Now you may think this is the point in time in which you start drawing names, or send cards and call it good. However, our families helped us get going! Our families passed down furniture let us work for the money to do holiday shopping for each other, bought us food, moved us 800 miles away and then back again, let us live in the basement and they continue to babysit.
But, let's be realistic about this... we DO NOT have a 6 digit income by any means and there is no way I can go out shopping for 24 people for Christmas. So, how else does one get gifts for 24 individuals?
1. Well I definitely do not go out and buy it all... for one I use affiliate credits. The money I make from people like you purchasing things through the links on my blog. Not all links I post are tied to affiliate accounts in fact only about half of them are. I try to find the best deals to post rather or not I will make money off of them. I use those credits to purchase a lot of gifts, prizes to give away on my blog, and fun little things for my family and friends.
2. Second I make a lot of things! I have several pieces of my jewelry in a local rock shop at all times (Rockpick Legend Co.)
Not only do I give away the jewelry I make but I use the money from the ones I sell to keep our kids in gymnastics and for birthdays, christmas, and anniversaries.
3. I bargain hunt like a bat from a very warm place! I find the deals that require 2 hours of research 4 steps, and make things practically free! For instance I found myself Nike's that were originally $180.00 for just $22.00 after combining coupons, and some serious research.
4. I refurbish items. I often go to second hand stores and find items such as the doll house that we're giving our girls for Christmas for extremely low prices ($30.00) and refinish or refurbish them. My husband found a few laptops and took them all apart to use the pieces to create one working and incredibly uber laptop! The new laptop is exactly what one of our siblings needs to be able to continue to go to school.
5. Finally we look for items being thrown out! You wouldn't believe what is thrown out each year. No I don't go dumpster diving. But just this week by keeping an eye on who's moving and who's upgrading their items on Facebook I was able to offer to come move a stove, office chair ($300.00 leather plus chair) and nearly new stainless steal fridge for friends... they charged us a total of - moving it off... and lunch. I am giving the chair to my brother (after re-polishing it), keeping the fridge (it's nicer than ours) and giving our current fridge to my mother who's is going out and leaking!
So be creative this year... and be sure you're having fun! As one of my very favorite authors wrote:
"Gifts are nice, but there's another: The true gift is, we have each other." - Anna Dewdney Llama Llama Holiday Drama
