I know Christmas has just gotten over it seems and here I am talking about how we are planning on paying for some Christmas next year. I've decided that in order to curb spending our money we need a old fashioned Christmas fund and I'm starting that right now. I know that it's right in the beginning of our No Spend January but I'm going to do without any real cash money so to speak.
So, this is the beginning of a new series on how I'm going to save for next year's Christmas. These ideas that I have may not pay for it all but they will certainly go a long ways in helping pay the bill.
So let me tell you how the first idea got started and my first contribution to our Christmas fund.
The Christmas fund idea all started at Menard's this past Black Friday (Menards is the only place we go on Black Friday because we can always find just about everything they have in their ad. We don't even go early to wait in line). As we stood in line to check out I became impressed with the lady in front of me. You see, she was very excited. I could tell that because she was talking a lot and she just kept a smile on her face. Oh, I was excited too to get the deals we wanted but this was different. It really helped to pass the time talking to her and besides she was so upbeat. In her conversation there was no complaining about how long the line was. Now don't get me wrong the lines were long, but they were moving. It was still awhile though to just stand there and shift your feet but she never complained about that once.
She finally she got her turn at the cash register. I watched her as she kept that excited smile on her face, watching the cash register to make sure everything was ringing up correctly. She even seemed even to do a little excited jig with her feet. Listen, by that time she had me smiling and giggling to myself just a little. Then, she looked at the total, reached into her purse, and pulled out a pile of those Menard's rebates. Just a little FYI- Menard's has some great deals but many of them you get the deal by getting back a rebate you mail in to spend only at their store. Kind of a great marketing tool I think.
Oh yes, back to the lady with the rebates. She asked for a pen and started to put her signature on about 15 or more of those rebates. She ended up paying for every bit of her shopping with her rebate checks! I mean she got some toys, socks, and even a pair of those flannel jeans my husband loves. I looked in awe and decided right then and there I would save every rebate we receive to go towards our Christmas fund. I started this week when I received our first two in the mail.
What I like about this idea is that it basically takes just a few minutes. You save the rebate at the bottom of the receipt, make sure you get the rebate form at the store and fill it out, and then you mail it. You will receive your rebate check in the mail. I also like it that it's not cash that I might think about spending more freely throughout the year.
So far this year I have $20.00 in my Christmas fund!
You can read my other posts on How We are Saving for Next Years Christmas here:
How We Are Saving for Next Year's Christmas (Menard rebates)
How We Are Saving for Next Year's Christmas (Win it) -Part 3!
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This post has been linked to Making a Home-Homemaking Linky, The Penny Pinching Party, Thrifty Thursday, Financially Savvy Saturday,
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