When my kids were little, we didn't have a lot of extra money to spare. I remember my first baby's first Christmas, we had a "$10 Christmas." That year we really couldn't afford Christmas gifts because I had quit my job to be a stay-at-home and we weren't very good at living on one income just yet, so we had to keep our costs low. We bought a little gift for our baby and put her under the tree as our gift to each other for the year. I'll never forget that Christmas! From Strictly Budgeting to Overspending on Christmas Gifts Little did I Keep Reading
How to Make a REAL Money Notepad {Step-by-Step Instructions}
Today I have the neatest thing to share with you!! I've been wanting to create this gift idea for the blog for quite some time, but I never got around to it because I always make these gifts at the last minute! Then I forget to take pics. This year I got my act together and snapped pics of the entire process for you! It's pretty easy to make a pad of cash and they make the best gift! THESE ARE REAL MONEY PADS! Yes they are real. LOL Someone just asked me where I got the fake money! hehe It's not fake money - it's real life money. :) How to Make a Keep Reading
Free Santa Letter Templates + How to Mail a Letter to Santa
I'm so excited to share this with you all—I've been planning this post for years it feels like (you mamas know how that goes, right?). I know there are a lot of super fun things you can do during the holidays, and a lot of traditions, but this one is one of my favorites: writing a letter to Santa! Okay, so I don't write a letter, but my kids do. And it's so cute! I love seeing what they ask for and how their dreams change year after year. It just makes a really sweet thing to hold onto and look back on! So, I created 4 printable Santa letter templates so Keep Reading
Free Printable Dear Santa Letter for Kids
One of my favorite things about Christmas each year is seeing the season through my kids' eyes. They get SO EXCITED about everything, and it infuses some much-needed holiday magic into the everyday. Want to guess what makes them most excited about this season? LOL, you probably guessed it...Santa! They love seeing him at the mall and in movies and put a surprisingly great amount of thought into what to ask him for each year. Every year we write a letter to Santa together with each kid using a free printable Santa letter template–now you can too! :) Printable Blank Keep Reading
Blank Letter to Santa Template {Free Printable!}
Christmas is one of my favorite seasons! Every year I look forward to all the magic of Christmas—the lights everywhere, the festive atmosphere, and, of course, our yearly traditions! One big tradition we do every year is to fill out a printable letter to Santa with the kids' wishlist on it. Mainly because this is how they tell us exactly what they want for Christmas. hehe Super Cute Idea - Writing a Letter to Santa :) Filling out this template makes life so much easier when it comes to figuring out what on earth you should tell your child to share with Keep Reading
Free Printable Letter to Santa Template ~ Cute Christmas Wish List
I just love getting into the Christmas spirit. Our kids love Christmas, learning about Jesus, and of course, getting a visit from Santa Claus! My oldest is almost old enough to find out the truth...I'm sure we only have another year or two before the magic is over for her, so while it lasts, I'm hanging on to it! If you have little ones who believe in Santa Claus, you'll need this printable. Print it out, have them fill it in, and mail it to Santa according to these directions. They'll love it! Free Printable Christmas Wish List ~ Letter to Santa Template This Keep Reading
{Easy Holiday Tradition} Write a Letter to Santa with a Free Letter to Santa Template
'Tis the season to do all the things. I love Christmas, truly, but sometimes I can get a bit overwhelmed with all the tradition crammed into a single month. I've learned to simplify and pick and choose which traditions to participate in yearly...and one thing I LOVE doing every Christmas is helping the kids write a letter to Santa! It's easy and makes such a sweet memento to look at year after year. Guess what? You can do it too...honestly! I've made it super simple for you—check it out! What Should You Say in a Letter to Santa? Of course, there are so many ways you Keep Reading
How to Make Your Home Smell Like Christmas
There are a lot of great things about the Christmas season, but one of the best things has to be the smells! I absolutely love filling my house with things like homemade Christmas scented sachets or Christmas essential oils. It's taken me a while to figure it out, but this year I totally nailed it. I now know how to make my home perfectly scented. You can too! And, P.S. - you aren't limited just to the month of December! My home rocks some of the scents on this list all year long. ;) How to Make Your Home Smell Like Christmas When you think of Christmas Keep Reading
5 Ideas to Help You Have a Low Stress Holiday Season
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Food Lion. All opinions are 100% mine. As you all know, I love the holiday season. There’s nothing that can match the magic of Christmas, especially as a mom. But it can also be a time of feeling stretched really thin. Between school events for 3 kids, family gatherings, parties and holiday shopping, it’s easy to feel stressed when you are running from place to place while trying to keep up with all the normal day to day stuff too! That’s why when my friends at Food Lion asked me to partner with them and Keep Reading
21 Easy Essential Oil Gift Ideas
It's no secret that I love using essential oils! With the holidays coming up, I'm trying to get ahead of gift-giving this year. It's no fun to be frantically searching the aisles of an over-crowded store the week of Christmas, trying to figure out what on earth to get for my neighbors or cousins! This year, I'm doing better and am even thinking about making my own homemade gifts. I know, that sounds like a lot of work but thankfully I found a ton of great gifts for essential oil lovers - which is pretty much everyone these days! 21 Amazing Essential Oil Gift Ideas Keep Reading
Why I’m Letting My Kids Believe in Santa
When I first became a mom, I wasn't prepared for a lot of things. I was probably MOST unprepared for the fact that my children would start asking me hard questions. As a mom, you know that when your kids ask you a question you BETTER have the answer! If you don't have it, who possibly could? You are everything to them and they look to you for advice. I didn't realize I would have to take a hard stance on so many issues I didn't even realize were issues before! Oh the questions I was unprepared for! Does the Easter Bunny come to our house? What happens when you die? Will Keep Reading
10 Creative Ways to Give Gifts Cards + Cash as Gifts
Sometimes, there's no better gift than cold, hard cash. It allows the receiver to choose a gift or experience they will be guaranteed to love. But it can feel a little icky or anti-climatic to give money at times. RIGHT?!! But never fear...I have the solution. Get creative! Creative ways to give money as a gift at Christmas There are SO many ways to give money at Christmas or any other time of the year. If you are just sticking it in an envelope and calling it a day, it might be time to step your game up a little. Thankfully, my online bestie, Amazon has a ton of Keep Reading
18 Brilliant Ways to Give Money as a Gift – Clever Money Gifts Everyone Loves to Receive!
Giving gifts is one of my favorite things to do. While I always love finding unique gifts for people, there are sometimes where the best gift to give is money. Rather than just hand them a crumpled $20 in an envelope, I do my best to make the experience special. Here are the super clever & unique ways to bless your recipient with cash. 18 Best Ways to Give Money as a Gift I asked a few of my blogging friends for suggestions, and got some great ideas! Here are some of the fun ways they gift money, along with a few of my tried and true methods. If you are brainstorming the Keep Reading
15 Best Lego Gift Ideas for the Lego Lover in Your Life
Christmas is coming, and in this house that means one thing. Everything remotely Lego-related in the catalogs get big huge circles as not-so-subtle hints as to what will be on my kids' Christmas lists. In fact, Legos are on of my favorite gift ideas for kids ages 7-10! In reality, they have no idea that I am thrilled that they love Legos! Best Lego Gift Ideas for Kids In my opinion, Legos are the best gift idea for elementary boys and girls for any holiday, whether it's Christmas or their birthday! Plus, if you ask my son, Legos are "totally cool" too! Have a 5, 6, 7, or 8 year old Keep Reading
26-Week / Extra $1,000 by Christmas Savings Plan – Start with $26, End with $1,000 to Buy Christmas Gifts!
This Christmas Savings Plan will prepare you for the holiday shopping season! Hello! If you've never been to my blog before, let me introduce myself. My name is Lena, and I'm so glad you're here! This blog is where I share all the creative money making and family budgeting ideas that pop into my head, as well as other fun stuff like recipes and coloring pages. Today I want to share with you something I created to help us make a game out of saving money. It's a 26-WEEK EXTRA $1,000 BY CHRISTMAS SAVINGS PLAN that starts with $26 and ends with exactly $1,001. You start with $26 the Keep Reading
