How to Have Christmas for Your Kids when You Are on a Tight Budget

When money is tight, it is always difficult trying to have Christmas for the kids. Here are a few Christmas craft ideas I have used over the years when money was tight:

Fleece Blanket

If you children are small all you will need is

1 yard of fleece material (color and design your choice)

scissors

Take the fleece and lay it on the table. Take your scissors and start cutting 1 inch strips into the fabric to about 3 inches long (you are fringing the bottom of the blanket, then fringe the top). You do not need to sew the blanket as the material does not run. Simple and easy and you are done.

Watch for fleece on sale (it is about $7.99 a yard)

Lap Blanket

f you children are small all you will need is

select 2 different designs or colors - 1 /2 yards each (color and design your choice)

scissors

Take the 2 pieces of fleece and lay it on the table on piece on top of each other. Take your scissors and start cutting 1 inch strips into the fabric to about 4 to 5 inches long (you are fringing the all the way around the fleece). You do not need to sew the blanket as the material does not run. Take the strips from the top piece of fleece and the bottom piece of fleece and tie them together and knot them. Keep doing this until you have the whole blanket tied together. Simple and easy and you are done.

Watch for fleece on sale (it is about $7.99 a yard)

Mary's Popcorn Balls for Christmas

6 c. popcorn (already popped)

1/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. corn syrup (if you don't want to use sugar and cornsyrup, you can use a bag of marshmallows- which you melt in the microwave and then add the popcorn to the melted marshmallows

Colored saran wrap

Ribbon or Christmas ribbon

Colored candies

Mix the sugar and corn syrup. Pour into a kettle and cook on medium until sugar is dissolved, make sure you stir constantly. Once the sugar is dissolved bring the sugar and cornsyrup to a rolling boil (during this time no need to stir). When done, take the kettle off of the stove. Take the popcorn and pour it into a large bowl (sprinkle with colored candies that you use to decorate cookies) and the corn syrup mixture or marshmallows and covering your hands with butter mix (do this so the mixture doesn't stick to your hands. Make the popcorn and syrup into balls. With lightly buttered hands, form into balls. Take some saran wrap and cover your cookie sheet with it. Put the rolled popcorn balls on the saran wrap. Let sit to cool a good 1 1/2 hours. Take the balls and wrap them in different colors of saran wrap and add a ribbon. Children enjoy these. They don't always need a purchased gift.

Can of Cookies

Use one of the metal tins you might have around the house and then bake up your child's or grandchild's favorite cookies, layer them in the tin, with saran wrap between each layer.

Dollar Store or Dollar Tree

Check out your local Dollar Tree for inexpensive Christmas Ornaments, decorations, candy, toys, hair products, bath products, soaps, bath scrubbies, socks, slippers, hair ties. Any items your children or grandchildren can use. For $5.00 plus tax you can get 5 different items. Depending on your budget you could even get 10 items. Which makes up a nice box of gifts for your children.