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These Retailers Are Hiring For the Holiday Season

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Hiring for the holiday season

If you’re working your way through a mountain of debt, the best strategy is to prioritize income growth over cutting expenses. Ideally, you’ll do a mixture of both, but focusing on growth has a long term benefit.

You can increase your cash flow through a side gig, a promotion, selling clutter around your house, or from a second job. If you’re looking at the latter, you picked a good time. The holiday season is now, and retailers are looking to supplement their staffing schedules with able bodies.

Moreso, 2019 has a shortened holiday season due to a late Thanksgiving. In an attempt to lengthen the shopping season, retailers are rolling out sales and promotions early this year, so the hiring has already started.

Seven Retailers that Are Hiring for the Holiday Season

1. American Eagle Outfitters
2. Dollar Tree
3. Dick’s Sporting Goods
4. The Gap
5. Michael’s
6. Kohl’s
7. Target

According to Retail Dive, a publication dedicated to the retail industry, each of the above retailers is hiring at least 8,000 employees (Dick’s) and up to 130,000 (Target) employees during the holiday season.

Delivery Drivers Are Hiring

UPS, Fed Ex, and the US Postal Service are hiring, too! All those Amazon packages need to be delivered. As internet sales continue to rise, the demand for drivers has increased accordingly. Particularly, since Amazon now offers same and next day in many locations.

Money Making Apps

Do you have the entrepreneurial spirit? Hoping a seasonal gig might blossom into something robust enough to replace your day job? The sharing economy makes it possible to start small, dip your toes in the water, and try it out. The holiday season is the perfect time to experiment.

Become a driver for Uber or Lyft. Grocery shop for a frazzled working mom relying on Instacar or Shipt to deliver groceries while she cooks an amazing Thanksgiving dinner for her extended family of 40. If you’re skilled in a particular area, pick up jobs on TaskRabbit or BlueCrew.

Tips to Getting Hired This Holiday Season

Start now

The holiday hiring season starts early. The sooner you get your application in the door, the better. But also, don’t assume it’s too late.  Retailers may hold back their hiring early in the season, only to increase their numbers if the shopping demand comes to fruition.

Attend an Open House or Job Fair

Many retailers will hold an open house for the purpose of mass hiring. Check their website for the next available date. If you can’t find anything on their website, visit the store locally and ask to speak with the manager.

Tell Everyone You Know

Tell your mom, your brother, your neighbor. Let them know you’re looking for some additional work for the holiday season to boost your savings account. You’ll be surprised who has a cousin that works at Target or an uncle looking for someone to help clean out his garage.
Networking doesn’t have to be attending an event and handing out a business card. The best networking comes through genuine conversations.

Have you taken a second job specifically during the holidays? Let us know in the comments below.

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Insurance While Traveling Abroad

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You are all ready for your European vacation. You have packed your passport, clothing, snacks for the plane ride, and games for the kids. You may have forgotten something important, though. Did you remember to pack your insurance?

Before traveling outside of the United States, it is important to check your insurance policies to make sure you are covered for any unforeseen accidents or injuries.

Health Insurance

Nobody wants to get hurt or ill on vacation. Unfortunately, accidents do happen, and exposure to unfamiliar foods or environments can lead to illness. A trip to a foreign doctor, dentist, or hospital can be very expensive. Many health insurance policies, including Medicare, do not cover medical treatment outside of the United States. Make sure to check your insurance policy before you travel. If it does not cover you outside the country, consider purchasing a separate travel insurance policy that covers emergency medical treatment and medical evacuation so you can return home to recover after an accident.

Auto Insurance

Most automobile insurance policies cover policyholders as a driver or passenger in any automobile, even rental cars, within the United States. Some policies also cover travel to Mexico and Canada, but it is likely that you will not be covered in other countries. As any injury lawyer will tell you, even a minor accident can lead to  significant liability claims. You may need to opt for the liability insurance coverage offered by the rental car agency if you are renting a car in a foreign country. To supplement that, look into a personal umbrella policy. Umbrella policies cover you for any losses over and above those covered by other insurance, so you may be able to opt for a less expensive option from the rental car agency if you have umbrella coverage. Always check with your insurance agent to make sure the umbrella policy covers you in the areas you are planning to travel.

Travel Insurance

Chances are, you have purchased non-refundable airline tickets, or placed non-refundable deposits on hotels for your trip. If an unexpected event delays your trip or forces you to cancel altogether, a travel insurance policy can reimburse you for those losses. Travel insurance policies may also cover lost luggage, meals, travel inconvenience if you miss part, but not all, of your trip,  and may also cover emergency medical treatment. Most travel insurance policies are relatively inexpensive, but can save you thousands of dollars. Just make sure you do some research and choose a reputable insurer. Read the policy benefits and limitations before you purchase so you understand exactly what you are getting before you have to make a claim.

5 Ways to Buy Cheap Christmas Gifts for Kids

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5 ways to find cheap Christmas gifts for kids.Some people shop all year long for Christmas. Others wait until December 24th. Wherever you fit in that spectrum, you still want to score a deal. Americans spend $830 billion on Christmas, according to a 2013 statistic. If you’re looking for cheap Christmas gifts for kids, then here are five tips that will help.

(Got any kids 5 and under? Here’s a great list of gift ideas for them!)

SnagShout

If you’re a fan of Amazon, especially around the holidays, then check out SnagShout.com. It offers hundreds of deeply discounted products you can purchase in exchange for a review.

How does SnagShout work:

  • Browse their merchandise to see if there is something you’d like to purchase. Often these products are marked 60% to 90% off. Some products are even free.
  • You’ll be given a specific SnagShout code to enter at check out.
  • These are Amazon products, so you’ll be automatically transferred to Amazon to complete your purchase.
  • Once you’ve received and tried out the product, you must leave a review on Amazon to complete your agreement with SnagShout.
  • After that, you’re permitted to shop for your next SnagShout product.

Giving SnagShout products as gifts is tricky since you do need to leave a review. I’m certainly not suggesting you lie because that’s unethical and could get you banned from SnagShout. The best solution is to purchase the item for your child, let him play with it, then ask what he thinks. You could also purchase an item of which you’re already familiar and leave a review based on what you already know.

Off-season clearance racks

Fall and spring are great times of the year for garage sales. Every changing season brings a deep discount (i.e. end of summer, back to school, end of winter, etc.). If there are huge discounts on summer clothes during the fall, then you could score some big savings on next year’s summer wardrobe and give them as Christmas presents.

Swagbucks

If gift cards and online shopping are your preferred methods for finding cheap Christmas gifts for kids, then look up Swagbucks. This is one of the most popular survey + reward sites because it offers a wide variety of ways to earn. They include:

  • Searching the Web
  • Online shopping
  • Surveys
  • Watching videos
  • Playing games

You could earn points the next time you shop online at Toys R Us, Target, Old Navy, or the Disney Store. Cash in your points for free gift cards for Amazon, PayPal, Walmart, Target, Visa and more.

Click here to sign up for your free Swagbucks account.

Make gifts

Cheap Christmas gifts for kids come in every shape in size. One of my favorite things about Pinterest is that there are so many options for making awesome gifts for your awesome kids. Not everything is cheaper to make at home than it is in the store. However, I encourage you to at least consider this route, especially if time is on your side. I made a no-sew blanket for each of my babies, and could easily work on it while I watched a movie. Fabric stores often have coupons for supplies, so I saved money and gave my kids something homemade they’ll have for a long time from their not-that-crafty mom.

Actually, probably the best gift for boys is to buy them a soldering iron and a bunch of inductors.  Then have them build circuits or the like.  That will increase their knowledge of science and their manual dexterity.

Groupon

One of the coolest gifts you can give your kids is the gift of experiences. Groupon is a great resource for discounted events and adventures. Search “Groupon + Your City” to find some kid-friendly events happening near you.

Do you start Christmas shopping before or after Thanksgiving? Tell us in the comments below?

Image Credit: Andrew Neel (UnSplash)

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase, Kids Ain’t Cheap will receive a commission, but we only recommend products that we know and love. Thank you for your business!

Best Black Friday Shopping Apps and Websites

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Black Friday is closer than you think, so make sure you’re prepared. The worst thing a Black Friday attendee can do is to show up without a game plan.

Everyone knows shopping centers and malls are pandemonium on Black Friday, so don’t get caught up in the commotion. Make the most out of your Black Friday experience. Find the right coupon shopping apps.

We came up with the list of the best Black Friday shopping sites and apps available. Find toys, clothes, kitchenware, electronics and so much more. The countdown to the big day has begun!

Black Friday Mobile (BF!)

There’s probably no app more devoted to black friday than simply BlackFriday.com. Available on the app store or Google Play, you can find Black Friday deals before heading to the store. Be the first to get coupon ad alerts and find the best black friday deals before retailers run out.

They make it all easy with their Wishlist. This is a section of the app where you can save your favorite deals all in one place. That’s not all. You can organize your deals by which store they come from or by certain category.

BF has over a million followers on Facebook, so make sure you’re included in getting first wind of great deals!

BFAds

BFAds has one mission and one mission only: to keep you updated on the hottest Black Friday deals.

The website updates regularly and features articles about big name stores and what they’re offering this year. BFAds also flaunts their “leaked” deals to try and keep users in the know of secretly planned Black Friday deals.

Unique to shopping sites that only let you know what deals are around, BFAds offers their own giveaways. They recently gave readers a chance to enter into a contest in which a winner could receive the much anticipated Nintendo SNES Classic.

 

Black Friday Ads

Find rare Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals with Black Friday Ads.

Ads for BlackFriday.fm will start popping up in November, so you’ll have to stay tuned. Shop the best Black Friday deals from Kohl’s, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, The Home Depot, Macy’s, Sears, Bed Bath & Beyond, and more.

You can search by brand or category. Categories include appliances, food & wine, sports & outdoors, cellphones, baby & kids, general electronics, among others.

Retail Me Not

Retail Me Not is great all year round, but Black Friday is their time to shine.

Retail Me Not is a popular discount shopping app dedicated to promotions and discounts. This app helps companies get the word out about their brand, and it help customers find what they’re looking for.

This convenient shopper app is popular among clothing shoppers. They can find sweaters, boots, purses, and other Fall favorites.

TGI Black Friday

Another Black Friday shopping website is TGI Black Friday. Receive push notifications and frequent updates on Black Friday news to stay in the loop during the entrance into the holiday season.

According to their website, TGI Black Friday has been featured in The New York Times, CNN, and the Wall Street Journal.

From Black Friday to Cyber Monday, you don’t have to worry about missing a thing. Sign up for the mailing list on their homepage to get notifications when they start emailing deals.

The Black Friday

Though Black Friday deals are not released yet, The Black Friday offers information on current sales. Check their shopper app or website and you’ll find pre black friday deals from places like Best Buy, Target, Walmart, and more.

The Black Friday also gives insightful information like each store’s top picks and recent news. For example, when clicking on Toys”R”Us, you’ll find updated information about the bankruptcy the major retailer is going through and how it will influence their performance this season.

DealNews

Deal news is similar to the other trusty Black Friday shopping websites on this list, but what Deal News also offers is Black Friday predictions. For example, Deal News predicts that K-Cup machines will be selling for as little as $50 this year.

They also have a shopping blog on their site that is fun to read. In the blog, you’ll find helpful shopping related articles. One of the blogs is titled “10 Ways to Save Up for a Black Friday Doorbuster. In this article, you find 10 interesting ways a shopper can save cash and prepare for the big spending day.

Find DealNews on an Android phone or iOS iPhone.

SlickDeals

SlickDeals is also another unique coupon shopping app. It’s like Yelp for deals.

Users can rate and review coupons, so you’ll know what you’re getting into and if a coupon is legit. Users can also share coupons they’ve found with others.

There are forums where people can get together and talk about anything related to online deal hunting. In these forums, consumers work together to sniff out fake or sketchy deals.

This online community of bargain shoppers is changing the way people save money. It’s a wonderful place for people to look out for each other and to avoid getting scammed.

Similar to other discount shopping websites, SlickDeals has a blog where you can find shopping advice and news. One of the most recent blogs features the best things to buy in the month of October.

Santa’s Bag

This shopping app is a little different than the other ones on the list. Santa’s Bag is a convenient way to help alleviate stress of Christmas. This Christmas shopping app is useful in that it helps you plan out Christmas gifts in a streamlined way.

Not only can you plan gifts for others through the app, you can send your preferences for the presents you want to receive this year.

You can also budget your gifts and keep track of how much you’ve spent on each person you’re purchasing items for.

Download it on iTunes and save yourself some time!

Get Ready to Save!

Black Friday seems intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be! With all the ways you can coupon search and gift plan, shopping this year should be a piece of cake. The key is preparation. Get ready and keep up with the latest doorbusters by downloading these helpful shopping apps. Good luck, bargain hunters!

 

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How to Save Money On Birthday Parties (and Still Have a Great Time)

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How to Save Money on Birthday PartiesPinterest is a magical place for party planning, especially for kids’ parties. Due to the unspoken pressure created by social media, DIY-themed events can become a financial sinkhole quickly. That’s why I’ve put together how to save money on birthday parties, and still have a great time.I’ve seen

I’ve been the Pinterest mom, scouring professional cake designs and theme-consistent decorations, utensils, favors, mascots, and skywriting airplanes. OK, maybe not the last one. I’m not saying you shouldn’t have fun stuff; I’m just saying sometimes we all need to step back from the culture of excess that permeates the internet and reboot.

We all need to take a moment and remember how things were when we were kids. No Instagram filters. No professional photographer.

I’m talking homemade sheet cake with mismatched birthday candles. Party hats made from construction paper. Running around in the backyard with friends.

We didn’t have many elaborate birthday parties growing up. But every birthday, large or small, was great. Odds are, your kids will feel the same way, too.

So here are a few ways to lift some pressure off your shoulders, save money, and have fun.

How to Save Money on Birthday Parties (and Still Have Fun)

1. Scale back.

Not every year needs to include a birthday party with 20 guests, a main course, three dessert options, and a bouncy castle in the back yard. For example, my daughter turned four shortly after Christmas, so we had a simple celebration at home with her grandparents. She helped me bake a cake from scratch and got a kick out of sticking the four candles in the cake, herself.

She’ll have bigger parties in the future, but I believe it was good for her to have a simple celebration with family this time. She had so much fun, and it certainly saved us a small bundle.

2. Give experiences.

One of our gifts to our daughter this year was a playdate at one of her favorite indoor bounce house entertainment centers. There was a discount on Groupon, so we set the date, invited friends, and enjoyed an afternoon together. You could even do this at a later time instead of a large birthday party.

To learn of discounted events in your area via Groupon, click on their website and type in your city. These deals fluctuate constantly, so make sure you check in from time to time.

3. Utilize the power of the Dollar Store.

Perhaps you’ve chosen your party theme and it’s time to pick out decorations. When I threw a “Thomas & Friends” party, Amazon had bundle upon of bundle of great decorations. My cart was filling up quickly. I finally realized I could buy a few of those items in generic colors and they’d still tie into the theme.

That brings us to the power of the Dollar Store. If you want to save money on birthday parties, don’t force yourself to make every item match perfectly. You can have plain, white cups and napkins to go with your Frozen theme. Plastic table cloths are another great example where solid colors work well.

If you have a budget for party items and need to save money, try out a few of these suggestions and see how they go. Like I said before, it’s great to have a party and celebrate your child, but you don’t have to go all out just to make them happy. Kids come predisposed to love birthday parties.

How do you find ways to save money on birthday parties?

Image via Alvimann (MorgueFile)

Are you a stay-at-home mom? Make sure you bookmark or pin some of these resources for later!

How to Pay for Vacations and Holidays Without Debt

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Here are some ways I'm planning to pay for vacations and holidays without debt this year.The average summer vacation costs $1,200, according to CNN Money. A recent Gallop poll discovered that the average spent on Christmas is $830 with 30% of shoppers intending on spending over $1,000. How on earth are people supposed to pay for these pricey transactions like vacations and holidays without debt?

One way to help prevent such a setback is to run the numbers like I’ve done in the estimates above. Could you imagine going at least $2,000 into debt each year just for holidays and travel?

What if, instead, you made a pact with yourself and your family only to use money that you’ve saved for the occasion?

It would take a plan. Let’s unpack that one now.

How to Pay for Vacations and Holidays Without Debt

The primary tool that will be your strongest ally in all this is your mind. If you can change your mindset to do the following, you’re well on your way to living a life with less debt:

Don’t keep up with the Joneses. They’re probably up to their eyeballs in debt.

My husband and I drive around with our children looking at Christmas lights every year. One year, I took him to a wealthy neighborhood filled with massive homes on manicured lawns. Each house was adorned with elegant crystal-like decorations with a massive tree in their grand living room.

You get the picture.

When I was young, I used to think of that neighborhood as the richest part of town. I used to think, “These are the people who figured it out. They have it made.” Now that I’ve tasted debt and scratched my way back out, I look differently at shiny cars and grand houses. Perhaps these people did save up for every penny and are doing great. But, debt is so accommodating that they really could owe money on every item they own, right down to their shoes.

Don’t assume people driving shiny cars “have it made.” You may be craving a lifestyle they can’t afford, either.

Automate a year-long savings plan.

Holidays and vacations are not surprises. If you can open a Christmas Club account at your bank or open a savings and drop $50 in it every payday, you’ll be so far ahead of the game when it’s time to travel or shop. We don’t even put that much away and it forces us to be more frugal with our holiday shopping. Which brings me to my next suggestion to save up for vacations and holidays without debt.

Bonus Reading: “5 Ways to Spend Less On Christmas Gifts for Kids”

Be intentional about fewer presents.

When I first heard the 4-gift idea for Christmas, I wasn’t sure I wanted to do that for our kids. Then I realized my alternative was to “buy them whatever” which is a terrific recipe for not being intentional and for breaking the budget. The 4-gift idea is to buy them only four presents in the following categories:

  • Something they want
  • Something they need
  • Something they wear
  • Something they read

I’ve never been more intentional with my gift giving than I was that year. Turns out, the item my daughter “wanted” was the least expensive gift I bought. But, it’s something she still uses every week.

So, the lesson this taught me was that my kids don’t need gobs of presents. They don’t need expensive presents. What makes them feel loved is the intention behind the giving.

You don’t have to spend $830 on Christmas this year, or any other holidays.

If, however, you do want to spend more on a big trip or nice presents (and that’s certainly your prerogative), then save early and do what you can to avoid debt. I’ve tried this both ways and can assure you that the memories are sweeter when debt doesn’t linger behind them.

For further study into this topic of debt free living, I suggest you pick up a copy of “Debt-Proof Your Christmas: Celebrating the Holidays without Breaking the Bank” by Mary Hunt. It’s filled with lots of ideas for saving money during the holidays and not paying for them later.

Do you agree with the idea of having vacations and holidays without debt? Share your thoughts below!

Image Credit: Leo Rivas-Micoud (UnSplash)

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How I Plan on Saving on Valentine’s Day

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Saving on Valentine's day is actually quite simple with a little planning. Here are the strategies we use for a fun but budget friendly Valentine's Day.I admit that as someone who is married, I’m not the biggest fan of Valentine’s Day. It always just seems very ‘’in your face’’ but as a Mother, I love it. Everything about having kids changes including your love of what I call, Hallmark Holidays.

My daughter gets so excited with every little event. Maybe it’s the excuses that come with it, like extra treats, but regardless we have fun with it. As much as I enjoy doing these little extras, I’m more concerned with our budget and how much it will cost. I’m not interested in spending an obscene amount of money on something like Valentine’s Day. Here’s how we plan to have fun with Valentine’s day as a family, without busting our budget.

Plan a picnic

Valentine’s day is in February and for us, that means cold. Having an outdoor picnic isn’t an option but instead we’re planning a family date night picnic style. We plan on saving our weekly dinner out for Valentine’s day but we’ll pick up something to go and come home and eat it picnic style (in the warmth of our house!).

Movie Night In

Our daughter is now at the age where she will, for the most part, sit through a movie. After we finish eating our picnic dinner, we’ll probably find a family movie for us to watch. To go to the theater on Saturday would easily cost us $50 for tickets alone so we’ll veg out at home in our pj’s and cuddle on the couch together. I would much rather this experience anyway.

Make Treats Yourself

My daughter will be having a Valentine’s day party at her daycare. We like to bring something for the kids to eat. I priced out a few pre-made valentine’s treats at the bakery and it was going to cost about $20 for what I was looking at. Instead I went to Pinterest and found a cheap and easy treat that cost me a total of $7 to make. It will also only take about 30min total to put together, with a busy schedule I also have to consider time.

Plan a Special Breakfast

Cooked breakfast isn’t something we often have time to do so I’m going to make sure we have time on Valentines to do so. Even something easy like pancakes or waffles, by adding a few Valentines sprinkles to the mix, there’s no doubt I will impress my three year old.

Skip Gifts

Our family won’t be exchanging gifts. My daughter did buy a $2 box of Valentines for her daycare party but that’s it. Instead of gifts we’ll be spending time together and enjoy some of the treats that we will make for her party (I did buy extras for us too!).

To me, Valentine’s day should be about demonstrating love, not buying things. Simply spending quality time with my family is all we need and it will be setting an example to our daughter that we don’t need to exchange ‘’stuff’’ to feel loved.

Does your family do anything special for Valentine’s day?

Favorite Family Christmas Traditions, Modernized!

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The best part of Christmas is creating memories with friends and family. Here are three Christmas traditions with a modern twist for you to try.Christmas is, without a doubt, my favorite time of year. More than anything I like the traditions that come with the days leading up to Christmas because for me, it means spending quality time with those who I love the most. If you’re looking to start your own family traditions, consider one of these new traditions instead!

Old Tradition: Cookie Baking

New Tradition: Cookie and Beer Exchange

I have spent many years baking cookies and treats with my sister only to feel sick about the sheer volume of sugar flowing through my veins. We’d spend an entire day baking and divvy up our treats among our friends and family. If you’re looking for a new tradition consider a cookie and beer exchange.

Instead of baking a ton of different treats, pick your favorite cookie recipe and bake that. To accompany the cookies, pick your favorite beer, invite your friends (plus spouses) to come over where you will host an exchange. You will do up a treat bag of cookies plus one beer for every guest party attending, they will do the same and everyone will swap. You go home with bags and bags of cookies as well as many new beers to try. For best ‘’swap results’’, maintain something like a Google doc to ensure there aren’t multiples.

Old Tradition: Christmas Turkey Dinner

New Tradition: Christmas Brunch (with a light dinner).

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good turkey dinner but there’s something about staying in the kitchen all day Christmas preparing a large family meal that is depressing on Christmas day. I much prefer the idea of doing Christmas morning and then all sitting down for a large brunch instead which leaves the rest of the day to relax and be together. After a larger brunch enjoy an easy, light dinner of finger foods. Most of which can be prepared the days before.

Old Tradition: Store Bought Christmas Cards

New Tradition: Make a personalized Card

I love receiving Christmas cards. I especially love personal cards. Sending personal cards seems to be a lost art though, not that I don’t appreciate a store bought card signed with family members, I love getting personal card with photos or even just personal notes. If you look for sales early enough you can often get deals for personalized photo cards at various online outlets for quite inexpensive. I had 40 personalized cards made for less than $10.00 and they were beautiful.

Though Christmas is about traditions for many, it doesn’t mean that old traditions can’t be modernized. Instead of cramming everything into Christmas day, our family really spreads the celebrations out over three full days. This allows us to be together and really savour everything as family.

Does your family have any modern traditions??

5 Pinterest Inspired Christmas Crafts That Anyone Can Do!

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Looking for some cute but easy crafts to do with your kids? Here are my favorite Pinterest inspired Christmas crafts that anyone can do.Though I have a love/hate relationship with Pinterest, I mostly love it. I am a very visual person so appreciate the ability to see the final product of whatever it is I’m looking for. My favorite uses of Pinterest would be recipes and crafts for kids. In my mind, Christmas is much more of a season than a single day, and for this reason we tend to do more related crafts for Christmas than any other holiday.

I’m a reformed neurotic tree-trimmer. Gone are the days of spending hours placing the lights and ribbon alone; standing back and squinting from every angle to make sure there is an even distribution of twinkling lights and perfectly placed ribbon. Now, I have a three year old who is ripping open the ornament boxes before half the tree even has lights on it.

To me a Christmas tree is about representing the family who decorates it. Our tree is a perfect mix between beautiful ornaments we’ve purchased, super special ornaments from our travels and highlights in our life such as marriage and even more important, homemade ones from our daughter. I finally get why my mom wouldn’t allow me to get rid of the ugly ones my sister and I made in school. I’m currently staring at a red Solo cup turned decorated Christmas bell and love it. Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a tree loaded with ornaments made by your child.

Here are my favorite Pinterest inspired Christmas crafts that I’ve either done with my child or made myself when I was a kid.

Mason/Baby Food Jar Snow Globes

I plan on making some of these for the first year with my daughter. I remember making one for the first time when I was in elementary school and loved it so much I made my mom dump all the glass jar sauces we had in the house into plastic containers so I could have the jars and make more. With dollar stores they’re incredibly easy and cheap to make, kids will have a ton of fun with it.

Handprint Art

I love handprint/footprint/thumbprint art mostly because it’s a fun and creative way to document growth. I have done a few different things with my daughter but one of my favorites is the reindeer thumbprint ornament her daycare teacher made with her.

Pipe cleaner Candy canes

My daughter’s current favorite craft is anything with beads so this will be fun this year. My sister and I made these every year for our tree and only requires two cheap and readily available supplies.

Popsicle Stick crafts

Like the handprint crafts, there are a ton of cute and super easy craft ideas involving popsicle sticks. I’ve seen huge bags of over 500 sticks at our local dollar store, super cheap and easy.

Paper Snowflakes

Pretty self-explanatory but I love paper snowflakes. Folding paper, random cuts and opening to see what you’re left with is always fun. There are sites out there that have templates if you’re neurotic and want the perfect snowflake too. Have fun with fancy craft paper too.

Hopefully you have a little extra time away from work this holiday season to enjoy some of these fun family crafts with your kids!

Do you have any favorite crafts?

How to Enjoy Hassle Free Christmas Shopping

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I love Christmas gift giving but hate fighting crowds and feeling stressed out. Here's my strategy for hassle free Christmas shopping.I’m not much of a gift lover, except for Christmas. I love spending time thinking out a nice gift for someone and then buying it and giving it to them. I generally enjoy the whole process, picking it up, taking it home to wrap and then spending time with those I love to give it to them. The only part of the process that I don’t love sometimes, is going out to shop for it.

I hate crowds so needless to say shopping for gifts in the peak of the holiday season can be stressful. The issue is that I hate crowds, but enjoy shopping at Christmas time, when the stores are decorated and Christmas music is playing, I will never be one of those people who has their shopping done in July. There are many ways to enjoy the best of both worlds, enjoying the process of shopping during the holiday season while containing your stress levels.

Start with a List

This is absolutely the first thing that needs to be done. We’ve all done it. Head to the stores with no direction, hoping to be inspired but it doesn’t work out that well. We waste time and end up frustrated. There is no need to leave the house before having a list. Check out local sales to get inspired. I also keep a running list year round when friends and family mention something they may want or need. This is the biggest help in making things run smoothly.

Get Out Early

I know not everyone necessarily wants to spend a day off shopping but if you want to avoid the crowds go as soon as the stores open. With your list in hand, you can come up with a plan to execute it in the timeliest manner. I have both an outdoor shopping area as well as a traditional mall where I live. If I can avoid the mall and go right for the outdoor shopping district I do. Not only do I enjoy the village-style outdoor shops and how it is decorated during the holidays, it saves me time. I like being able to park in front of a single store I need rather than walking through an entire mall to get to a store. It also eliminates distraction and saves time.

Shop Local

I’m a big advocate for shopping local when you can. It’s something I’m guilty of not doing enough but it’s so important so I’m trying to do it as much as possible now. For me, local shopping includes buying my daughter’s Christmas book (a tradition) at a local independent children’s book store instead an international big chain. Also, once my list is made, I will check to see what I can buy from local vendors at our markets and shops. Not only is the one of the most personal and fun Christmas shopping experiences, its fun. It feels good to support a local entrepreneur over a big chain any day.

Christmas can be stressful if you let it. Stressing over shopping is not worth your time or energy though. Spend a little time getting organized and you’ll thank yourself!

How do you enjoy hassle free shopping?