Stretching the Christmas Budget

By this point in the year, I am almost done with Christmas preparations.  There are so many ways that I have saved this year, but I will start with the ones that are most applicable to this point in the year. 
For our Christmas cards this year, I was able to redeem points from Huggies rewards to get 25 4x8 photo cards for only the cost of shipping.  Since we need more than 25, I went with 2 different designs from 2 different companies.  The 25 from Shutterfly only cost me $5 for shipping - that is a savings of just over $20.  Then I went with Walmart for the other 25.  Their cards are a little less expensive and I was able to get free shipping.  50 cards for $15 was the total which breaks down to 30 cents a card. 
I definitely take advantage of the rewards programs.  Huggies will have toys every once in a while.  We use our disney movie rewards, swagbucks, and shopkicks as well.
Then there are coupons.  I love my coupons.  Coupons combined with sales are even better.  I try to use coupons from swagbucks.com first because you earn 10 swagbucks for every coupon you use.  Earning points toward gift cards by using coupons - even better!  Stores like target run their own coupons that you can combine with manufacturers coupons.  Combined with a sale I saved $20 on one of Buddy's gifts.  Occasionally there is a coupon that will cover the full price of something such as the $1 off of ecotools.  This has allowed me to get numerous bath scrubbies for gift baskets I'm putting together.
Store promotions have also helped us this Christmas.  Our grocery store is running a promotion on dishes.  So we have been able to put together a nice Christmas gift for another family member that we couldn't otherwise afford.
The last way I save money is by making the gift.  This is one of my favorite ways to stretch the budget.  Not only do I save money but more importantly it is more personal and has more meaning.  I usually use Pinterest to get ideas.  Here are two of my boards that are related to this: Gift Ideas  & DIY

How do you stretch your Christmas budget?

Preparing for Christmas

It is that time of year again.  Christmas is by far my favorite holiday.  However, I cannot stand the rush, crowds, or extra stress of the season.  I do everything possible to avoid these things while saving money.  We try to focus on what the season is about - and it most certainly is not about rude, pushy shoppers; crazy amounts of stress; or being super busy.  Our holiday focuses around family and trying to be a blessing to others.
I start planning Christmas the day after Christmas.  Ok, I've already started planning next years Christmas.  I am just about done with this year's Christmas.  As I finish up (or spend time on Pinterest) I find ideas that would be good gifts for people, so I start making my list for next year.
There are so many ways to save money on Christmas, but still have it be meaningful, heartfelt, and not cheap. 
We draw names among the adults on one side of the family.  This is so helpful in decreasing stress, saving money, and creating a less chaotic family event.  Personally, I would much rather put our budgeted amount into one nice gift as opposed to a lot of cheap ones.  We will be drawing this year for this year and next year, which is exciting because then I have all year to prepare and sale shop.  We are hoping that the other side of the family will also be willing to pick names for next year.
As the Christmas season approaches, I will be talking about my Christmas preparations and how we save money.