Izzy as she loves using Eva’s Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 which we bought Eva 3 years ago & has lasted surprisingly well considering the girls often fight over it!

So far that is all I have managed to come up with but I want to find more educational games/toys for the girls & activities or games they can play together, so I’ll be doing a bit of research to find things appropriate for 2-6 year old’s (if you have any idea’s let me know).

I’m also going to start planning activities and days out for the girls to help get into the Christmas spirit. As always there will be a letter to & from Santa, I’m going to have a look around this year and probably use a different company from the last 2 years & find something a little more special.

When Eva was born I started a little family tradition leaving a Christmas Eve sack from Santa out for when they come through from the their bath, which usually contains New Pj’s, slippers & a dressing gown to change into. I also put in a DVD, Book, Mug & Hot Chocolate & a little treat so they can snuggle up with their drinks, watch a film and read a story before bed which helps calm them down enough to sleep too.

I’ll be on the lookout for any Christmas Film & Book List’s to help me find some really good ones for the girls this year so if you have any helpful posts please share!

Last year we visited the Santa’s Grotto in Basildon with my Brother & we decided to make it another Family tradition to go together & get our photo taken so I’ll be booking us in for a visit again this year well in advance too.

Christmas Photo

The girl’s love making their own decorations so I think I need to spend some time on Pinterest & find some bits for the girls to make and some arts & crafts activities to make the flat feel Christmas-y and really get the girls into the Christmas spirit.

Have you started or are you thinking about starting Christmas shopping yet? Do you have any special family tradition’s or are you thinking of starting a new one this year? Do you have any activities you’d recommend?

Don’t forget to share your bargains too!

7 comments

    I buy gifts all year round if we have the extra money.mostly when there is a good sale, or on clearance. For the girls in the family I try to make their gifts.

    littlelinksjewelry | 8 years ago Reply

      I really should try buying more across the year :) I'll definitely be making a few little gifts this year too. Thanks for commenting :)

      relentlesslypurple | 8 years ago Reply

    I am a clearance queen... this time last year I had the majority of our shopping done. This year we have decided to down scale extremely. Considering the kids have still to even play with some of their toys from last year. We are trying a 7 gift thing from Pinterest. A want, need, something to wear, read, watch, and make and something to share with the family. We are hoping that the kids are more into the giving spirit with being a little older. Thanks for the post!:)

    kidscoffeeandchaos | 8 years ago Reply

      I love a good bargain! Wow that sounds really interesting and a great way to get the kids involved in thinking about and giving gifts! Thanks for popping by :)

      relentlesslypurple | 8 years ago Reply

    Yesterday I bought a few little bath bits for my daughter. I got them in B&M so didn't pay much for them. I am planning to keep the cost down as much as I can.

    aliduke79hotmailcom | 8 years ago Reply

      Ah I love B&M but our closest is lakeside on the retail park so a bit awkward to get to.. May have to do the retail park soon though as I always find a ton of bargains 😊

      relentlesslypurple | 8 years ago Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Leave the field below empty!

CommentLuv badge

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.