Help Santa has a very small budget.

[iluvmickeytown]

Good afternoon everyone. I have never been in this situation before. We have a very limited budget this year. I have a 4yr old boy and a 8yr old girl. They still believe in Santa. So how do I make it work with a limited budget. I'm only getting gifts for 2 grandkids and my 2 young kids. I'm not to worried about grandkids. Parents have money and they get tons of stuff. Its my two im worried about. If they were older it wouldn't be a big deal cause I can explain that next year will be better. But I don't want to ruin the Santa part of Christmas. And yes we know the real meaning of Christmas. Any suggestions will be greatly apreciated. Thank you.

 

[hffmnheidi]

Hats/gloves/mittens/socks don't cost a lot of money and are useful items that will get used for a long time.

Coloring books and crayons from the dollar store will also keep them occupied for some time.

 

[Green Tea]

The Dollar Store offers a lot of possibilities. At 8, my daughter loved things for her hair. You can wrap each little thing separately. Fun socks, lip glosses, pajama pants. There are a lot of inexpensive things little girls like. A 4 year old boy should be pretty easy too. Little Lego sets, a rubber ball for the yard, puzzles.

 

[simonsmom]

do you live near a 5 and under store? christmas tree shop? big lots? I would try those places for some bargains. books from the dollar store,maybe put together a "craft" basket filled with odds and ends of stuff for them to do

 

[mommapea]

check Amazon.com and a few other sites now and then. I have found some $20 and $30 items for 9.99 in the past week. I also don't know if they have stuff that they don't use anymore, but you could Craiglist things to make money. We have put a few things on Craigslist in the past month, and I have made around $150 on stuff we no longer need or use. Good luck! I know other people will have fabulous ideas as well. It will be a great Christmas!

 

[simonsmom]

also sent you a PM

 

[cglaura]

Check out Big Lots too. Although it might seem a little cheeky, don't rule out Salvation Army or Goodwill, (for gifts I stick to New With Tags, or in Box, but that is a personal choice). I found a great Fisher Price Doll House one year...the big 3 foot high one that folded out, brand new in box, all the pieces still in plastic, for $10.

Also, a little secret I used to do when dd was little (single mom, very small budget...) was to try to find stuff that came in big boxes. Or put them in big boxes...after they are wrapped and under the tree it gives it a big "wow" factor.

 

[ckoncurat]

Five below has great toys. Targhet has a generic line with big playsets for $5-10. Dollar General also has toys. 4 and 8 is easy- they will be happy with whatever they get!

 

[StitchBuddy]

OP we have been in your shoes. My husband got laid off right before Thanksgiving when my daughter was just 4 years old. Not sure how much you can spend? But, I would go to Walmart or Target and let your 8 year old walk though and make an enormous list of all the things she wants (use to do this with my daughter). You will be surprised at the things they will list as must haves that don't cost much. For the stocking I always put in things she will need anyway. Cute underwear, toothbrush etc... My daughter is now 13 and I am putting special shampoo and stuff like that in there and then one fun thing like a movie. When she was 8 she loved calendars with dogs on them. I use to buy them at the dollar store. The 4 year old is a lot easier. I also wouldn't try to match what I spent on each one. The 4 year old won't know the difference, as long as they have about the same number of gifts. Were you able to go to Walmart on Black Friday?? They had some awesome deals. Good luck! I know it is hard, but really they won't remember what they got or didn't get 6 months from now. They will remember time spent together though.

 

[Ephany]

My DD(8) loves craft stuff. She'd be thrilled with bags of pipe cleaners, googly eyes, glitter glue, pom-poms, construction paper, drawing paper etc. Michaels often has 40% off coupons from signing up for their emails and then another coupon prints off with the reciept.

Also Crayola stuff often goes B2G1 or B1G1 at Toys R Us; you'd be able to mix/match for both kids. My DD also really wants a little rubber thingy that you put a personal size Purell into for her backpack. confused3

Hair bands, lip gloss, nail polish, gloves/scarf/hat, check used book stores for books she likes, silly bandz, or an IOU for something just you and her can do without Dad and little brother.

In the past week we've sold about $200 in used game systems and games to Gamestop and Amazon. Amazon makes it super easy, you just fill out the form, get a prepaid shipping label and drop it off at a UPS store. The credit just shows up in your account and can be used for anything. :

 

[robinb]

Check out Big Lots too. Although it might seem a little cheeky, don't rule out Salvation Army or Goodwill, (for gifts I stick to New With Tags, or in Box, but that is a personal choice). I found a great Fisher Price Doll House one year...the big 3 foot high one that folded out, brand new in box, all the pieces still in plastic, for $10.

Also, a little secret I used to do when dd was little (single mom, very small budget...) was to try to find stuff that came in big boxes. Or put them in big boxes...after they are wrapped and under the tree it gives it a big "wow" factor.

Even used toys and clothing are just fine. I shop at resale shops all the time. My DD likes designer tween brands (Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, Aero) and I find her clothes for a fraction of the price at Goodwill and Savers in perfect condition.

OP, you can also check your local Craigslist for bargains .

 

[saffymom]

If you have a Michaels store nearby, I get a lot of good deals there. Look for coupons in their ads on Sunday. They have great sales on craft kits and ours has a $1 aisle where I get a lot of great stocking stuffers. I've found Disney themed crayons, notebooks, paddle ball sets, pens and pencils, etc.

 

[gracie1]

Check out walmart also. I went yesterday as I am buying for a couple of children whose mother is having a hard time. I got 3 mermaid barbies, a convertible barbie car and candyland game for $30. The barbies were $5 each and the car was $12 and the candyland game was $5. They had a ton of games marked down to $5!!

 

[Disneycrazymom]

Talk with your friends and neighbors and see if anyone would like to clean out some of the toys their kids have out grown. Little Tikes never wears out. I think the world will end and the little tikes toys will still be here!

When our kids grew past them we looked for families with little ones to pass them on to. We were so happy to find them homes as they are big to store! Just tell people what you are looking for and maybe something will work out! Also don't be shy about asking to be a part of a toy drive. They are there for families having a hard time.

 

[deezeealum]

All fantastic ideas, but let's not forget the dollar bins at Target. We can always find great things in there; books, hand lotions, craft supplies, chapsticks. I agree about the stocking stuffer ideas with underwear, socks, even sunglasses! Instill the memories of Christmas in your children, bake cookies with them, go caroling, decorate the tree in the dark only but Christmas lights. A memory I still fondly remember.

 

[Hannathy]

Since your kids are young do they have all the classic games that are so much fun but aren't expensive? Like connect 4, Kerplunk, Don't break the ice, yatzi, uno, twister, Guess Who, some of the board games. Puzzles and books.

How about baking stuff for your DD? A kids cook book and some stuff to go with it. Simple craft stuff like a potholder maker.

Does your 4yr old like cars? Matchbox cars are $1 or less and you could get a whole handful. My DS LOVED the old fashioned plastic soldiers and cowboys, and knights that come in the bag at the dollar store! Absolutely loved these and played with them for years.

Play doh all kids love play doh. Bubbles, finger paint.

I would find out from them the 1 or 2 things they really want (like a specific doll, or action figure, vehicle) get that and then fill in with the above suggestions.

 

[DawnM]

My kids STILL talk about our yardsale gifts year as being the best Christmas ever!

We found complete lego sets, new to us bikes, and gameboy and PS2 games (that was before DSs and Wiis) at yardsales for pennies on the dollar and my kids didn't care at all that they were 2nd hand, they just cared that they got cool stuff to play with.

Dawn

Even used toys and clothing are just fine. I shop at resale shops all the time. My DD likes designer tween brands (Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, Aero) and I find her clothes for a fraction of the price at Goodwill and Savers in perfect condition.

OP, you can also check your local Craigslist for bargains .

 

[mousebymarriage]

I have to agree with those that said the dollar bins at Target, Dollar store and Five Below.
Five Below is my favorite because you can get some great stuff there like, craft kits, games, books, things to decorate their bedroom, sports stuff, nail polish sets, make-up sets, totebags, gloves, scarves, t-shirts with cute sayings, posters, hair accessories, toy cars, holiday items, funky colored socks, my DD14 and DS9 also love this store.

Big Lots is also a great suggestion.

 

[momxx5]

Being in your shoes I think the with younger kids you have an advantage.

Have them make a list of 10 or so items that they wish Santa to bring them. Then start the hunt to find any one of those items on sale/clearance, etc.

Or maybe off brands....like a doll house, etc.

Last yr DD wanted the Barbie Townhouse. We were unable to get it for her but got a hand-me-down doll house and then purchased a few of the "rooms" that were meant for the Barbie townhouse. It was an effective way to grant her Christmas wishes.

Santa brings one gift here, thankfully a tradition that was started when they were babies.
DS's very first Christmas, he got a stuffed Pooh bear and a toy box(know that it would come in handy in the future, also knowing that his first Christmas he would not know the difference of getting 1 toy or 10 toys.)

Good luck.
Mayber you could post their wishes and we could help find the deals. Remember family memories mean way more than the number of gifts under the tree.

 

[nickey]

You dont have to spend alot of money to have a nice christmas. Kids go for the WOW factor of lots of presents under the tree for them. They like to open gifts and dont even care whats in the boxes. When my DD was young I got tired of buying lots of toys that were never played with. I focused on a few toys I knew she wanted and the rest was fluff. I got nice size boxes from work one box filled with xmas candy, next one dollar lips glosses, one stickers beef jerky. Alot of dollar stuff but plent of individually wrapped stuff to open. She is now 19 and looks back to her wonderful christmases with lots of presents . She remenbers all the gifts not what they were. Enjoy the holiday its not about the money.