Real Life Solutions

Have you nagged yourself blue in the face to no avail when it comes to ways to get your spouse on the same page in organizing your home? Even though we ourselves dislike being nagged, we have the unfortunate tendency to think that nagging works well on others. Experience has taught us it doesn’t work, but we continue anyway, which drives a larger wedge between us.

There is an easier way, one in which you get a willing partner in your quest to be more organized. Here are a few tips to help get your spouse in on the organizing game:

1. Do your own thing – Don’t worry about decluttering or organizing your spouse’s things. Begin with organizing your own things first. It’s important to remember that it took you some time to decide you were ready to be organized. You need to give your spouse time to realize that they may actually prefer the organized life too.

2. If it’s jointly owned, make it a joint decision - When you are decluttering items that aren’t specifically yours, such as books, cd’s, DVD’s, for example, get an agreement from your spouse that it’s okay to donate or trash. Don’t assume that it’s ok for you to declutter or trash things when that person isn’t around. That’s not something we’d like someone to do to us. No one likes to have no choice, so give your spouse a choice. If they don’t want to get rid of something, suggest putting it in a box and see if it is even used for a set amount of time, 3 months, 6 months, or even 1 year.

3. Ask your spouse’s advice – As you are decluttering items from your home, ask your spouse if they think the item is worthy of donating or should it be thrown in the trash, or recycled. This gives your spouse the sense that their opinion matters, and shows that you respect your spouse.

4. Give your spouse advance warning – Do you let your spouse know ahead of time what you’re planning when you’re ready to start a project? Think for a moment how you would feel if out of the blue, contrary to or regardless of plans you already have, someone announces that they need you for work around the house? You would probably feel disrespected. Your spouse likely feels the same way when you spring an organizing project on them. So discuss your plans ahead of time and ASK if your spouse is available and would be willing to help.

5. Resist the urge to organize your spouse – In many ways we tend to feel that it is easier to just `do it ourselves’, rather than let someone else do `it’, whatever `it’ may be. It is very important that you give your spouse the space and the time to do their own organizing. When you first begin your organizing journey, focus on your items, and items around the house that your spouse doesn’t particularly care what you do with them. Eventually, as your spouse sees how much easier it is for him/her to find things, put things away, and do it quickly, they too may began decluttering and organizing their own things.

6. Are you stuck on how best to organize something? – Ask your spouse if you can bounce some ideas off of them. You’d be surprised at how many times your spouse will see things in a way you hadn’t thought of. It might not have been what you’d have tried but it may work well, or lead you to another way that will work best.

7. Expecting an overnight transformation? - If that is where we start, we are only setting ourselves up for disappointment. It’s important to remember that we didn’t get to the point of fed up with the clutter and disorganization overnight. Just as it took you time to get to the point of being ready to declutter and organize, it will also take your spouse time. So give them that time.

8. Build a team effort – Do you feel like you are in this alone? Try holding a family meeting. Every member of your family should be a functioning member of the family, contributing to the daily upkeep and maintenance of that family. It may not be possible to divide the chores evenly, but everyone should share in the chores. Work together as a team to share routine tasks as well as organizing tasks.

9. Still no cooperation? – If you’ve asked, and your spouse still does not cooperate with your organizing efforts, remember that nagging won’t help. You aren’t your spouse’s parent, so you can’t order him or her to do anything (tempting as it can be sometimes). The best thing you can do is to go on with organizing those things that you can, and leave the rest. Eventually your spouse will come around.

10. Use positive reinforcement – We all respond best to what is reinforced. If negative behavior is what gets attention, then negative behavior will be repeated. When your spouse cooperates with your organizing efforts, be sure to thank him or her. Just as we like a reward for a job well done, so do our spouses. So, reinforce positives and more positives will follow.

Get Organized Now - An amazing collection of 2,175 ideas, tips and techniques for organizing your home, getting rid of clutter, organizing your time, your schedule, your money, your paper, your family and much more!

Here are some fun ways to forge a love of nature and recycling in kids

(ARA) – Nature offers many beautiful gifts and wonders to explore, and parents can help get kids outside to discover them when they step away from the television or computer screen. Here are a few fun ways to encourage your children to explore nature.

A growing trend – As more Americans are discovering every year, gardening is a great way to enjoy nature. Kids will enjoy starting plants from seed or picking out starter plants at the nursery and watching them grow and develop. Even a small container garden on a balcony or patio can yield tomatoes for salsa, flowers for an entire season or strawberries galore. Cook up your favorite recipes with home grown ingredients and donate any excess produce to local food banks.

For the more adventurous gardener, help your kids plant a “vertical garden.” In the style of famed French artist and botanist Patrick Blanc, grow your flowers and vegetables in a fun new way. Try filling a canvas hanging shoe organizer with a light-weight potting mix and filling each pocket with one of your favorite plants. Have fun using tomatoes, bell peppers, marigolds, strawberries, vinca vines or impatiens. Poke a drainage hole in each pocket and hang the entire organizer on your back fence or balcony. Water daily, and in just a few weeks you will be enjoying your own living art piece.

Find a local community garden or gardening co-op and volunteer with your family to help with weeding, watering, planting or harvesting.

Nature’s bounty – Yard waste? Not when you can re-use and repurpose. Find the beauty in what nature provides by creating new uses for things that would otherwise be considered waste. Large sticks make great garden stakes for plants that need a little extra support, like tomatoes. Smaller sticks can be written on or carved into (by an adult) for an inexpensive way to label plants in the garden or pots.

How about using leaves for gift tags or place cards? Kids will love writing names on the leaves with a little paint and a fine-tipped brush or metallic pen. Then, simply punch a hole in one end and tie with a decorative piece of raffia or ribbon for a personalized touch to any gift or place setting. Flowers from your pots or garden don’t have to fade away – they can be easily dried for use in homemade potpourri, candles or soap.

Give a worm a job – Many of us know that composting is a great way to reuse what Mother Nature has given us. Even a small compost bin will fill up quickly with kitchen scraps and yard waste. This waste can be used produce a nice compost mix for next year’s garden – especially if you add some red worms to the compost bin. Worms are nature’s little composters. They make composting more fun, interesting and efficient by breaking down organic matter into nutrient-rich vermicast allowing your family to compost kitchen scraps easily, and reduce the amount of garbage produced each year. Red worms can be purchased inexpensively from many garden centers or online outlets. A small bin will require about 2 pounds of red worms to get the job done.

The art of recycling – Recycling is a great way to reduce waste. It’s likely you already have a recycling bin next to the garbage can. Chances are, however, that your kids do not see those recyclables as art – it is time to change their minds. Reusing and recycling everyday objects not only reduces waste but, with a little imagination, can also provide hours of creative fun. Make something together that will bring years of enjoyment to your home or landscape.

Make a bottle tree to enhance the garden or balcony. Since the invention of bottles, people have found ways to use them as decorations. Used as a way to explore the beauty of glass or ward off (or attract) spirits, bottle trees have been “planted” across the planet in various forms for thousands of years. To build your own bottle tree, collect colorful glass bottles from your recycling bin or from friends, family or even local restaurants. For a “tree” form, use steel re-bar, sturdy wire, wood, fallen limbs or dying trees. Simply remove labels from bottles and wash out. Then, hang the bottles from your form – use your bottle tree purely as a decoration or as a nice support for vine-like plants such as morning glory or tomatoes.

Preserving nature in photos – A digital camera may not seem like a device to get your kids outside, but they can be acquired quite inexpensively and are a great tool with which to view nature and animals. Go on walks in the yard, neighborhood, a local park or zoo and click away. Zoom in or change the angle of the camera for new perspectives. By simply changing the way that we look at things like flowers, animals, trees and even bugs, cameras provide an up-close and personal view of the world that you would not otherwise get to see.

Use your photos for great screen savers on the computer, make photo collages or print them out for uniquely fantastic artworks to frame. Any way you use them, you will have preserved a little piece of nature and will have great memories for years to come.

Once you and your kids start exploring nature together, you will discover hours of fun for the entire family. Mother Nature may more to offer than you realized.

Usually, during the Spring months I notice a trend among my coaching clients. Most of our sessions start to turn towards the importance of taking downtime.

Downtime is going to mean something different to all of us. But the main thing that all of my clients walk away with is the realization of how beneficial downtime on a regular basis was for our sanity.

Many moms suffer from supermom syndrome – trying to be everything to everyone! And it doesn’t work. Well maybe for awhile it does but eventually you can’t take it anymore because there’s just too many things on your plate. So this week I wanted to remind you about the guide Getting out of the Super Mom Trap http://www.reallifeguidance.com/super-mom-trap.html

The guide shows you how to implement real life strategies into your life. You’ll receive help to overcome the situations that cause you to feel stressed, overwhelmed, and most likely, under appreciated, so that you put an end to the Super Mom Syndrome. The guide will help moms realize that it isn’t wrong for them to take downtime, time for themselves but that it’s essential to their survival! Be sure to spread the word out about this awesome report.

Stop by The Super Mom Trap and check it out for yourself. Once you’ve completed payment, you will get instant access to the special report and extra audio recording. There’s no need to wait for mail order when you need help now!

This offer is as risk-free as an offer can come. You’re completely covered by my 30 day money back guarantee, if you’re not satisfied just email me and you’ll get your money back.

NO! It’s amazing how such a small word can carry such a mighty punch, isn’t it? Learning how to say no without feeling guilty can be difficult, but it’s worth it for many reasons. By saying no at times, you become more productive, reduce your stress levels and are more focused on the things you choose to say yes to.

The reason many people get in a situation where they are overwhelmed with work is because they feel guilty if the thought of telling someone no even crosses their mind.  Learning how to say no withought feeling guilty is important because by taking on too many duties, just to appease your guilty feelings, you are hurting not only yourself, but those requesting your time as well.

If you truly can’t fit something into your schedule without burdening yourself beyond reason, it’s ok to say no. Keep your tasks and projects at a level that is manageable for you. If you become overloaded, make certain that you let people know that. Many times, they will understand and will gladly wait until you have the time to complete their request

The tips below will help you to learn how to say no without feeling guilty.

The bake sale coordinator needs assistance with the bake sale this weekend, and wants you to bake 12 dozen cookies. You get asked when picking up your child from school and respond with something like, ‘Oh, I wish I could, but…’

The bake sale coordinator doesn’t actually hear you say, ‘No.’  You have just, unfortunately, invited a solution brainstorming event. Now the coordinator starts offering solutions to whatever followed ‘but’ in your original explanation of why you couldn’t bake 12 dozen cookies, with you attempting to stand your ground as a bake sale bystander.

You can feel your time slowly being stolen, not only because you will probably be baking cookies in the near future, but also because the brainstorming event is now making your dinner later and later.

In a list of ways to simplify your life, every other item on the list would be some variation on ‘say no.’ In American culture though, it can be difficult to say no without feeling guilty. 

1) Say what you mean at the beginning.

If you mean, ‘I can’t do it.’ Say so, right away. Avoid offering phrases like, ‘I wish I could’ or ‘That sounds like so much fun’–which might encourage the listener to help you participate in any way possible.

Use this phrase instead, ‘I know you are looking for help with the bake sale, but I can’t do it this time. Thanks for thinking of me.’

2) Reasons are ok, but avoid excuses.

A telltale sign that you are about to use an excuse? Telling a confidante that you need to ‘get out’ of something. If you feel like you need to ‘get out’ of something, talk with the person about how you are feeling about the task at hand.

Use this response: ‘I’m sorry, I’m really not interested in helping with bake sales. Can I donate some cash directly to the cause instead?’

3) Nurture the relationship.

Creating strong, respectful relationships with those around you makes your ability to simplify your life easier. By consistently communicating with other members of your organizations about the responsibilities on your plates, you create an environment that encourages everyone to be honest about commitments and help one another stay accountable.

Use this response: ‘I know the bake sale is your biggest event of the year and I wish you a lot of luck with it. I know that, based on my commitments this week, it isn’t realistic for me to bake that many cookies. I can make two dozen for you, though.’

4) Set your priorities.

Like many families, you may only see your partner and children from the end of the workday until bedtime, which can sometimes be less than three hours a day (not counting half-awake breakfasts with jam in the 3-year-old’s hair, as ‘time spent with family.’) Family time is precious, so why not set a personal rule that you will spend no more than two nights away from your family, for example, on any given week.

Maybe your priorities don’t include a family, but you want to be sure that you have time to volunteer with, for instance, Big Brothers Big Sisters or you call a long- distance friend every Thursday from 7-8. Regardless of what the order of your priorities is, don’t let life rearrange it for you. Set rules for yourself and stick to them.

Use this response: ‘I won’t be able to help with the bake sale this year. I have set some personal rules for my budget in order to continue to donate to the charities I already support. I’ve already maxed out my grocery budget this month. If you’re still raising funds next month, though, I’ll happily shift things around to give $10 towards your cause.’

5) Stand firm.

Depending on who is requesting, sometimes saying, ‘No,’ one time doesn’t cut it. If you’ve followed the tips above you will find that it is easier to stand firm in your decision to simplify your life. By avoiding excuses and relying solely on honesty and respect for yourself and the person requesting your time, repeating yourself doesn’t sound trite, it sounds responsible. Your priorities and relationship do not change quickly enough to shift the response to most inquiries.

6) What about when it’s the boss?

It can be hard to simplify your work life when you feel like your job is on the line, but priorities, in particular are key on the job. If you can’t squeeze another task in on the project timeline and the boss comes in and adds one more thing to the pile, consider asking the boss to set the priority: ‘I’m happy to do this task, but I need to know how you would like me to prioritize it. If I do it now, I will need to bump back several other tasks on this project and delay its completion by another day.’ Or ‘I can start this task after I complete this project. Do you have a preference?’

Though some things are beyond our control and may cause life to get a bit crazy at times, by using any of the tips above you can start to learn how to say no without feeling guilty.   The challenge is to look at our priorities and recognize how we are still meeting them in a manner that allows us to maintain a simple, less chaotic, life.

Get Organized Now – An amazing collection of 2,175 ideas, tips and techniques for organizing your home, getting rid of clutter, organizing your time, your schedule, your money, your paper, your family and much more!

‘Veggin’ out’ is so in: Tips for starting your own veggie garden

(ARA) – Vegetable and herb gardening is in and studies indicate it will continue to grow in popularity. If you’re not growing your own yet it’s time to start. Why? The reasons are as varied as the people who garden.

Some do it to save money. Others want to ensure their food is chemical-free, and as safe as possible. Still others grow their own vegetables because fresher is just better. Many do it because gardening is good for you and some because it’s still fun to play in the dirt.

Whatever your reason for opting to join the 7 million Americans who grabbed their gardening gear and grew their own vegetables and herbs last year, your road to success is basically the same as everyone else’s – planting at the right time, making sure your soil’s in shape, weeding and watering responsibly, and feeding and nurturing your plants. This season, you won’t have to buy your fresh herbs and vegetables from a farmer’s market; you can grow them on your own, and you don’t need a farm-sized backyard – or pocketbook – to do it.

Avid gardener Stan Cope, president of Bonnie Plants, the largest producer of vegetable and herb plants in North America, growing locally in 75 locations nationwide, offers some time-saving tips to make the growing easy:

* Survey your soil – Your first step is to decide where you’ll put your vegetable and herb garden. Good soil is key. The best soil is loam, a soft, dark, crumbly dirt. Loamy soil holds water, allows for drainage and is easy to dig. If you encounter clay or sandy soil, add peat moss and bone meal so that these soils can also be productive gardening bases.

* Size up your space – When plotting out the size of your garden, you’ll want to be sure it’s big enough to yield a good harvest to make your efforts worthwhile. But if you’re limited on yard space – or have none at all – you can grow vegetables and herbs in containers on a deck, terrace, balcony or even on the windowsill.

* Let the sunshine in – Your plants need plenty of sun – at least six hours a day. A sunny and open location is your best bet for producing a plentiful harvest.

* Pick your plants for your plot – Grow vegetables that are expensive to buy in the grocery store or at the farmer’s market, such as tomatoes and peppers.

A tried-and-true prolific producer, the Bonnie Original Tomato, was developed exclusively for Bonnie Plants in 1967. They come in environmentally friendly, biodegradable pots that you plant right into the soil. Recent trials, planting five of these tomato plants in 25-gallon containers, averaged 100 tomatoes each at an average of 37 pounds per plant. Another tomato that will tip the scales is Bonnie’s Sun Sugar tomato, a yellow cherry type. Trial garden plants averaged 1,228 tomatoes each.

If peppers are your passion, the Yummy Bell Pepper, ripening from green to apricot orange, is a best bet. Trial garden testing of five plants averaged 248 peppers per plant during the summer growing season.

* Time-saving transplants – When you’re ready to begin planting, opt for transplants – seedlings that have already been started – rather than starting from seed. Transplants will buy you lots of time because plants are six weeks or older when you put them in the ground, and you’ll begin harvesting much sooner.

* Feed your food – Your vegetable plants will need food and water to survive and grow. When feeding plants, try to avoid chemical fertilizers that could potentially seep into groundwater. Bonnie Plant Food is a unique, organically based, soybean oilseed extract formula that has demonstrated superior results in the health and vigor of plants.

Give your garden a good watering once or twice a week, although some crops may need more water, especially if your climate is very hot. A thorough soaking, allowing the water to penetrate 4 to 6 inches into the soil, is better for plants than frequent shallow watering.

Gardening is rewarding. It will bring great pleasure as you bring your produce from plot to plate so you can literally enjoy the fruits of your labor. For more information on varieties and gardening advice, visit www.bonnieplants.com.

If you have children, you know how much they love to snack. It doesn’t matter if they’ve just finished eating a meal – someone is always looking for something to munch on. The trick to quick and easy snack ideas for kids is to have healthy snacks around which are ready to eat. Below are some snack ideas you may want to keep in your home.

Probably one of the foods children like best – whether for a meal or a snack – is peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Unless they’re allergic to peanuts, most children love them. In fact, some children will choose PB&J over almost any other food no matter the time of day or night.

Bagels with cream cheese can be a good snack if you choose the low-fat version of cream cheese. Even using full-fat cream cheese is a better choice than keeping soft drinks and potato chips available for your children to snack on. Make the cream cheese more nutritious by adding fresh or frozen fruit.

Fresh fruits are nearly always a hit with children. Apples, grapes, strawberries, oranges and bananas can be enjoyed without much preparation. You can also cut up watermelon, cantaloupe or honeydew and keep those available in the refrigerator. Quick and easy snacks for kids are ones they can grab and go, so fruit is a great choice.

Cups of yogurt are also common quick and easy snacks for kids. Buy plain or vanilla yogurt and add your own pieces of fruit. Strawberries, blueberries and peaches are good additions. You can also add the fruit, stir it up and then pour the yogurt mixture into popsicle molds for a great frozen treat.

Fruit smoothies are another way to get your children to eat their fruits and vegetables. Put a handful of ice cubes in a blender, various fruits and a little bit of orange juice. Blend it up until smooth. To get added color and nutrients, toss in a handful of raw spinach. The smoothie might look a little odd but your children won’t even taste the spinach.

Cut up carrots and celery and keep them readily available. You may also want to add broccoli (some children call them tiny trees) and cauliflower. Sliced cucumber might also be a good choice. Let them use salad dressing and they may be more willing to down those veggies.

Cheese sticks are pretty handy to have in your refrigerator. Most children love cheese. You can get string cheese, sticks and squares. Let your children build shapes with cheese and pretzels. They’ll have a blast and enjoy their snack when they’re finished building.

The above quick and easy snack ideas for kids are ones most families can try. Of course, you’ll want to consider any food allergies your children might have when choosing a healthy snack for them. You can also look in cookbooks and magazines to find other ideas to let your children test to see how they like them. Here’s to happy snacking!

Visit Meal Planning Central A Quick and Easy Way To Get Dinner On The Table and Enjoy More Quality Time With Your Family.

Do you have a problem getting your young children to eat their dinner? They don’t like this; they don’t like that. You may wonder how to get necessary nutrients into their little bodies. Why not give these quick and easy dinner ideas for kids a try? You may find they not only eat their dinner but also clean their plate.

Most children love macaroni and cheese but you don’t want to have it every night for dinner just to get them to eat. But you can plan to have it at least once a week (maybe twice if you make some substitutions or additions). Along with the mac and cheese, have a cooked vegetable as well as a fresh salad. Have fruit for dessert.

A big pot of chili is a quick and easy dinner your child might like. Use hot dogs and canned corn to make ‘Camper’s Stew.’ You can also add a variety of beans rather than one kind to give added nutrients. Finish off the chili by sprinkling on shredded cheese and serving homemade corn bread.

Spaghetti is also usually a hit with young children. For added fun, let the children help you make meat balls. Add canned tomatoes along with spaghetti sauce. Serve a tossed salad, black olives and garlic bread to finish the meal off. If you’d like to keep with the Italian theme, serve spumoni or Italian ice if you choose to offer dessert.

Can you think of a child that doesn’t like pizza? Instead of purchasing a ready-made pizza, buy a cheese pizza and then let your child choose the toppings. You’ll want to have sliced green peppers, pepperoni, pineapple, onions, olives and extra cheese, as well as other toppings your family enjoys. If they help to add the toppings to the pizza they’ll be more likely to eat it without complaint.

Cheese quesadillas are really quick and easy to make for dinner. You get large flour tortilla shells, sprinkle cheese on it and fold it over. Spray a skillet with non-stick spray and heat it to medium. Set the quesadilla on the skillet and allow it to cook until the shell is browned. Flip it and allow it to cook until the cheese melts. You can add items like onions, mushrooms, chicken or other foods to the quesadilla to make it more interesting.

Hamburgers and hot dogs are generally easy and quick choices for family dinners. Rather than stopping through the drive-thru, grill homemade patties or dogs on the grill. Let the children add their favorite toppings such as mustard, ketchup, relish and cheese.

Try the above are some of the quick and easy dinner ideas for kids. The meals may seem like standard fare but you can make them healthier by the ingredients you use. If all else fails, ask your child what they want for dinner or look through parenting magazines to see what other dinner ideas they suggest. Once you find a winner, write down what your child ate so you know to make it again.

For more tips, visit Menu Planning Central – and learn the quick and easy way to get dinner on the table and enjoy more quality tim with your family.

When I heard that my online friend Christine Steendahl aka “The Menu Mom” and owner of Meal Planning Central was holding this special, I almost didn’t believe it — but it is true!

As you know, I am a huge meal planner and I often pass along tips to you about how creating a meal plan can save you time, energy and money and most of all it gets the entire family to the table fuss-free!

Well for one week only (from today until next Wednesday, February 2nd) you can grab The Meal Planning System for half off. Yep, 50% off of the price for the whole shebang.

And if the 50% off savings isn’t enough to make you run and grab this deal, she is also tossing in 8 free bonus gifts worth $178!

Take advantage of the 50% offer by clicking the link below:

Meal Plannning Central 50% off Sale

My Oh-So Organized Filing System
Where to buy: Get Organized Now

My Oh-So Organized Filing System is a filing system you wish you had known about before. In no time at all, your endless piles of paperwork will be organized in an appropriate paper filing system. This system comes with many categories and subcategories to get your family’s paperwork filed in easy to find places.

The different categories are color-coded for ease of use. The filing system comes with hundreds of preprinted and color-coded file category labels for all your family’s needs. Find a place to file restaurant menus, to do lists, important family papers (eg legal papers) bills to pay, coupons, home repair documents, car repair, membership information, photographs, recipes, taxes, appliance manuals, gift certificates – just to name a few.

Overall, if you are in the process of getting on top of your paperwork and don’t quite know how to do it, the My Oh-So Organized Filing System by professional organizer, Maria Gracia, is an essential and must-have product. It will certainly help you to organize and declutter your home.

It’s every parent’s worse nightmare — Christmas is coming and money is tight. Many parents out there sympathize with you, and are going through the same thing you are. You’re definitely not alone! Here are some low budget Christmas gifts that you can use during the holidays. 

Buy on Sale – If you are looking for low budget Christmas gifts, it is best not to leave all the shopping for the last minute.  There are some great sales on the run up to Christmas. Look through your local papers and try to buy items before they go up in price.  And remember you don’t have to buy tons of presents for a lot of people, be measured in your buying and remember that Christmas is not just about presents.

Don’t Forget the Yard Sales – Depending on the weather where you are, you can find many low budget Christmas gifts at local garage sales.  Mthere may not be many at this time of year but you may still find some good bargains in your local magazine.  Often times people will sell toys that still look like new for a fraction of the price, your kids won’t mind or even know they’re not new and you’ll save a bundle of money.

Handmade Gifts – Are you a crafter? Use your talents for creating handmade items and make all your Christmas gifts this year. Kids love things like long, funky scarves and hats. Not only can you make gifts, but your kids can, too. Let them make cards, calendars and scrapbook pages on the computer to print out for family members. Homemade goodies like cookies or candies are great presents to give to teachers and neighbors too.

Fun for Everyone – Is there something that all your kids have wanted for a while? Purchase one nice, “big” gift for them to share. Kids are almost always flexible when it comes to these things.

Buy for Younger Kids Only – Another low budget Christmas gift idea is to explain to your family that you will only buy presents for the kids in the family and that they don’t have to worry about giving to you either.  This will take the pressure off you and the less you have to buy for, the easier it will be to stay within budget.

Volunteer - Volunteer your family’s time at a local shelter or nursing home.  This low budget Christmas gift is free of charge but will be greatly appreciated.  You will be amazed at how much fun your children will have helping others. Even if you are on a tight budget yourself, this is an opportune time to see just how blessed your family is this holiday season.