This week’s blog, EARLY CHRISTMAS SHOPPING.
We here at Consumer Debt Support (CDS) would like to share more on the topic of how to survive the extra ordinary spending over the holiday period and Christmas with a limited budget, while keeping the whole family entertained.
Planning for the festive season in a difficult economy, can be a big burden for many families. Allow me to share with you my holiday tips to spend quality time together with the minimum financial expenses. My favourite time to spoil the family and people I love, is to plan and book an outdoor camping day or weekend. The planning and cooking and packing together, is where the fun and laughs begin, and much more affordable in comparison with luxury guest houses or hotels for sure.
Christmas holidays are family time.
Volley ball matches on the beach, afternoon Sundowner picnics in parks or at the beach while watching the sunset on the horizon. Taking the young ones to the Zoo or Butterfly World. One of my favourite weekend and holiday places to spend quality time with the family, is at the famous Outdoor pools in Sea Point, where one can eat and drink and play and swim right next to the big waves of the sea.In the centre of Cape Town City, families can enjoy the Museum and Planetarium, feed the squirrels and birds in the famous Companies Gardens.
If you have older children, you can start a new tradition if you haven’t already. Together you can make handmade Christmas gifts for your loved ones, it makes the Special sentimental value of what you create, fun and unforgettable.
If you’re going to decorate a Christmas tree this year, we have some great ideas to spice it up within your budget. If you can crochet or sew, make your own decorations by hand for your tree, or you can bake ginger decorations with colourful icings and edible glitter. Another great idea, is to make photo cards of your family and friends and hang them on with little strings of wool. Use your unused and off cuts of material in all sort of colours and give your tree a personal touch of family and yourself.
Some great ideas have come to mind for handmade Christmas gifts for loved ones that is usable and special.
• Crochet bags with a doily flap that closes with a crochet rose, with little note books in, which you can cover with colourful wrapping paper.
• It is apricot time and also a wonderful idea to cook delicious apricot jam for the whole family, canned in funky jars with frills and name tags on.
• Create small effective hampers of household needs or small car accessories gifts together with the jam jar.
• Ask the family of the house to join in and make homemade gift bags. Ordinary brown paper bags, that can be painted on,
add Christmas stickers and old buttons. Get an unused canvas bag, if handy and cut it up for your ribbons to close your gift bags.
• Crochet hot pads with cotton yarn, with a nice little pattern around, add two flowers that is crocheted, wonderful gift and handy in the kitchen.
• Buy colourful facecloths, crochet or sew lace around the edges, and place them in the gift bags for girls or grannies.
• Large crocheted dishcloths, with Christmas coloured boarders around them for mommy, a nice warm touch to her kitchen décor.
• Fill empty glass jars with sweets, chocolates, cookies or even biltong. Wrap a small and fitting cloth over the lid, a great gift for a dad or grandad.
• Bake biscuits if you love baking and place them in empty jars, put a kitchen towel around the lid and tie with a bulky ribbon, a gift of love for grannies and mommies.
• If you love sewing, make raggedy Anne dolls for the little girls, they love hanging on to those for years to come.
• Have an old woven basket somewhere? Drape it with a baby blanket, add a favourite play doll or teddy for a little girl, and there you have a true gift of love.
• Something handy for the daddy of the house. A hot cloth for dad’s braai or potjie lid. Dad will love one of those to keep at his braai.
Be creative, and crochet fitting slogans or names and sew it on, or the word Man Cave embroidered on with a thick dark yarn.
You can have a fantastic festive season and family holiday with a limited budget. Fun time is priceless. Movies and cell phone time aside. Make new memories that will last you a life time in joy.
Need help with your stress of too much debt before this Christmas? We can help! Visit our website, https://www.debtcenter.co.za
In conclusion: A message of love from the author
The end of this year is around the corner with school exams to end, holiday plans to finalize and shopping to do.
We at Customer Debt Support (CDS) share your awareness of the bad economy and the feelings to limit one’s budget. Nothing should stop you from having fun and games with your loved ones. Support one another, compliment the children for their work input during the year.
Appreciate one another, and SHOW YOUR LOVE TO ALL. There is so much one can do to enrich your holiday.
Thank you to all our readers and clients for believing and trusting us to help you to have a better life and holidays to come.
God bless you all abundantly.
Annienne Nel.
