It's Time To Do Some Planning...Join the No More Christmas Crap Campaign!

For the C Word, yes, that's right, Christmas!  Yes, it is still over 3 months away but you need to start planning now.  If you have been a follower of this blog for a while you might be familiar with the "No More Christmas Crap Campaign" which is now the fourth year.  See the original post here and last years post here.

No More Christmas Crap Campaign

Before you jump to conclusions and think I am rather Scrooge-like read further.  This Campaign is about having a wonderful Christmas by not spending anything more than you need to.  




The Guidelines:


1. Save your money strictly for gifts and food items for the Christmas entertaining season. This also means if you want to buy Christmas crap for another person as a gift - it is permitted. If you make gifts you would be permitted to buy supplies under this guideline.


2. If you feel you must buy some Christmas decorations - they should be obtained free by way of freecycle, nature, family, or purchased second hand at garage sales or thrift stores to pay a fraction of retail cost. Our local thrift stores have a great selection of decorations, lights, and even Christmas bows, wrapping and bags. Nature is also a great supplier - leaves, branches, shells, driftwood, get your CREATIVE on.


3. After Christmas each year recycle wrappings, bows, baubles, baskets, and ribbons for use the following year. Re-make Christmas cards into gift tags. Re-use all gift bags. Obviously if this is your first year you will have to plan to do this-although you still have a couple months to save up. Throughout the year save ribbon, packing materials, boxes, wrapping paper and bags for use. I have done this for four years now and have no intent on buying any more NEW wrapping paper or bows EVER! If you are consciously thinking ahead on saving these items, you will be surprised at what you end up with at the end of the year. On your first year of the campaign try and use up what you have - or buy at thrift stores.


4. You are permitted to attend Christmas related functions - even when they cost money. Try and limit the cost to only what the actual cost is to attend. Rather than running out to buy a new outfit for the Christmas Party use what you already have, borrow something from a friend or family member, or buy it second hand at a thrift store or consignment store. Save your money!


5. If you just completely fall in love with something Christmas related - make it known to those who are buying you gifts as receiving Christmas crap as a gift is allowed.

6. The Out. If one hopes of complying with this campaign there has to be at least one GET OUT OF JAIL FREE card. If you must - you are permitted to buy one single new item valued at less than $15 CAD. In years past I have purchased holiday themed paper napkins as had a very large family to feed and don't have enough cloth napkins. This might also include a package of reduced wrapping paper after Christmas for next year's campaign or that special something handmade off of ETSY.



Those are the rough guidelines. You will be amazed at how much you save just by not buying wrapping paper!


To give you an idea of how this works, over the last few months the following items have been saved for this Christmas-ribbons, bows, boxes recycled from my Mother's downsizing, the white ribbon came off packaging of two new hand towels I purchased a few weeks ago. The gigantic pink box was part of a freebie sampler I won, and although not Christmas themed yet, with a little imagination it could be. The silver elastics holding the blue box and the red containers came off a chocolate box earlier in the year. Most ribbon is easy to recycle with a quick ironing.

So what do you say, are you joining the no more Christmas Crap Campaign?