Frugally Christmassy!
Christmas is just around the corner and for many people the impact of the global financial crisis has slowed things down somewhat as we seek to simplify our lives and save where we can.
Frugality is back in style and so is utility, thriftiness and no-frills. People are no longer ashamed to buy things second-hand, nor to make simple hand made gifts and it is now cool to be buying cheap. In fact nowadays people are bragging about how little certain items have cost rather than showing off how much they paid. Quite a turnaround.
Researchers recently announced a rise in the sales of home-baking products and on the rise too are home-brewing kits. People are increasingly making their own fun with family scrapbooks and other nostalgic pursuits - from dress making to bread baking - enjoying a revival.
You may be thinking of ways to have a value-for-money Christmas this year - and in an effort to save money you too may have considered the cost-saving benefits of making your own gifts this year - from soap making to crocheting or knitting - and of course expense can be spared too by making your own Christmas cards - or better still opting to save trees as well as money and sending all your greetings digitally this year via email where possible.
If you have young children you may want to print out a few coloring pages this Christmas as they are a very inexpensive pass time that can be used many ways - for example:
Keep a few coloring pages (and crayons) handy at home for visitors that come to see you and have small children. While the adults catch up, the children can share a table and enjoy coloring in or completing activity sheets such as dot-to-dot pages.
Print a few coloring pages and include them in your Christmas cards to friends and family members who have children as an extra little 'something'
If you are hosting a children's Christmas party, print out a few Christmassy coloring pages there are hundreds available at Xmas Coloring Pages where you'll find the best Xmas colouring pages and hand them out at the end of the event with the favor bags - maybe you can print a selection and let children pick which pages they'd like to color in.
Another great tip is to print 10 or 15 coloring pages onto A4 paper then staple them together to form a home-made coloring book - these coloring books can be:
As you can see, there are many ways to be frugal this Christmas and coloring pages and the personalised books you can create with them are a great way to save money and keep children entertained at the same time - plus by coloring in - the recipients' fine motor skills and concentration skills can only improve!
Frugality is back in style and so is utility, thriftiness and no-frills. People are no longer ashamed to buy things second-hand, nor to make simple hand made gifts and it is now cool to be buying cheap. In fact nowadays people are bragging about how little certain items have cost rather than showing off how much they paid. Quite a turnaround.
Researchers recently announced a rise in the sales of home-baking products and on the rise too are home-brewing kits. People are increasingly making their own fun with family scrapbooks and other nostalgic pursuits - from dress making to bread baking - enjoying a revival.
You may be thinking of ways to have a value-for-money Christmas this year - and in an effort to save money you too may have considered the cost-saving benefits of making your own gifts this year - from soap making to crocheting or knitting - and of course expense can be spared too by making your own Christmas cards - or better still opting to save trees as well as money and sending all your greetings digitally this year via email where possible.
If you have young children you may want to print out a few coloring pages this Christmas as they are a very inexpensive pass time that can be used many ways - for example:
Keep a few coloring pages (and crayons) handy at home for visitors that come to see you and have small children. While the adults catch up, the children can share a table and enjoy coloring in or completing activity sheets such as dot-to-dot pages.
Print a few coloring pages and include them in your Christmas cards to friends and family members who have children as an extra little 'something'
If you are hosting a children's Christmas party, print out a few Christmassy coloring pages there are hundreds available at Xmas Coloring Pages where you'll find the best Xmas colouring pages and hand them out at the end of the event with the favor bags - maybe you can print a selection and let children pick which pages they'd like to color in.
Another great tip is to print 10 or 15 coloring pages onto A4 paper then staple them together to form a home-made coloring book - these coloring books can be:
- Handed out by your child to his / her fellow class-mates as a cool Christmas gift
- Given to children who are members of your church, youth group or scout pack
- Gifted to the students in your class if you are a teacher
- Given to visiting children to your home
As you can see, there are many ways to be frugal this Christmas and coloring pages and the personalised books you can create with them are a great way to save money and keep children entertained at the same time - plus by coloring in - the recipients' fine motor skills and concentration skills can only improve!