Christmas on a budget - let's get planning!

Thrifty and frugal Christmas gift ideas – let's get creative!
I know Christmas can feel like an overwhelmingly expensive season but you have to face it with a thrifty and determined attitude full on. If you put off thinking about it you’ll probably spend a fortune on last minute gifts bought in a rush and panic. Christmas is coming fast so you need to get your kids started on creating their masterpieces now. A child’s drawing makes any relatives gift a special one (think tags, cards, laminated as placemats or rolled with a ribbon.) For the kids I’ve stocked up on gorgeous artists colouring pencils (£1 a pack from Asda) and for all my relatives cotton personalised canvas bags (£3.20 inc postage) from www.vistaprint.co.uk. Gingerbread men, filled photo albums, a special photo enlarged and cheaply framed, a canvas filled with your children’s hand or footprints, homemade cupcakes, a handprint mug (DIY) or perhaps a pot of tulip bulbs. Christmas gifts can be cheap AND Fabulous. Be creative and start your planning!
See www.babybudgeting.co.uk for lots of thrifty tips for parents and a great new book on baby budgeting Becky x