Here at Econobusters, we’ve set a priority that in all, Christ comes first, and in this month’s Molly Green Magazine, “Molly Makes Merry”, we have tried to help you keep Christ in Christmas with God and family first.

With that said, I do understand there comes a time when shopping has to be done. Let’s take a moment to discuss Christmas shopping strategies and gift giving ideas.

Black Friday

I’m just beginning to realize, this is the last week of October. Thursday is November 1st. Where did the year go!

As moms, we are so busy that one day blends into another, one week , one month……. it’s just a blur sometimes. I’m constantly looking for ways to organize better and plan ahead to save time and money. With the holidays approaching, I realize I have to be organized.

Do you feel that way too? There are so many things to remember and do, that if I’m not organized and I don’t plan on something or write it down, I’m likely to forget it, and that wouldn’t be good.

So, here I am, with pen, paper and calendar in hand, making sure nothing gets forgotten.

Menu Planning

Let’s start with menu planning. Keep stress to a minimum by keeping things simple. Plan holiday menus that will be gorgeous, tasteful, delicious, creative but very quick and easy to prepare. You don’t want to spend all your time in the kitchen. Holiday time is family time.

Over the next few weeks, watch the grocery ads. Stock up and buy as the sales hit. This is a good time to stock up on baking staples: flour, sugar, butter, pumpkin, chocolate chips, nuts, canned milk, corn meal and corn bread mixes.

Also, over the next few weeks, watch for the price of turkey to drop and stock up on poultry and canned vegetables. Trust me. This is the time to stockpile the pantry.

Start looking for new recipes and creative ideas that will save you time in the kitchen. One trick I learned from my mother-in-law, a overnight, crock-pot, turkey breast, that is so simple, it’s funny! (I’ll share it with you soon).

Keep your eyes peeled for tips, tricks and simple recipes that will give the cook something to be thankful for. I’ll be sharing some of my own tips over the next few weeks!

Cleaning, Organizing & Decorating

Don’t try to do everything in the 24 hrs before Thanksgiving. Do a little each day and remember to have some fun in between. Relax. This time of year is a time to enjoy family. Plan ahead, organize and don’t stress.

• Clean, shop and thaw. Make a list and check it twice. Do all the grocery shopping ahead of time.
• Get the kids involved. Make a chore chart. Even children as young as two can help Mommy with the laundry and putting things away.
• Once a week, do a thorough cleaning ( with everyone helping), change all the bed linens, sweep, mop, vacuum and dust every room.
• Bathrooms & Laundry – Plan. Cleaning the bathroom and doing laundry is almost a daily chore for some families. For others, smaller families, every other day or longer is possible. Decide what works for your family and plan accordingly. Also, take in consideration holiday guests. Stock up on toiletries and tissue paper.
• Clean out and throw out. This a great time of the year to do a complete Fall cleaning. Pick a room a day or a closet a day. Clean, dust and organize. Sort through clothes and toys. Get rid of anything and everything that is not used or needed. Have a garage sale or donate to local charities or Freecycle. Also, keep in mind, some things you no longer need or use can be re-gifted to others this Christmas!

Family Time

Make Family Time a PRIORITY this holiday season. Keep children entertained, cheerful and enthusiastic by involving them in whatever you may be doing as you prepare for the holidays. Make a game out of cleaning and cooking together. My children race to see who can make beds faster or vacuum rooms.

In the kitchen, have a few special recipes just for the kids to complete. Plan family fun  events periodically throughout the holidays: movies, hay rides, park days, cookie baking days, gift making days, gift wrapping days, craft days, etc.

If there’s a homeless shelter or soup kitchen in the area, perhaps the family can volunteer to help cook, serve and clean up one night. Let your children see there is another side to the holidays and give them opportunities to minister to others.

Here’s another way to share and care. Prepare and take gift baskets to friends, neighbors and shut-ins.  The possibilities are endless, just remember the priority is quality family time.

Stress Free Holiday

By doing a little each day and including family members in the holiday preparations, this can be can be a fun, stress free time for all. Do a little each day along the way and plan fun family activities and events throughout the season. Enjoy!

Guest Blog by: Midge

Fave Magazine Articles… Series 2 of 3

Last week I wrote about several of my favorite recipes from Molly Green Magazine.  Some of my favorite articles to read in the magazine are the step by step tutorials.  My husband and I love giving one-of-a-kind Christmas and birthday gifts but sometimes lack the time to research and find that perfect gift idea.  When my cousin Molly first started her magazine, one of the first things I would look for is the latest crafty, frugal idea.  Re-purposed, upcycled or made from scratch items that bring new inspiration into a room which are made with love and at the same time don’t break the bank.

Here are a few of my favorite crafty items from the past years:

In the Something Old and Something New Article from this magazine http://econobusters.com/living_the_good_life-frugally/, there are loads of ideas for upcyling a flannel shirt.  You can make a therapeutic heating pad out of the arms or a cute pillow out of the main section of the shirt!  I love a nice comfy flannel shirt and struggle when we have to toss one out due to holes… now I found another option!

In last month’s Creative Crafting article by Emilee Gettle, there was a video tutorial which shows how to make a party pennant.  I am looking forward to viewing the video and think it would make a great gift for my niece’s next birthday party!  I have less than a year to plan and make it!   http://econobusters.com/molly_green_magazine_lets_head_outdoors/

The July issue of Molly Green Magazine was chock full of gift ideas… I loved the salt dough ornaments and would like to try my hand at recycling our old CDs as shown in the article by Sharon White.

http://econobusters.com/molly_green_magazine_christmas_in_july/

I also liked the nifty thrifty article by Candy Foote in this magazine http://econobusters.com/homebound_happiness_frugal_indoor_fun/.  I am definitely interested in trying her unique gift basket idea.  There is another article which talks about giving cookie mixes in jars as well as a great tutorial on how to make a beautiful holiday wreath using your family’s photos.

Have you tried any of the tutorials?  What is your favorite craft article in Molly Green Magazine? 

Hopefully you’ve noticed that I haven’t posted anything here for the last several days. There’s a reason for that. I have some good news and some bad news to share.

First the bad news.

I’m not going to be making daily posts here on Econobusters for a while because I’m taking a rest. But I should be popping in every week or so to share a helpful tip or a great guest post.

Now the good news.

Molly is going to be taking a rest to prepare for an even better Molly in the spring. The Digest will be replaced with an amazing  interactive digital magazine. It will have the money saving tips you expect from Molly and friends but more of them every month.

Now the amazing news.

In celebration of the new magazine, we are offering the most amazing deal on every single Molly Digest and E-Book ever written. You can get the whole collection for $49! (The regular price is $238.85) And we’re letting you keep one copy and share one copy with a friend!

This deal is good for 1 week only. Read all the details and place your order here.

Welcome to another Freebie Friday!

Do you need help planning your Christmas activities? Try this free holiday planning countdown from Martha Stewart.

If you need some inexpensive gift ideas,  try these 18 cheap, creative, Christmas gifts.

Then use this gift tag template to print and save your gift tags for next year.

Here’s a free cookbook of overnight breakfast casseroles for Christmas morning. And another one for  Christmas Dinner Menu Ideas.

For meal planning help throughout the whole year, try the Cozi menu planner.

For planning next year’s planning, here are printable monthly calendar pages.

Homeschoolers, don’t miss the Freebie Directory from The Old Schoolhouse.

I love to crochet when I find time to do it, but supplies can get expensive really quickly. I found instructions for making “yarn” out of things that you already have at home that you probably were either going to throw or give away. And I know it’s getting late to be thinking of making any Christmas gifts, but I’ve found a lot of small projects that would make cute gifts.

First, here’s a tutorial on making yarn from old t-shirts. From that yarn you can make trivets or these flower hotpads. These woven placements are so cute and easy enough for a child to make. You probably don’t have time to make this rag rug before Christmas, but I love it, so I decided to share it anyway. This rag basket could even be used to hold a gift.

You can also make “yarn” from  plastic grocery bags! It’s called plarn. I saw this idea years ago, and I’ve been planning on making atote bag whenever I can make the plarn from my plastic bag stash. Some other interesting things to make with plarn are this soap dishand baby bib.

How about a purse from an old placemat? Or I bet a young girl would love this purse from old jeans!

So if you’re like me and Christmastime gets you in the crafty mood, you can use some of these ideas to get you started on a project without having to leave the house or spend any money!

The Old Schoolhouse magazine has published their annual Christmas supplement. It’s another beauty! This year it’s about Christmas traditions and the whole magazine has gotten involved. You can read what all the columnists and staff are having for their Christmas dinners. Plus there are lots of yummy recipes!

Download your free copy today!

What do you eat for Christmas dinner?

I have found some more great freebies this week. Many of them are Christmas themed.

First, I’m so happy to share this special Freebie made just for Econobusters. It’s a Free Christmas Songbook fromCelebratingHolidays.com! This collection of music is great for families to sing Christmas carols together at home or with a larger group.

If you’re interested in making unique, inexpensive gifts this year, don’t miss this free Gifts in a Jar e-book.

It’s not too late to start this Happy Birthday Jesus Printable Advent Calendar or this Countdown to Christmas Printable.

Here are Free Nativity Printables for young children, and I love these Christmas Listening Pages for children during church services.

Even your desktop can get into the Christmas spirit with thisDecember Computer Wallpaper.

Planning a holiday get together? Download this Holiday Party Checklist from Martha Stewart.

Here’s a great gift idea: Free 8×10 Canvas from Photo Canvas People (you pay shipping).

Christmas is the time for homemade candy and chocolate goodies. I found Chocolate and Cocoa Recipes and Homemade Candy Recipes free for Kindle.

While I was searching the Kindle shop, I found some other interesting looking cookbooks: Recipes Tried and True, The American Frugal Housewife, and Made Over Dishes. While many of the recipes are out dated, I find old cookbooks fascinating reading. Plus there are some great frugal tips!

Disclaimer: All these products were available at the time this post was written. All deals are subject to change at the discretion of individual sites.

If you haven’t sent your Christmas cards yet, it’s time to get started. Mail delivery definitely takes longer the closer you get to Christmas.

I love homemade Christmas cards because they make me feel special. They don’t have to be complicated.

Here are just a few ideas I’ve found for handmade cards:

A child’s drawing can be scanned and printed for the front of the card.

This stamped snowman card is a cute idea.

Here’s a fun photo and homemade card combination: a changing faces snowman card.

These hanging mittens are also a cute idea.

How about this wreath card of your family member’s names?

Here are some free printable Christmas card planner pages.

Have you made handmade cards before?

Do you send Christmas cards?

What kind do you send?

• A photo card
• A card with a verse
• A handmade card
• An e-card

Do you include a Christmas letter?

Over the years, I’ve done a little of all of the above. Honestly, getting the Christmas cards ready is quite a chore and it can also be expensive!

Sometimes I wonder if it’s worth the trouble. But then I think about how much I like to receive cards from people I don’t often see. It’s fun to get the mail around Christmastime! And if I like to receive cards, then I bet my sending cards is a blessing to people too.

I’ve got some ideas for cards that I’ll be sharing over the next couple of weeks. I’d love to hear if you like to send and receive cards at Christmas.