I know what you are thinking. How do I know what my kids will want to be the next year? The answer is, I don't. I buy two costumes for each child and then as Halloween draws near, I pull them out and ask them which they want to be. If they don't want either of them, I tell them that is fine, but I am not buying another. So they have to choose one of the ones I have bought or go to the dress up bin and make a costume. This has worked out well for my family and for my friend's family.
This year I am planning on taking this savings even further. Over the past couple of years, I have down sized Christmas. My husband and I set a budget and only pay cash for the gifts we buy. We sat down the other day to plan out our Christmas budget, and I started thinking most kids love dress up. Boys and girls alike enjoy putting on costumes, clothes, and accessories while playing. So this year, I am buying Halloween Costumes after Halloween to give as Christmas gifts.
Today we stopped in Menards to buy dog food and honey. The kids wanted to check out the Halloween isle. I saw that they had Batman masks for $1.99! These are not the cheap thin plastic ones either. They are the nice heavy duty ones. So I picked one up for all the little boys on my Christmas list. Then I got Bubba two Marvel Comic costumes for $3.99 each. One he will get for Christmas, and the other I will save for next Halloween. The costumes were originally marked at $29.99. This was a great savings trip to the store.
Some people may think that this strategy is cheap especially after they read the following. When I budget for Christmas, I decide on a total dollar amount to spend. Then I break that amount down between the people on my list. However, I bargain shop, so if I find a gift on sale for $5.00 but it original cost $20.00 and my budget for that person is $20.00 my shopping for that person is complete. I don't continue to find more gifts to make it to the $20.00 limit. I then take the difference and save it.
I hope this helps all who read it find a way to buy great useful gifts for the children in their lives without breaking the bank. Not to mention the costume you buy for dress up may end up being a Halloween Costume too! Happy Holidays everyone. There will more money saving posts throughout the season, so check back. Also, If you have a great cost saving gift giving method . . . please share.
Great ideas! I am really bad about buying something for a better price but then feeling like I have to spend enough to make up the amount I set for each person. I need to stop doing that and follow your plan instead. It makes a lot more sense!
ReplyDeleteIt is a hard thing to do. I struggle with it sometimes. Like many people I like to spoil those I love especially during the holidays.
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