For many Americans, the "most wonderful time of the year" is also the most expensive time of the year. Just how expensive? Experts estimate that the typical American spends between $1,000 and $2,000 on Christmas each year (source). Thankfully, you don’t have to have a couple thousand dollars on hand to celebrate Christmas! We’ve never … [Read more...] about 7 Money-Saving Modifications to Popular Christmas Traditions
holidays
Christmas Cookie Bucket List
As far as I’m concerned, cookies are an appropriate accompaniment for any holiday. There’s something particularly special about cookies at Christmas, though. Somehow they’re a little sweeter than at other times of the year! When I was a child, one of my favorite Christmas traditions was baking and decorating sugar cookies. When my … [Read more...] about Christmas Cookie Bucket List
Gift Ideas for Elderly Relatives
Our older relatives are quite diverse. Some enjoy good health and live independently in the community, while others are frail and live in residential care facilities. Regardless of their health and living situations, many of us find it challenging to select suitable Christmas and birthday gifts for these relatives. After all, they’ve … [Read more...] about Gift Ideas for Elderly Relatives
DIY Cake Smash Photo Shoot
Though we didn’t have an elaborate party to celebrate our baby girl’s first birthday, we did take some fabulous photos to help preserve our memories of the occasion. We own an excellent, easy-to-use DSLR camera (Cannon EOS Rebel T5), so we decided to take our own photos of our daughter’s first encounter with cake instead of hiring a … [Read more...] about DIY Cake Smash Photo Shoot
14 Gratitude Activities for the Whole Family
Though I do try to be grateful throughout the year, I really appreciate the general air of gratitude that pervades the month of November. I want to take advantage of this to boost my family’s focus on thankfulness. One easy way to do this is to engage in gratitude activities. These take many forms, so there’s bound to be one or more … [Read more...] about 14 Gratitude Activities for the Whole Family
Choosing to Have Simple Kids’ Birthday Celebrations
My daughter, Amaris, will turn 1 year old in less than a month. What a bittersweet milestone! Though it may be trendy to celebrate a child’s birthday with an elaborate party that includes a bounce house, mobile petting zoo, food trucks, and party favors, we’re choosing a much simpler approach. We’ll go on an outing as a family and enjoy … [Read more...] about Choosing to Have Simple Kids’ Birthday Celebrations
Christmas in July: How to Pay for Christmas
Most of us find it difficult, if not impossible, to finance Christmas out of December’s paychecks alone. That’s why in today’s installment of Christmas in July we’re going to discuss how to pay for Christmas. The Christmas in July series is all about planning ahead in order to avoid a stressful Christmas season (read more about this … [Read more...] about Christmas in July: How to Pay for Christmas
Christmas in July: Celebrating Christmas with Family Members Who Live Far Away
Where has the first half of this year gone? Somehow July has crept up on me! I imagine that December—and Christmas—will do the same. Thankfully, I take time each July to plan and prepare for Christmas. As I’ve explained previously, this is not an attempt to usher in the Christmas season prematurely; it is one way my family avoids a chaotic … [Read more...] about Christmas in July: Celebrating Christmas with Family Members Who Live Far Away
