Our Gift Giving Strategy For The Grandkids

Our gift giving strategy for our grandchildren is very simple. #1 Come Christmas and birthdays we deposit money in their savings accounts. Sonny and Junior do the same. #2 We shop all year for incredible bargains to give as gifts so the kids have a few things to open. Just before Christmas I get out all the goodies accumulated over the last twelve months. I divide the booty between Christmas, birthdays and Easter (Beth and Wullie have birthdays early in the year so this works out really well). So far I have found we accumulate enough gifts without going overboard.

Bargain hunting is an art with a bit of luck thrown in (so ok, a lot of luck helps!). I shop at garage sales, church and school rummage sales, and resale/thrift shops. I look for retail store sales and never pass up a freebie.

Garage sales rock! I guess we are lucky to live in an area where sales are plentiful during the warmer months. Finding new things in original packaging is rare but not impossible. I also snatch up anything in like new condition.



I got Beth this Little Mermaid tote for only $1. It's in like new condition without the tags. I figured it would be the perfect beach bag for swim wear and towel. Ariel happens to be her favorite Disney Princess so this was a great find.

We have two thrift shops within 10 miles from our home. I occasionally am able to find some clothes for the grandkids but nothing in the line of toys. In fact one shop completely quit selling toys because customers were using the store as a play area and it was chaos. Can't blame the store for this decision but it's a bummer for me.

I love church and school rummage sales. Although I found very little in the line of gifts last year I did get some nice items to list on Ebay and Etsy.

Retail store sales are great if you happen to be in the right place at the right time. I was lucky enough to hit the 80% off rack at Target a month ago - Wullie will be getting pajamas and a couple zipped sweatshirts with hoods for his birthday.

FREE is the magic word. We never pass up a freebie (with the exception of pets). I posted about the wonderful books we got off Freecycle.org recently. Another website I have been using these past few months is totallyfreecrap.com. There is no guarantee you will receive the item you sign up for but I feel it's worth taking a chance. So far I have gotten three items - a baby bowl from Beechnut with cereal coupon, a baseball cap from Ridgid and a knit winter hat from Mikita - very nice items.

The other day Grandpa came home from work with this candy dispenser full of chocolate covered peanuts. It was from a temp agency. I was really amazed - it's the nicest freebie he has ever received. Usually sales reps will give a small bag of candy or popcorn - never anything that nice. Maybe, it is a sign of the times - as the economy worsens salesmen are working harder to attract business. We decided it would make a great birthday gift for Wullie - he can't read yet so who cares about the advertisement on the top. And every little three year old needs to be hyped up on sugar on his birthday - right? The little football was also an advertising freebie from a shipping company - we are saving it for Wullie's Easter basket.

As long as our grandchildren are young our frugal shopping strategy has worked wonderfully. The kids don't want anything in particular - they are just very happy with what they receive. And with two sets of Grandparents and many aunts and uncles they get plenty. They have no clue what lucky children they are. As Grandparents we must teach them to appreciate their many blessings.

Books From Freecycle

One of my favorite websites is Freecycle.org. Here members can list stuff no longer needed that can be passed onto others. The idea is to find new homes for unwanted items so they don't end up in a landfill. Members can also post things they wish to receive.
When I joined Freecycle a couple years ago my hope was to occasionally acquire clothing for my grandchildren. Having a few extra shirts, pants and pajamas to keep at my house would come in very handy indeed. So far - ziltch. That's not to say that clothing hasn't been offered - it has. But this Grandma is always too slow on the draw. By the time I respond to an offering it has already been promised. I have even wished for items a few times but there wasn't any response. Augh! but I will keep on trying because you just never know.
Last week a member offered a bag full of children's books. Ooooooh, I was salivating at the thought of this offer - this is the first time books have been offered and being a bit of a biblio nut I was really hoping. Of course I was yet again too slow. The books had been promised but I was informed that I was second on the list. If the original respondent didn't show up they would be offered to me. I figured that was the end of it. After all, who could pass up a bag of children's books? So I put it out of my mind. Well, surprise, surprise, a couple days later I learned there had been a no show - the books were mine - all MINE!!!!
Picking up the books was so easy. The offeree lives just down the road from me. Freecycle encourages anonymity for safety reasons. So there was no direct contact with the person. The books were left outside - the bag was marked with my name - I stopped and picked up my new literary treasures.
Opening up that bag when I got home was like having Christmas all over again - the books are absolutely wonderful. Half of them look like they just walked out of Barnes and Nobel. Be still my frugal heart! It was just too much fun sorting the stories out. I have decided which books will soon become birthday gifts and Easter basket fillers. I have put some aside for next Christmas - not only for Beth and Wullie but for the new royal baby that will join the family next Fall. A few books will be saved for when the kids get older. The rest are now on our bookshelf. You can never have too many fairy tales!
I have only received a few things through Freecycle - guess our needs are pretty simple so I am not looking for much. But, these books were absolutely fantastic! And, the best part is, once the kids have outgrown the stories, they will be Freecycled again. Books are too precious to throw away. I LOVE Freecycle!

Frugal Birthday Lessons

Grandpa's birthday gave us the chance to teach our grandchildren some frugal lessons. We don't preach to the kids, we simply show them by example. We can have a fun birthday without unnecesay extras - at our age anyway.
Lesson 1 - You don't need decorations. When the kids arrived yesterday the first thing Beth asked was "Where are the balloons?" I explained that we didn't need them - not for us anyway. I am not a meanie and advocate no decorations for children. Beth and Wullie will have balloons, decorations and birthday paper plates for their next parties but Charles & Di will purchase them at the dollar store. It is possible to decorate on the cheap and save a lot of money.
Lesson 2 - It's fun to make your own birthday cards. No need to go to the store for a card. Over the years I have collected quite a few rubber stamps finding them at garage sales, dollar stores, etc. I also have plenty of crayons & markers. This past week the kids opted to use just the stamps for their cards. What was more fun than making the card, was presenting their creations to Grandpa - they were proud of their work and of course loved the praise they received for their efforts.
Lesson 3 - You don't need a lot of presents. The only presents Grandpa had to open were the ones Beth and Wullie brought. Beth felt sorry for Grandpa that he didn't have more. But we explained that the two were wonderful - Grandpa got new socks and hankies - what a lucky Grandpa he was! (Actually Junior renewed his subscription to Scottish Life magazine and since we needed a new bed for the kids room we ordered it over the weekend. Like I posted earlier - if it's something we need, that becomes the perfect present). Charles and Di would have spent more on a present but Grandpa simply didn't need anything else.
Lesson 4 - You don't need a birthday cake - pie works just as well. I think the kids were a bit disappointed that I didn't have at least some cupcakes to go along with the pie. But they still had the fun of blowing out the one lonely candle a few times. And of course we sang "Happy Birthday".
Lesson 5 - You don't need to play games. I was quite surprised when Beth asked if we were going to play games. She has been to a few parties for her little friends so this was a sensible question. It's just that it never entered my head that the kids would expect this. I explained that instead of games they were going to do something very special with Daddy and Grandpa instead - they went sledding. They love getting out in the snow and we have the perfect hill not far from our cottage - they had a great time.
Lifetime Lesson - Over the years the grandkids will realize that birthday celebrations are all about family. Just being together, and sharing that special day. You don't need the fancy extras to have fun. All you need is to share the love.

Frugal Grandpa's Birthday

Yesterday was Frugal Grandpa's birthday. We have a gift giving policy for ourselves that we have employed for years. If we need or want something it becomes the perfect gift. If there is nothing we need or want we don't get a gift. This eliminates buying something foolish just for the sake of having a present to open. Instead, we might (or might not) go out for a nice dinner. Or I can fix a favorite meal like I did yesterday.
Grandpa's birthday dinner consisted of Bangers and Stovies (Scottish dinner sausage and stewed potatoes). These were served with pickled beets and Walkers Oatcakes. We are fortunate to have an Irish import store a few towns over that stocks many of our favorite foods.
Grandpa doesn't care much for cake so in the past I always made birthday pie. Unfortunately a few years ago Grandpa was told by his doctor that he is border-line diabetic. He could have gone on medication but instead we are careful with his diet and keep sugar to the minimum. Goodbye cherry pie. Until last week - I just happened to stumble upon "Comstock's No Sugar Added Cherry Pie Filling". I don't know how long this product has been on the market but I was thrilled to find it in the baking aisle of our local store. Grandpa got his birthday pie topped with one lonely candle - it was all I could find in the ol' junk drawer so it had to do. Beth and Wullie didn't mind - we relit the candle several times so the kids could have the fun of helping Grandpa blow it out.
Celebrations at our house are simple and frugal. Having the grandchildren be a part of the fun made the day perfect. Happy Birthday Frugal Grandpa!

Meet The Family

Our youngest son Charles found and married his princess Di five years ago. (Names NOT changed to protect the innocent - honest!) They have a beautiful little princess, Beth and a handsome prince, Wullie (Names are CHANGED to protect the innocent). They live in the next town so royal visits are frequent which we love.
Junior is our middle son. He lives just down the road from us. He pops in often (usually with laundry basket in tow). And of course if I happen to be fixing a dinner he loves I set an extra place at the kitchen table.
Our oldest boy Sonny lives in the Rockford, IL area. He is close enough that he visits a couple times a month (without laundry - he has his own washer and dryer).
We have lived in our home for the past 38 years. My brood is close at hand so the cottage is seldom quiet. I love it this way. I am a very happy, contented Grandma!