Contest Entries
I purchase many low cost items like picture frames, t-shirt, book marks, lotions, yearly planner, cute little knick and knacks. Throughout the year
I collect tin, baskets, baseball hats, and gift bags. I then combine picture frames, lotions, and little knick knacks in a cute little tin or basket and I have a homemade personal Christmas gift. Each gift bag or basket not only gets a smile but give several different uses. Place a cute colorful ribbon and bow that can be purchased at any local dollar store and Merry Christmas you saved plenty and got a smile from the other party.
Our Christmas money would go to purchasing gifts for our family for this holiday season. We are loosing our home due to the high rise of interest rate.Our home that we have lived in for 10 yrs is in foreclosure.our mortgage went from $1300 to $2500. In the process of trying to keep our home at the beginning before we let it go we had to deplete our savings account of over $5000 to make the mortgage payments for 2 months. we have no savings now to fall back on. We have had to move into an apartment. Now it seems we live pay check to pay check with no money to save as one bad thing after another has happened. Our car needed a new starter then a week later a power steering pump. We tried to trade it in a was approved for a new car after driving this new car for 5 weeks the dealership calls us and tell us we need to return the car as the bank would not approve us. How much more bad luck can come our way. So this money would really help us out to by our boys a few christmas gifts and to put a nice christmas meal on our table.
I started a new job this holiday season and my pay periods changed from weekly to biweekly. Luckly I'm great in the kitchen,I built gingerbread houses for all my family members and made sugar cookies for friends and new co- workers. I probably spent about $30 total on all my supplies,yes It was about 6 hours to bake and complete everything but I still have a few dollars in my bank account and the smiles from everyone has shown me that you don't have to spend a fortune at Christmas to brighten up someones day.
Last year my children were supposed to go to their fathers house for Christmas so I had planned Christmas with the children for New Years Day. The day after I was to get my paycheck. A week before Christmas my X-husband informs me that he can't afford to buy the children plane tickets to come see him.
I was now forced to do my Christmas shopping early with no money. I was able to get a payday loan through National Payday, thank God! In order to make the money go further and get more gifts for the children I found 20% and 40% coupons in the papers. I also went straight to the clearance aisles. I would shop at discount stores such as TJ Max and Ross. On Christmas Day each of my two children had 15 gifts to open. Thanks National!
I've heard from several people that this has been a financially difficult year. I've had my share of difficulties. My biggest being that my ex husband pays the child support when he feels like working. I went up to four months without any payments for child support, much less his half of the medical bills that were due. My home was about to go into foreclosure. Needless to say, National Payday has helped me out several times this year and I greatly appreciate them. My best money saving Gift-Giving ideas are to give home made gifts. I went through all of my family pictures and made individual frames with multiple pictures of as many years in each of their lives. They turned out really neat and they loved them. We were able to reminisce about great times in our lives we had forgotten about.
