Getting Ready For Christmas In July

No one wants to think about it but Christmas is 170 days away. Doesn't sound like very long when you think of it that way does it? I posted on the 4th of July how many days until Christmas there was and the responses were pretty much the same, "Already"? Yes, already.

Having a large family means that Christmas can be very stressful at our house if we let it be but through the years I've learned a few tricks and thought I would share them with you.



1. Make a list of all the people you have to buy for and then a separate list for all the people you want to buy for. It is a good idea to keep this list with you all the time. I personally have mine stored on my iphone.

2. Take advantage of off season sales and clearance racks. I can't post what I have bought and have put up because my children and my spouse read my blog, lol. I buy things for the kids at least 1 size, if not 2 sizes bigger than they currently are and most children don't care if they have on last seasons styles since they are very similar. I also pick up things that look like they would make a good gift in general or if it is a really good deal. I also pick up misc. craft items when they are on clearance and on sale. Old Navy is a great place to take advantage of sales and clearance as is JC Penny and Target.

3. Freebies! Yes, I said freebies. There are all kinds of freebie sites on the web giving away a host of various things that can be put up and then placed into baskets of interest for gifts.

4. Blog Giveaways. I am totally addicted to these things and have won some awesome stuff. They are a little time consuming and you should keep track of the ones you have already entered. I only utilize 2 sites for blog give aways but there are several. Right now there are 12 gifts put up for Christmas and I only started doing the blog giveaways in May. This does not include the things I have already given to our kids or mother in law or my nieces or that we have used or eaten here at the house.

5.Regifting-some will think this is not a very nice thing to do but I think it's a great thing to do. for example, I got something at my bridal shower that could not be returned and was cute, just not my thing. I put this up in the top of my closet and will be regifting it at Christmas to someone who it is their thing. My rules for regifiting: It must be new, meaning never used and it must not go back to the person who gave it to you.

I hope this gives you a little help in terms of preparing for the holidays. With 6 kids we have to look for areas to save all the time.

Merry Christmas!