MeanyGoat's New Ideas
Tag: Christmas
Commercialization of Christmas
Commercialization of Christmas Reaches New Low!
Yoh ho ho…just when you thought that it couldn’t get any worse…it does! The endless commercialization of Christmas has just taken a new twist with the revelation that the endless loops of Christmas songs played in the big stores are carefully chosen and manipulated to make us spend even more!! Read on to find out what they are up to and learn how to avoid falling for the spending traps laid by the big stores.
Christmas Spending:
It used to be a nice tradition to celebrate Christmas with your family by giving each other modest presents, and all joining in with a hearty meal in the middle of winter….then moving on to celebrate the New Year a few days later with drink at midnight. Well that is a long way away from the modern commercialization of Christmas which has been hijacked by the big stores to make us feel guilty if we haven’t spent every $ in our wallet and maxed out all our credit cards. The endless advertising, the peer pressure to buy ever more extravagant presents, the new outfits, the parties and the never ending drinking. Some shops get up to half their annual revenue over the Christmas and new year period, so in a times of economic difficulty you just know that the pressure to spend is going to be turned right up.
New Dirty Tricks:
The latest trick being used by the big stores Marketing Gurus is to manipulate the Christmas songs that are played over and over again in every shop. The Daily Telegraph recently reported that Dr Alan Bradshaw of the Royal Holloway University in London has carried out a special study of what is going on and the findings are simply horrifying. Special mixes of the Christmas Classics are being made in order to manipulate spending. Typically the “tempo” or speed of the music is slowed down slightly which has a relaxing effect on the customers and makes them think that time is going past more slowly. Apparently the more relaxed we are, and the longer we stay in the shop then the more we will spend.
Click here to read the full report: Christmas music makes us spend more – Daily Telegraph
How to Avoid the Commercialization of Christmas:
Avoid the Commercialization of Christmas and agree some basic spending rules with your friends and family!
Once you understand the game then it is easier to play! The big stores want us to spend more…and we want to spend less. So how do we achieve this and still have a great time over Christmas?
- Agree with your family and friends that you will spend a maximum of $10 on each present – it is great fun to hunt around and find small but interesting presents
- Go further and announce that you are giving no presents this year and are instead making a donation to your favorite charity – everybody receives unwanted presents so why perpetuate the problem?
- Do not venture out into the Shopping Mall without a list! Make a detailed list of all the presents, food and decorations that you are going to buy…and then stick to it!
- Set yourself a time limit in each shop – We know the music is going to make us relaxed and lose track of time so set a limit of say 15 minutes in each shop…you have your list so you know exactly what you are hunting for!
- Play your own music – put on your headphones and blast out your own favorite music so that you are not influenced by the piped “Musak” delivered by the store
Make your own Christmas!
No more maxed out credit cards…make your own spending rules and feel happy without being influenced by the over commercialization of Christmas!
Whatever your beliefs Christmas is a great time to relax and have fun with your friends and family. You will have a much better time if you are not worried about your maxed out credit card! Make your own Christmas and your own rules! The commercialization of Christmas is really sad since it puts huge pressure on people to conform to an excessive spending pattern and to feel inferior if they don’t spend up to the hilt like everybody else. Well, look around you …..take a good look and I bet you see a lot of fat people with worried faces. These are the masses who have eaten too much, drunk too much and spent too much. They know it but are afraid to stop. No need to wait until January 1st to make a resolution….you can change any time you want. Start now and turn your back on the commercialization of Christmas…have fun, but on your terms!
Take a Frugal Tip from the Meany Goat and make this your best Christmas ever…avoid the commercialization of Christmas and you will have more money in your pocket which will give you every reason to smile!
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Frugal Christmas Pudding
Frugal Christmas Pudding Ideas!
Fed up with Christmas Pudding, or just confused why you can boil one for 9 hours or just microwave it for five minutes? Let the Meany Goat help you out with some alternative Frugal Christmas Pudding ideas to help you get through the big day without using up a years supply of energy or doubling your own body weight…..Read on for inspiration!
History of Christmas Pudding:
In fact Christmas Pudding is a traditional English recipe dating back from the 14th century and at that time included ingredients like boiled beef, mutton, fruits, wine and spices. This “Frumenty” was more like a complete meal! By around 1595 the recipe had changed to something more recognizable today since it included breadcrumbs, more dried fruit and ale. Then there was a hiccup….in 1664 the Puritans in England banned Christmas Pudding since it was a “lewd custom” that was “unfit for God-fearing people”. It re-surfaced in 1714 since it was much loved by George 1st who ensured that it became a central part of a classic Christmas Meal. In Victorian times the tradition of adding the choking hazard (a silver sixpence) was added, but luckily the “Nanny State” ensures that only home made puddings can contain one of these now!!!
Cooking a Christmas Pudding:
If you make your own from scratch then you will need to cook it for around 9 hours, and after that it can be kept for a year. A further one hour of steaming is required before it is ready to eat….wow, think of the carbon footprint of that…never mind the calories! A shop bought Christmas Pudding will take around 1.5 hours to steam or just SIX MINUTES to microwave. So we can soon see that if we want to eat a Frugal Christmas Pudding then the most energy efficient option is to microwave the bugger.
The Hidden Cost:
Ok, so you have made the choice to cook your frugal Christmas pudding in the microwave….what next? Are you really sure that you want to eat all that dried fruit and suet? Just a small 100g serving typically contains a MASSIVE 330 calories and nearly 12g of fat. Think again and maybe you will want to give the Christmas pudding a miss this year since you will need at least another 100 calories or cream or brandy butter to go with it. In the end a typical serving with all the trimmings will weigh in at around 500 calories which will take you around two hours to walk off or an hour of cycling. Don’t forget, this is just the pudding not the whole Christmas dinner!! Maybe those Puritans were right after all….the best Christmas Pudding is no Christmas Pudding!
The Frugal Christmas Pudding:
Try eating fruit this year as part of your Christmas Meal. The true Frugal Christmas Pudding is some fresh fruit…low cost, low calorie and doesn’t require cooking!
Maybe the best Frugal Christmas Pudding is either no pudding at all, or just fruit, or fruit salad. After the big meal of Turkey the fresh fruit will help your digestion and the extra vitamins will help you cope with the booze! Go on, give it try this year…have a really frugal Christmas Pudding….have a bowl of fruit salad without the cream….low cost, very healthy, low calorie and no energy used in the cooking!!!!
Read about other great low cost Christmas recipes here: A Christmas Banquet on the Cheap
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Eco Christmas Lights
Do Eco Christmas Lights Save Money?
Every year we festoon our houses with garlands of Christmas lights and leave them running day and night. How much does this cost and can Eco Christmas Lights save you money? Well, things are not quite as clear as you might think so the Meany Goat dragged out all the old sets of lights from the loft, plugged them in and ran some tests. You might find the results interesting and surprising! We then offer some alternative choices to think about.
The Meany Goat Christmas Lights Test:
When I got all the lights out of the loft I found that I had three sets that actually worked; LED lights run from a transformer, 12 Volt lights run from a transformer and standard mains powered lights. Each string of lights had different numbers of bulbs so like for like comparisons require some simple calculations. The first step was to plug each set of lights in and test them with the energy monitor.
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LED Lights run from a Transformer with 120 bulbs |  |
22.4 Watts consumption, so it would cost around 0.48€ to run 8 hours a day for 30 days |
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12 Volt Lights run from a Transformer with 50 bulbs |  |
7.6 Watts consumption, so it would cost around 0.16€ to run 8 hours a day for 30 days |
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240 Volt Lights plugged straight into the mains with 20 bulbs |  |
23.8 Watts consumption, so it would cost around 0.51€ to run 8 hours a day for 30 days |
The results show that the standard 240 Volt mains lights use 8 times more electricity than the other two kinds when you take into account the number of bulbs in the string. But the real surprise was that the 12 Volt lights use the same amount of electricity as the LED ones with the running costs being lower because there were fewer bulbs in the string. The reason for this result is probably because for both the LED lights and the 12 Volt lights the main power consumption is by the transformer…so although the actual LED bulbs are more economical when they are connected up via a transformer they are far less efficient.
The good news is that you can light up your house and Christmas tree with plenty of lights for a very low cost…typically 50 cents or less per string for the whole of Christmas. However, be careful because these tests were only for the little indoor lights. If you light up the outside of your house with larger bulbs then you can certainly look forward to a big fat electricity bill!
Real Eco Christmas Lights:
Real Eco Christmas Lights run from rechargeable batteries. Ask Santa for a solar powered charger to complete the package!
So are there any real Eco Christmas lights that cost even less to run, or nothing to run? Yes, there are a couple of alternatives to look out for:
- Solar Powered Eco Christmas Lights: Typically a string of 50 to 100 tiny LED lights run from solar charged batteries. They work ok but will not last a whole night in the winter. When the weather is poor they simply don’t charge up enough during the day. Better for use in the summer maybe, but worth a look all the same.
LEDwholesalers Mult Color Changing RBG 100 LED Christmas Light string 2021
Price: $6.75
(96 customer reviews)
9 used & new available from $3.00
- Battery Powered Eco Christmas Lights: A string of up to 50 miniature LED bulbs run from AA batteries. This way you can use rechargeable batteries and when they are run down charge them up with a solar charger for free
White 30 LED String Lights Battery Operated XMAS Christmas Wedding Outdoor Party
Price: $4.30
(36 customer reviews)
18 used & new available from $1.69
PowerFilm AA Foldable Solar Charger
Price: $74.95
(14 customer reviews)
47 used & new available from $69.99
Take a Frugal Tip from the Meany Goat and checkout your Christmas lights this year. Look for cheap ones in the January sales after Christmas for the best deals of course and you can always use them in the summer when you have a BBQ. Expensive LED lights run from a transformer may not end up any cheaper to run than normal lights depending how many there are in the string. For the real deal in Eco Christmas Lights opt for something run from a rechargeable battery and then hook up a solar charger.
Here is a review of LED Christmas Lights
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Frugal Gift Ideas
Frugal Gift Ideas for the Whole Family!
Christmas, Birthdays and special events are all times when we like to celebrate by giving gifts. However we don’t need to break the bank to do this and equally we can choose something that will help the recipient and maybe save them some money as well. Frugal gift ideas do not have to involve pots of home made jam or last years undrinkable elderberry wine…they should really useful and practical gifts that will last a lifetime. Here is the Meany Goat’s choice of top frugal Gift ideas for the whole family.
Frugal Gift Ideas for Men:
Honestly, men are pretty easy to please when it comes to presents. Gadgets and tools are the all time favorites and with this in mind it is really easy to find some really great frugal gifts that will save the man in your life plenty of time and money.
Home Energy Monitor – These little plug in gadgets enable you to identify the electrical devices that are costing you most money to run. You can easily recover the cost in a couple of months!
Belkin Conserve Insight Energy-Use Monitor
Price: —
(188 customer reviews)
0 used & new available from
Conserve Power Switch - Plenty of home appliances use energy in “standby mode” when they are left plugged in. Use this simple and compact power switch to turn them right off. A great stocking filler!
Solar Charger & External Power Source – Recharge your Smart Phone or run USB powered devices like MP3 players direct from this unit….all using free solar electricity.
Price: $29.99
(299 customer reviews)
4 used & new available from $29.99
Manual Log Splitter – This hand powered manual hydraulic log splitter uses no electricity…but also avoids getting a bad back from slitting logs with an axe. Great for the helping lower your carbon footprint even more.
10 Ton Horizontal Log Wood Cutter Splitter Manual Hydraulic 2 Speed Wheel
Price: $111.76
(23 customer reviews)
2 used & new available from $89.41
Frugal Gift Ideas for Women:
Well, women can be more tricky to buy “sensible” presents for…Ouch, I felt that! However, there are plenty of alternative ideas to choose from if you hunt around and use some imagination. Here are some things to get you started in the right direction.
Steamer – Steaming food is healthy, quick and saves energy compared with using an oven or cooker. Steamed vegetables contain more vitamins than boiled ones. With a bit of thought a whole alternative CHristmas or Thanksgiving meal can be cooked with one of these!
Oster 5711 Mechanical Food Steamer, White
Price: $39.99
(136 customer reviews)
13 used & new available from $18.00
Kindle E-Reader – The pocket sized Kindle is ideal for those who love reading a lot of books. There are literally hundreds of thousands of e-books that can be downloaded perfectly legally for free. The Amazon website offers free versions of out of Copy-write novels so that is always a good place to start. The Kindle saves money since the e-books are cheaper than the paper versions (or you can just read the free ones) and you don’t end up with a house full of dusty old paperbacks!
Kindle, 6″ E Ink Display, Wi-Fi – Includes Special Offers (Graphite)
Price: $50.99
(7632 customer reviews)
10 used & new available from $50.99
Freezable Lunch Box – Good quality lunch boxes are always a good investment since you recover the cost the first time you use them! Choosing one that you can freeze makes it really easy to avoid waste since you can prepare several meals in advance from left overs.
Stay-Fit Lunch 2 Go Container, EZ Freeze
Price: $8.64
(56 customer reviews)
14 used & new available from $6.79
Frugal Gift Ideas for Kids:
If you teach your kids the important values of saving and re-cycling then they will be in a much better position to survive the ups and downs of the World Economy as well as being better equipped to help save the planet!
Tin Can Robot – Learn some science and recycle a tin can at the same time. The Meany Goat would actually like to have one of these!
A Potato Clock – Make sure your kids are at the meal table on time by getting them one of these potato clocks to build. Runs from a potato so no need to buy batteries and no heavy metal pollution.
Rubber Powered Airplane – Hours of fun without using batteries! Your kids will gets plenty of exercise chasing after these planes in the yard or park. Traditional, but still great fun and more educational than a games console!
Strato Streak Rubber Band Powered Glider Guillows
Price: $5.50
(9 customer reviews)
10 used & new available from $4.07
Buck the Trend!
Frugal Gift Ideas do not have to include wooly hats and undrinkable homemade wine. There are plenty of modern alternatives. Buy them over the internet and get cheaper prices while saving time and petrol by not going to the shops!
So there you have it…some great frugal gift ideas to get you thinking! Don’t get taken in by all the glitzy TV advertising….most trendy presents are just a waste of money and will usually lie around unused or eventually get given to a charity shop. Think differently this year and choose some things that are useful, long lasting and will save money. And for the kids? Well, try to get them to ignore the trash that their friends will inevitably end up with and help them learn some core values that will guide them in later life. So, take a tip from the Meany Goat and get your thinking cap on….write down a list of your best frugal gift ideas and then start searching for the best deals on-line. If you buy over the internet then you will certainly pay less than in the local shopping mall and you will save both time and petrol into the bargain.
…….and if you are still stuck for inspiration here are some other ideas…..Ten Frugal Gift Ideas for Under $10
It would be great to get your feedback on what frugal gift ideas you will be using this year…please share with a comment
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Frugal Tip: DIY Christmas Tree
A DIY Christmas Tree will look GREAT & save you a FORTUNE!
Every year the cost of both real and artificial Christmas Trees goes up and up. But take some advice from the MeanyGoat…make your own DIY Christmas Tree for $10 or better still for free! Most artificial trees look disgusting anyway and real ones create endless work clearing up all those wretched needles that soon spread throughout the whole house. How is it that they do that? This year do something different and and make your own DIY Christmas Tree and Decorations which will look great, be 100% original and will save you a lot of money!
Frugal Christmas Decoration Ideas:
If you enjoy Christmas then there is no need to be miserable because you think everything costs too much money. In fact with a little imagination you can make great DIY Christmas Decorations and even a DIY Christmas Tree for virtually nothing…
A Great Christmas Tree Alternative – Make a little snow scene with polystyrene and tiny twigs! Use an old Christmas card for the background.
- Christmas Lights: Buy them in the Christmas sales really cheaply. Look for LED lights because they really use hardly any electricity. Always check the small print on the back of the pack to make sure that you are not buying lights with a high power rating.
- Balls: Or more politically correct “Ball Balls”….again look out for these in the January Sales. The cheapest are often in damaged packaging and can go for really really silly low prices.
- Paper Chains: What ever happened to those? Just start making your own from strips of left over wrapping paper…and use a stapler to speed up the process!
- String of Cards: If you are lucky enough to still receive Christmas Cards rather than emails then put a few on the mantelpiece and string the rest up to decorate your walls….
Make a DIY Christmas Tree:
A Nice branch makes a great DIY Christmas Tree….use something “twiggy” like Hazel for the best effect, and of course only dress with LED lights!
There are loads of different ways of making a DIY Christmas Tree, but here are some really cheap, simple and reliable methods….
- Get a Branch: Yep, this is my favorite because it is really simple and completely free. Go out into your garden or local forest and just cut a nice shaped bare wood branch. Trees like Hazel have lots of small twigs so make a nice interesting shape. Just make sure you have any necessary permission before chopping off a lump off a tree that is not in your own garden. You can spray or paint the branch or just leave it natural. When it is ready find another log or piece of scrap timber and drill a hole in it to make a sturdy base. Add LED lights, tinsel and balls for the finishing touches.
- Card Silhouette: Lurk outside your local supermarket until you spot a nice large cardboard box. Once you get it home just open it out flat and draw on a silhouette of a classic Christmas Tree. Cut it out, spray or paint it green and stand it up. You can cut small slots to allow lights and balls to be hung in the usual way.
- Rolls Royce DIY Christmas Tree: This one takes longer and might cost up to $10 but does look stunning. Head over to the Instructables Website for full details about how to use a single vertical dowel decorated with tinsel twisted round florist wire. Detailed instructions…easy to build and looks great.
Final Thoughts:
How ever you decide to celebrate Christmas you most certainly do not have to go along with all the marketing glitz and pressure from friends and family to conform to particular ideas. Christmas is about relaxing with friends and family and is not about buying the latest iPhone and getting further into debt. So you can easily have a perfect Christmas without wasting money on decorations. Making a DIY Christmas Tree can become part of your own family tradition…..
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Frugal Christmas Ideas
Top 5 Frugal Christmas Ideas!
Frugal Christmas ideas are not actually very difficult to put into practice and they will ensure that you have a great during the festive season without having to worry about overspending. Dare to be different and don’t buy a whole load of crap at Christmas just because everybody else does. Read on to find out about the Meany Goat’s Top 5 Frugal Christmas Ideas…….
The Frugal Christmas Idea Dilemma!
Every year in the run up to Christmas it seems to get a little bit worse. More advertising on the television, more spam emails, everything on special offer! It is really difficult to avoid getting sucked into the spiral of spending when everybody in the shops is filling up their shopping trollies with presents, decorations and special food. All this is a long way away from the original origins of spending time with your friends and family, reflecting on the past and planning for the future. With the economy in a mess and so many people worried about their jobs it is even more important to keep a firm hand on spending at Christmas….set your budget and stick to it! That doesn’t mean that you have to be miserable and all sit round a single candle sucking on bits of coal. What it means is taking control of your choices and your finances…choose to spend less in one area so that you can afford a special somewhere else.
Frugal Christmas Planning:
Here is your Frugal Christmas Ideas Checklist…….
- Get a blank sheet of paper and write the amount of your Christmas Budget at the top in big numbers
- Split the list into sections for Food, Drinks, Presents, Decorations and Entertainment
- Write a list of the essential items in each section and estimate the cost…some might already be free, but put them on the list!
- Tot up the total and compare it with your budget number
- If it is less then congratulations, you are already full of Frugal Christmas Ideas!
- If it is more then go through each item and work out what you can cross off the list, do cheaper or do for free
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Frugal Christmas Pudding | Ditch the traditional lard laden Christmas Pud and try something more healthy and just as tasty! |
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DIY Christmas Tree | One of the best frugal Christmas ideas….make your own Christmas Tree for nothing. Looks really stylish! |
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Boycott Christmas | Fed up with Christmas altogether? Make an agreement with your friends and family to stop buying crap presents that nobody wants in the first place! |
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DIY Christmas Cards | A really traditional frugal Christmas idea is to recycle your Christmas cards. Takes just minutes to make a whole years supply. Good for the planet and good for your pocket! |
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Reduce Your Postage Bill | Still sending cards and presents by post? Learn a few simple frugal tricks that will wave you plenty of money every year…and not just at Christmas! |
Take a Frugal Tip from the Meany Goat and put some frugal Christmas ideas into practice this year….it will really save you money while enabling you to still have a great time with your friends and family.
Here are some more ideas from the “Keeper of the Home” website: Homemade and Frugal Christmas Ideas
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Boycott Christmas
Boycott Christmas or just Quit Spending?
How should we handle the festive season…should we boycott Christmas or just quit spending? Whatever your religious views or background, Christmas (or the end of the year) is a nice time to relax with your family and reflect on the past year and make plans for the future. This does not have to involve spending huge amounts of money, but it does require strong willpower to ignore the tidal wave of advertising and the peer pressure to consume. The key to spending a Happy and Frugal Christmas is to plan ahead and communicate. Read on to learn how from the MeanyGoat….and don’t be branded as a Scrooge this year!
Christmas Statistics:
A Gallup Poll from October 2011 reports that the average US spending on Christmas will be around $700….but the devil is in the detail….
- 25% around $1000
- 25% $500 to $999
- 30% $100 to $499
- 14% Unsure
- 6% Less than $100
While the flat or slightly declining spending trend at Christmas looks set to continue most families are still on track to spend huge amounts of money mostly because that’s what everybody else is doing. If you don’t give large expensive gifts to everybody you know that you are instantly branded as a “Scrooge”. Just take a reality check….roll back to last Christmas and see if you can actually remember ANY Christmas gifts that you were given…let alone whether you actually liked them or needed them. With that in mind there are some really simple ways to boycott Christmas spending while still having a great time with your friends and family….
Frugal Christmas Ideas:
If you want to have a Happy Frugal Christmas without family conflict then you need to plan ahead and communicate. People are different and we don’t have to go along with the crowd…but we do have to state what we want otherwise everybody will assume that we are just going to conform. Here are some ideas to get you started without making you Boycott Christmas
- Agree Spending Limits: Work out some spending limits with your family and friends. You can have a lot of fun if you set a limit of say $5 or $10 a present…this is when people need to get creative rather than just buying the latest DVD or CD.
- Agree to Make Gifts: The best Frugal Christmas present is something that is homemade, adapted or recycled. Agree with your family and friends that you will not buy any “presents” only materials or ingredients for homemade presents. Jam, pressed flowers, a ship in a bottle, a knitted hat, a wooden toy…the possibilities are endless.
- Secret Santa: Put all the names in a hat and each person gets to buy a present for just one other person…but nobody knows who is giving to who! Of course this should also be combined with setting a spending limit to avoid things getting out of hand.
- Write a Letter to Santa: Remember when you were a kid your parents would always get you to write a letter to Santa? Well you can update the idea and do the same sort of thing by creating a “Dear Santa List” showing the kind of things you would really like and also listing those to avoid. I guess this is a bit like the wedding list idea really but you can use the list to clearly indicate what kind of gifts are acceptable…small, inexpensive environmentally friendly products for example. Circulating a list to your friends and family can also help avoid duplication and waste as well as nailing your frugal credentials firmly on your sleeve….Just don’t add a Porche on the list!
- Give to Charity: Announce that you will not be buying any Christmas presents at all and that you will be donating to a local Charity instead. Many small local charities are really struggling in the current economic uncertainty and so a boost to their funds will have a big impact. Better to donate the money to charity than to buy a whole load of presents that nobody will be able to remember one year later….
So you don’t need to Boycott Christmas to have a great time, but you do need to let people know what your views are and what you are going to do. Equally you don’t need to quit spending completely but rather spend less but in a smarter more personal way…of course if you can quit spending altogether and still keep everybody happy than that is the perfect solution! Whatever you decide to do just try to reduce your Christmas spending a bit each year and increase the happiness. Have a go, you can soon learn to quit spending AND enjoy Christmas!
Learn how to Boycott Christmas Spending by making your own cards, tree and presents…….
Final Thoughts:
You have the freedom to choose.....to spend or not to spend....this gives you the power!
Your money is yours to control….you can decide if you want to buy something or not….that gives you power! Once you have spent the money (particularly if it was by credit card, so you probably couldn’t afford to spend it anyway…) you have no power, and if you are in debt you are then at the mercy of the credit card company or loan merchant. Resist the temptation to spend your money on worthless purchases this Christmas…you are in control and you can decide to boycott Christmas spending if you want to! And don’t forget that if you wait until the January sales then you will be able to buy many things at half price or less! Take a tip from the MeanyGoat, Boycott Christmas Spending and see how much more you enjoy the real spirit of Christmas.
The Christmas Resistance Movement
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Frugal Tip: DIY Christmas Cards
DIY Christmas Cards
There are two times of the year to make your DIY Christmas Cards….January when you have a great supply of used cards available, and the autumn so that you can enjoy making your creations without being rushed. Of course, some people will leave the task until the last minute and then everything becomes traumatic with card and glue everywhere! Plan ahead and then making Christmas cards is not a chore – enjoy the process and save yourself a whole load of money at the same time.
Making Christmas Cards:
Making DIY Christmas cards is really easy….the best way to start is with some of the nice ones that you saved from the previous year. Cut off the backs, glue the picture onto a new piece of card, put a fancy label on the back and you are just about done. More creative personal touches can be added with glitter and ribbon to create something really original that your friends and family will appreciate – far nicer than one of those horrible laughing Santa cards in the 25,000 cards for a dollar bargain box at the supermarket…..
Click on these links for more details and ideas:
- Save Money by Making Christmas Cards
- Download the pdf guide to Making DIY Christmas Cards the MeanyGoat way
Other Frugal Christmas Ideas:
Having a Frugal Christmas with DIY Christmas Cards and maybe recycled decorations, and a nice branch instead of a Christmas tree, does not make you mean or a scrooge….it shows that you have clear values and are not prepared to be bullied by the commercial pressures that bombard us relentlessly every Christmas. We all know that the cycle of consumption is not sustainable and can’t last for ever…..how many Christmas presents that you receive do you actually need or want? As a kid most of the presents were useful….socks, hankies, a diary etc. Those days a re now long gone and the expectation of many kids today is to have the latest phone or electronic game. Set a good example in your own way, don’t be afraid to do something different this year…and the best starting place is of course to make some DIY Christmas Cards!
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Save Money by Making Christmas cards
Wish it was Christmas every Day !
Ok, we all did this sort of thing at school but how many of us still save money by making Christmas cards? It is actually very easy, creative, quick, saves money and of course recycles expensive materials. So how much money can you save by making Christmas cards? Well, that depends on two things really:
- How many cards you want to send
- How many cards you received last year… and have kept
Nice cards can cost over a $ a € or a £ each so making Christmas cards out of those will save you a lot. However, if you normally buy the special offer ones from the supermarket then you wont be able to save as much. Whatever your choice it is still a whole lot of fun and helps to spread the recycling message as well as make people aware of your frugal ideals.
So what do I need to get started with making Christmas cards?
- Some nice cards from last year
- Scissors and glue
- Blank card to stick the pictures on
- Printed labels if you want to make them look really posh
- About an hour of time to make a batch of 10 really nice cards
Nice cards on the mantlepiece !
In order to help your “making Christmas cards” project we have written full instructions for you to download. Just click on the link to get the pdf file: Making Christmas Cards the MeanyGoat Way
So this year why not save some money, have some fun and impress your friends with your creativity !
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Watering Your Plants
Solar Water Fountain
How to be More Frugal