Christmas on a budget: $250 for six kids

Our family typically doesn’t spend a ton on Christmas gifts, but this year our budget is really tight.  I decided in October that I was going to try to get gifts for all six children for under $300, and I did it!  See what I bought and how I did it below:

What I Bought

Ryan (12 year old boy)

Leather bracelet (Amazon) 0.99
MP3 player (Amazon) 21.27
Salted chocolate chip cookies (GF from Dr. Sweet’s Cake Emporium) 10.00
Amazon gift card 20.00

Total $52.26

Nate (7 year old boy)

LEGO Ninjago character encyclopedia (Amazon) 10.40
Disney Cars bed tent (Walmart) 9.54
Animal books (Totsy) FREE
Braves Kids Club Membership (won from Macaroni Kid Smyrna Vinings) FREE
Card trick book (thrift store) 1.59

Total $21.53

Angel (11 year old girl)

2 jeans (Old Navy) 17.79
2 shirts (Old Navy) 7.61
Boots (Children’s Place) 13.34
Large makeup set/case (Walmart) 21.20
Hair brush w/ mirror (Dollar store) 1.06
Mini portable makeup set (Dollar store) 1.59
2 lip tint sticks (Walmart) 5.87
(Mani/Pedi basket filled with items below)
Nail gems set (Amazon) 2.05
Nail glue (Dollar store) 0.53
Battery powered nail dryer (Dollar store) 4.24
3 nail polish (Dollar Tree) 3.18
Pedicure set (Walmart) 1.03
Cotton balls (Walmart) 1.04
Nail polish (Walmart) 3.15
Nail polish remover (Walmart) 1.03
Foot scrub (Walmart) 2.58

Total: $87.29

Nautica (9 year old girl)

Fila heavy winter coat (Totsy) 15.00
Fab Kids outfit (FabKids) 7.95
Owl necklace (Amazon) 1.01
Dolphin Pillow Pet (1SaleADay) 12.50
2 packs barrettes (Dollar Tree) 2.12
4 packs lip gloss (Dollar Tree) 4.24
Pedicure set (Walmart) 1.03
3 nail polish (Walmart) 3.12
Nail polish remover (Walmart) 1.03
Sidewalk games book (thrift store) 1.59

Total $49.59

Eva (5 year old girl)

Fila heavy winter coat (Totsy) 15.00
Rory’s Story Cubes (Amazon) 5.99
Barbie Glamtastic Texters 8.99
Dream Lite Penguin (1SaleADay) 12.50
Lip gloss (Dollar Tree) 1.06

Total $43.54

Nikoletta (4 year old girl)

90 Piece Mega Blocks Bag (Amazon) 10.51
Winter boots (Totsy) FREE
Hello Kitty clock (Amazon) 6.99
Tangrams (One King’s Lane) 3.25
Winter coat (Totsy) FREE
Shirt/Pants set (Totsy) 0.45

Total $21.20

Everyone

The Lorax DVD (Amazon) 3.99
Magic School Bus (Amazon) 26.99
Bakerella Set (Won from Stress Free Baby) FREE

Total $30.98

Boys

Need for Speed for Xbox (DealDash) 10.00

Total $10.00

Girls

Tangled for Wii (DealDash) 10.00

Total $10.00

 

How I did it

1.  I’m sure you’re wondering why some of the items say “FREE.”  Some were won from giveaways hosted by other bloggers, and others were free with referral credits I had earned from various websites.  You *do not* have to be a blogger to earn referral fees, and it’s a great way to save on things for your own family.  Check out some of my favorites below:

Totsy – Receive $15 in credit for each person you refer that makes a purchase.  I had $60 in referral credits I was able to use to purchase gifts.  It’s free to sign up, and they have a wide variety of products to choose from.  Please note, they sell items in batches for short periods of time. Once the sale is over, the orders are placed with the manufacturer and then sent out.  It can take 2-3 weeks at times to receive your order, and you account is not actual billed until the order is ready to ship.

One King’s Lane – Like Totsy, you can receive $15 in credit for each person that signs up and places an order using your referral link.  I was able to get two Melissa & Doug Tangrams sets (one for my niece, one for my daughter) for only the cost of shipping.  My items were here within days, and even had wrapping paper included in the box for easy gifting!

FabKids – FabKids is a really cool clothing subscription site that offers custom outfits based on your child’s preferences.  They ship out one outfit a month, and you can choose ahead of time to change the clothes selection or skip that month altogether.  You can receive $20 in credits for each person you refer that signs up for their service and orders their first outfit.

2.  Some of the other items say “FREE” because I won them through giveaways hosted by local bloggers.  I do sometimes enter larger, national giveaways, but the odds are better if you stick with smaller, local blogs.  I also won several Amazon gift cards as well, as you’ll see below.

3.  Start early and be patient! Subscribe to your favorite sites (like Amazon, for example) and wait for the good deals to be announced.  I am also subscribed to several deal bloggers’ updates on Facebook, so I find out about a lot of great sales that way. You can find and follow my Facebook deal blogger list here.  A few things were purchased from the clearance section of Walmart over the course of two months, although I picked up most of my gifts online during Black Friday and the weekend after that, without even going into a store!

4.  Don’t buy in to the fads.  I don’t buy my kids something just because they saw it somewhere or heard about it from a friend.  If they ask for something several times, I add it to my list and check it out.  I try to purchase things that they will use for more than a few days, and that they can often share with siblings.  The hottest toys of the season are also typically the most expensive, so I don’t even go there.

5.  Search online for discount codes.  Retail Me Not is one of my favorite sites to use.  The search function is simple, and you can see feedback from other users about the coupon codes listed.  I found a code for Totsy for an additional $15 off a $40 order that way!

6.  Take advantage of free shipping offers.  When a site offers free shipping, jump on it!  I have saved so much money that way.  I also have an Amazon Prime account which offers free two-day shipping on almost everything.  It is $79 a year, but you get access to free movies and tv shows with it as well.  Definitely worth it. If you are a student or mom, you can get an extended free trial, if not, they always offer one month free just to try it out.

7.  Don’t go nuts buying gifts.  Children don’t *need* 20 gifts apiece.  That’s just ridiculous.  I don’t want my children to think that Christmas is their payday.  They get a reasonable amount of gifts that are a combination of things they want and need, and that’s it.  I don’t go nuts spending thousands of dollars, and I wouldn’t even if I could afford to.  It’s just unnecessary, in my opinion.

Amazon discounts/gift cards that I used to help purchase gifts:

-$5.00 Amazon discount ($5 off $25)
-$5.00 Amazon discount ($5 off $25)
-$15 Amazon GC won from DealDash
-$10 Amazon GC (from Gift Birdy for a website review)
-$20 Amazon GC (won from Motorola for a tweet about baby monitors)
-$20 Amazon GC (won from A Mitten Full of Coupons)

Total Amazon credit: $75.00

 Grand total spent after all discounts: $251.39

Christmas for a large family on a budget, it’s possible folks!

What’s your gift budget this year?

*This post includes affiliate links, and I earn a small commission from any items purchased. Maybe even enough to take my kids out for ice cream.  Or buy myself a cheap bottle of wine!*