Holiday Archives - I Heart Frugal

Holiday

20 Ridiculously Useful Teacher Gifts For Any Budget


Teacher gift roundup

I often have people ask me, “What does a teacher want for Christmas.” Why would they ask me this? Well, I used to be a teacher. For thirteen years I worked as a special education teacher with kids from preschool up to middle school. So today you get the inside scoop! I can definitely give you some thoughtful ideas that your kid’s teacher will love and appreciate.

Let me start by saying, I never expected anyone to give me a gift at Christmas time when I was a teacher. I worked in a low-income school district and gifts for teachers were not the norm. I also taught middle school, so at this age, it is difficult to buy all five to seven of your kid’s teachers a gift. I think teacher gifts are more common in preschool and elementary and lucky for you, I taught all the above.

I find one easy way to stick to my budget during the Holiday’s is to shop early and make a list with my budget included! Below you will find gifts that fit any budget and I suggest buying your teacher gifts first because you will be giving these out before Christmas. All of the gifts below will also work for the end of the year or teacher appreciation gifts.

If you are stuck on what to give your kid’s teacher this year keep reading and there will surely be something you can buy and feel good about to thank them for all of their hard work.

Life Lesson

It is so nice to teach your child the value of giving instead of only wanting “stuff” during the Holiday time, and this is surely one way to teach it. Kids like to give and it makes them feel good about themselves. One of my son’s favorite parts of visiting the firehouse over the summer was giving the firefighter donuts! Also, every time we gave my older son’s teacher a gift, I allowed him to hand it to her and see the smile on her face. This put a big grin on my son’s face too and kept warm fuzzy Holiday feeling alive!

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Ultimate Budget Gift Guide

Is anyone feeling a little stressed out right about now?  Only a few more weeks until Christmas and it is crunch time for gift shopping. We are looking at that time of the year when most of us break our budgets because we needed that last-minute gift.

Ultimate Gift Giving Guide
Find all of your Holiday gifts on a budget!

Sure, buying ahead is great, but we don’t always know what to gift that certain someone and so we do what we humans do best, procrastinate!

YIKES! It is December 23rd and we need a gift for grandma…or our husband…or our neighbor that got us something and we didn’t get her anything. Sound familiar? What to do? What to do?

One option would be to crawl under a rock until Christmas is over, but that won’t solve anything.

All jokes aside, you’ve caught my gift-giving guide early enough that there is still time to shop and leave those last-minute gifts as things of the past.  If we plan ahead, we can keep away from the mall crowds, keep to our budget and keep our sanity.

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20 Frugal or Free Family Christmas Activities

Are you searching for frugal or free family Holiday activities? Check out the list of 20 below:

20 Frugal or Free Family Holiday Activities #christmas #christmasonabudget #holidayactivities
20 Frugal or Free Family Holiday Activities

Frugal or Free Holiday Activities for Families

Are you looking for free things to do this Christmas Season? What can you do for Christmas at home or around town that doesn’t cost much?

The Holidays are such a wonderful time to show family you care but let’s face it, the Holiday Season is expensive too. And if you are trying to budget for Christmas shopping, finding money for family Christmas activities is difficult.

Nonetheless, there are many fun activities for families that are low-cost or free. So even if you are on a budget, you can get into the Christmas spirit and enjoy your time together as a family.

Think about it this way…Spending time with your kiddos is way better than any fleeting toy of the moment that your kid won’t even care about by next Christmas. Yet, the memories you make doing fun Christmas activities will last a lifetime, even after the toys are sold or donated next Holiday season. Nonetheless, one thing you will always remember are those fun family Christmas traditions you are starting now. (Even if they are frugal Christmas traditions.)


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Christmas activities will hold a spot in your hearts for years to come…And the great news is these activities do not have to cut into your budget!

So I’ve done all the work for you and compiled a list of amazing family-friendly activities that are very low-cost or free. Please use my list and enjoy!! Give your kids a toy or two, but give them the gift of time as well! Merry Christmas everyone!

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