Well, it’s the end of September. K-Mart has had their Christmas display up and in full force for THREE WEEKS already. Personally, I’d rather see the Christmas displays after … say… ONE day of weather that requires a sweater. I have to admit, though, that this is reminding me of all of the things I am doing right to keep the gift giving season from derailing our plans.

My friends and family all know that I’m always on the lookout for a good deal… and never pay full price for anything. Several weeks back, all of my sisters and I got together for dinner. One of them brought ice cream. She said “It’s Extreme Moosetracks and I got it on sale, buy one get one free. It’s chocolate, with chocolate in it.. swirled with chocolate fudge.” My sisters heard “Chocolate” … I heard “got it on sale”. Last night, we were all together again … and ironically enough, discussing a new proposed flavor of ice cream. I said “Mark would love that so much, we’d have to get a new deep freeze to hold it all.” And one sister said “not unless he has a coupon for the ice cream.” The moral of the story… there isn’t one, I just promised them that I’d blog about it! HEHE

I’ve been cheapskate Christmas Shopping all summer long. I’ve ordered free Fischer Price cartoon DVDs that I’ll give to my 4 year old nephew. I’ve gotten Free make-up and skin care products in my CVS haul that I plan to use to put together really pretty gift baskets for my FOUR teenage daughters. (Ambi cocoa butter bars are on sale for $1.99 … and you get $3 ECB back on each one… limit is 3… and there are $3 Ambi printable coupons here, making this a $3 money maker on each bar *my CVS took the coupons, but adjusted the 2^nd coupon down to $98 so that the coupons didn’t exceed the price paid*). Our Wal-Mart is remodeling, and has a TON of stuff on clearance… great soccer balls and sports equipment for as little as $5… which is perfect for my 10 year old boy. I’m just gathering these things and quietly stashing them away in a closet. By the time gift giving time rolls around, we’ll have most everything we wanted to give everyone, and maybe a little more.

All of this planning will mean that Mark and I can afford to surprise the children with the gift we want for our entire family.. a Wii! I’m sure it’s not the most efficient way to do the holiday shopping, but it is the most cost effective. Getting an early start means that I don’t have to worry too much about the last minute rush, budget busters, or not having gifts on hand for unexpected parties and gift exchanges. Best of all.. NO Credit Card Debt!

What about you? Are you getting your ducks in a row for a frugal holiday gift giving season? What’s the plan that you have in place?

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