By hope
My visit to Texas was very busy. Between working my full-time job, helping take care of my mom a little, working on piles and piles of paperwork, clearing and cleaning the kitchen, getting Christmas done for me and my parents, and having family get together a few times a week, I’m ready for the peace of the house. For a short time at least.
In a recent post I mentioned my plan to craft Christmas gifts. I work hard to stay within my $5 savings budget. And I’m very happy with what I’ve created over the past three weeks. (See teaser image above.)
Quick trip to Hobby Lobby Right after Thanksgiving when everything was on sale, I made everything I needed to create some very personal, budget-friendly gifts for my family in Texas. It was a nice ‘break’ from everything that was going on.
I thoroughly enjoyed the moments when I could put on my headphones, tune everything else out for a little while, and just draw and create. It’s so easy to overlook these little pleasures with the madness of the holiday season.
Although I’m not an art expert, nor am I a perfectionist, I’m really proud of the variety of items I create. They are all wrapped up under the tree.
Total spend…$60! Not shabby for 7 gifts. Woot, woot. I think they will really like them.
I also helped my father give, wrap, order, and think about his gifts.
Continued growth
I continue to see an evolution in my perspective regarding money. This is certainly never more evident than at this time of year. Making Christmas special has always been very important to me. And for most of my life, that $$$$ has been on gifts.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m still driven to make Christmas special. But I realize that it doesn’t have to equal the amount spent on gifts. But perhaps effort and heart are put into the gift.
Blind date with a book
My favorite Christmas find this year…the local bookstore had a $7 per bag book sale while I was in Texas. Guess who’s getting books for Christmas? Yes everyone. They are very personal. Have you heard before? Blind date with a book?
Etsy inspiration for how to wrap a blind date in a book — not my photo
Seeing photos like the one above inspired me. I took my book bag, the old newspaper from my parents’ garage, the string my sister had laying around, an assortment of cards, paper clips, stickers, snacks, etc. And I’ve got you covered with my “blind date with a book” gifts. For everyone.
It was a lot of fun, and the only cost was $7 for a book bag from the local library.
I pray that this season you find ways to make it feel special without spending a lot of money. This is a new feeling for me. I am so grateful for the many blessings that I often took for granted.
Hope is a creative, solutions-focused business manager who helps clients grow their businesses and operate more efficiently by leveraging expertise in project management, digital marketing, and technology solutions. She has recently become an empty nester as her five foster/adopted children spread their wings. She lives with her three dogs in a small town in northeast Georgia and prefers the mountains to the beaches any day. She has the travel bug and does her best to help each of her children finish school and become independent (but it’s hard!) She’s been running her own consulting company for nearly twenty years! Hope began sharing her journey with the BAD community in the spring of 2015, and feels like she’s finally in a place that allows her to truly focus on making wise financial decisions.
