Fall, Thanksgiving, and Stockings!

     There are a few things on the go in my house at the moment. We got the Fall yard work done yesterday, and the hose, bbq and lawn chairs gone into hiding for the next several months. We actually went to a few home improvement stores yesterday, and Christmas stuff was sprouting up. Also my seasonal favorite store Christmas Discounters is open for another season. I’m keeping my eye on that place, they had a Duvet cover I loved, and when I went back of course it was gone.

     At this point, I’m hoping we’re on top of the overwhelming food planning, and gift planning. There is however one part you likely overlooked. I’m so bad for this one and honestly, 101 Days to Christmas reminded me, Stocking stuffers. They are always the thing I forget, and force me into the Christmas shopping insanity, that I start early to avoid. So start now. And the beauty of starting now means, when you spot stuff, you can do it on sale and save a little too! Start the stocking stuffers now, it’s just going to be so much easier.

     Another thing to start taking into consideration now, is Travel plans. Are you traveling? Booking accommodations, and travel tickets early is a good call. Not only does it mean you’re all set (because yes, things like Hotels book quickly for that time of year) things like flights, you might save a little money on too. If you’re not traveling, do you have anyone coming to you? We’ve put out the invite (because we moved into our first house, I basically put it out on moving day), now we’re starting the follow ups to solidify these plans.

     And finally the other thing we’re focusing on is Thanksgiving. Yes this blog is about Christmas planning, but it starts with other Holidays still in sight, so now is the time to start all of that planning as well. The good news is Thanksgiving revolves greatly around the food, and you’re already equipped for that. I really should have mentioned this point in my last blog, I over buy when it comes to things like gravy and stuffing and things of that nature, because I’ll likely need to hit up my stash for Thanksgiving too. I do know the Turkey sales have started… while I encourage the whole buy early thing, you can buy now for Thanksgiving, not for Christmas… we don’t need a freezer burnt bird. 

Start Grocery shopping... NOW!

     I have left a much bigger gap between posts than I'm comfortable with, but this is exactly why I wanted you to check out 101 days to Christmas . An everyday post is something I knew I couldn't commit to. Depending on how this year goes, maybe next year I might, but for now I'm showing you exactly how I do my planning, and yes, it does get some gaps in it.


     As it's been over a week, we're going to cover more than one thing to tick of your preparations. The first is not Christmas related, but some "Honey do" stuff. Getting the house ready for Fall. It's here and in a big way. I was pleased to get out my fall table cloth yesterday.

     There are several things you need to do to get ready for fall, and I'm in my first house for the first time this year, so I actually have yard work too. And that is exactly where to start. I was at a bon fire the other night, and I've seen so many things pop up on pinterest about bon fires being a big part of fall. I'm thinkin not so much around here, it was cold, and there was no denying it's here. Time to make...another list.

     I would highlight anything that requires you going outside, because let's face it, you're going to want to do that first and get that over with. Over the next week or two chip away at that list.


     Now my last post, I promised a grocery master list for that menu you put together. Before you start though, you're going to want to make 3 parts to your list, Non- Perishables, Frozen and Fresh. Next, you're going to want to go back to that menu, and go through it with a fine tooth comb. Don't forget spices and condiments, make a complete list of every thing you might need for each meal and put them into their categories.

     Now, if you have a look at mine, you see some stuff is already checked off. That is one of my big money saving, time saving secrets, I start early, very early. Here's the thing, non-perishables, you can start on now. If you spot a smokin deal on gravy next time you go shopping, grab it. While I don't touch the frozen part until mid-late November, you can wipe out those lists in advance, and it will save a lot of time, money and headache. Also, keep the Christmas groceries away from the regular ones. I have a cupboard above my fridge, it's kind of a pain to use it, because it's high up and I have to move stuff around to get to it. So basically it's the perfect spot for me to keep all my Christmas non-perishables. And though it's a LONG way away from shopping on the Fresh list, here is another money saving tip, if you're saving points, use em. Hubs and I save points all year at the grocery store and redeem them for our biggest Christmas shopping trip. I'll be honest, last year I didn't take my own advice, and waited until later to do our grocery shopping, and the price for that trip was about double what we normally spend, and that wasn't our only stop, needless to say, I was pretty happy about the points taking half of the hit.

     So that's my latest post. I hope to have a shorter gap for the next one...once I figure out what the next one is.

Planning Your Menu

     I hope by now you've had a chance to have a look at 101 days to Christmas. What is great about that planning tool as opposed to mine is it's going into keeping you organized with all of this, while I've kind of diving in with lists upon lists, which is actually my typical organizational style...if you can call it that.

     Today I'll be jumping into Holiday meals. The food that surrounds Christmas plays an enormous role in traditions in my home, and likely yours too. My husband and I got very lucky when we got together, that our traditions we grew up with that meant the most to us, didn't conflict in the slightest. In some cases you make your own traditions out of necessity, we simply tweaked ours.

     When it comes to planning the menu, some people find themselves focused on the big turkey dinner, then scramble at the last second because they remembered the rest. I tend to try and lay our a plan for 3-4 days. Christmas eve, Christmas, and Boxing day for sure, if you want to throw the day after boxing day into the mix because you work, or have zero desire to be out that day, be my guest. This is how I lay it all out.

Then I add my Traditions

And then fill in the blanks

      I generally work Christmas Eve, so I need something I can have ready to go in advance, also I'm generally poultried out by the end of the season, so beef soup is a great choice, 

     Christmas day, lunch should be light, if it's there at all. The other option, have the turkey dinner a lunch, and then if anyone recovers enough to want to eat later, it's a free for all. 

     I don't know about you, but by boxing day, I'm beat, and it's a heat and eat kind of day. I tend to do just that, and do up my table as a buffet. 

     December 27th, it's all about leftovers, and a soup I chuck together, by literally dumping remaining leftovers from the turkey dinner (except all the turkey, I'll be swimming in that for at least a couple more days). I'm also back to work that day, with a big potluck to help us survive the boxing day insanity. 

    Thus concludes making your menu, keep in mind, this can very well change as you get closer to the big day, but what's great is where you're starting early, you can handle curve balls. On my next post, we'll make a master grocery list, and I'll teach you ways to stretch the budget further. Also feel free to comment below, or ask questions, for example I'm expecting "what are pasties"from some one, because I always get that question lol. 

Shopping list, the gift edition

         

     If you've started following my blog posts (this is #3), I hope you've also started following the blog posts at 101 Days to Christmas . As I've expressed, this page has been my guide for several years now. I've never really stuck 100% to her planning methods, but have used them to work with how I do things. As a result I will reference back to her page often so be sure to check it out. Yesterday on her page was about setting up a Calendar. This is honestly a step I may have overlooked, simply because I already have one up in my house. If you don't or you would like one specifically for holiday planning go to her website, she's been doing this a while and has resources there for you. 

     Getting back to my planning, we're on to another list. I told you the master list would probably have a few lists on it, and some of them I may not be able to guide you with, because they will be personal to your specific list. However, I think it's safe to say everyone will have food and groceries  list, and a gift list, and that's the one we're touching on today.

     Though I'm a big believer of get started early on both of these lists, if I had to pick one over the other, it's gifts. First thing is first, who do you need to buy for? When you make this list, remember that odds are you're going to be dealing with secret Santa popping up at work and or school. Did you want to get something for your regular postal worker, or paper delivery person? What about teachers? Keep this stuff in mind, and also try and come up with a few backup gifts in case you have some one drop in or something.

     After Christmas, I'll touch on how to make next Christmas easier, but one thing I'll for sure mention is shopping all year for gifts. I actually started in February. Sometimes you can space it out, but you don't ALWAYS have that luxury. The good news is if you're starting NOW, you're still ahead of the game.

     Some people, you're lucky enough will have a list, and that makes things a little easier, but if you're seriously stumped for some people, brainstorm. This is a method I've used over the years, and have actually used to help other people. Take the person who is difficult to buy for, and start writing out words that remind you of them, and their interests. My dad was always an easy one for this, I'd think of him and I'd think of coca-cola, video games, and comic books (yes my dad was rad). I have a ton of ideas that could come from these 3 notes. It's a great tool I use, give it a shot.

    Here is another step in my gift planning, can you MAKE any gifts? If you're crafty, great, if you're not, do not count yourself out of this category yet. One of my favorite Christmas movies is Santa Claus is coming to town. At the end of the movie, there is a line that says "...if only we could learn to give as he gives, of our hearts, of our talents". This is a line that has stuck with me. One of my favorite gifts I've ever received was one my brother made. When we were kids, our mom had recorded a bunch of Christmas specials on VHS, and we watched this every year. In his first year of college, my brother found most of them, and put them onto a DVD set for me. While I adore the set itself, I think of the time and effort he put into that, thinking of me, and trying to make me happy, that is a huge factor as to why it was such a wonderful gift.

     So there you have it, get that gift list together, because if you're like me, and get paid bi weekly, there are only about 7-8 more pay days to Christmas!

Make a list, check it twice, then again, then remake the list....

     For me, a big part of Christmas planning is making lists. I love making lists, and tend to be more efficient when I'm operating with one. With Christmas planning, I have them in abundance.

     Before I delve deep into my pile of lists (which btw, I'm only covering one today), Let me mention some resources. If you read my first post in this series, you know I rely on 101 days to Christmas. By my #1 resource basically in life, is Pinterest (I might have a problem). I've been on Pinterest for 4 years, and Christmas is my oldest board. If you aren't on Pinterest, you should get on, and if you don't have a Christmas Board, you should make one. It will keep ideas for you, give you guidance, and in some cases, kind of show you your Christmas style. Mine is traditional/kitschy. If you're looking for a place to start, or even just a board to creep, here is mine.

     Getting back on track, I mentioned Pinterest because it can help you with a lot, including what this post is all about, the master list. The master list is everything, everything you need to do and want to do this Christmas. Think of what you would like to do to make your Christmas season perfect, and put it on the list. A lot of these things will end up with their own list. Add things like decorating, sending cards, buying gifts, wrapping gifts, Christmas parties, charitable donations, parades..every solitary thing you can think of. Now, let me stress this, and please allow yourself to accept this, you're not going to do it ALL (unless you have a tiny list). I'm a strong believer, Christmas doesn't have to be perfect. Some great memories I have are when things went wrong, like my roasting pan was too big for the oven in my then new apartment. You just do what you gotta do and roll with it. The other things about this list is be prepared that you're going to add things to it, and you may need to revamp it if you're like me and do it in a notebook, just so you can read it still down the road. So for me, that's it, step #1 in planning for Christmas!

Sharing MY Secrets to Christmas

    

      It's been a very long time since I've done a blog post, and none the less, it remained logged in on to my account. So here I am back and about to launch myself into a project.

     Over the next several weeks I will be sharing with you the secret to me keeping my sanity over Christmas...okay, sanity might be a stretch, but my lunacy is out of enjoyment of the season, not being stressed to the max. No, I get everything done, I get it done early, and I do it on budget. One obvious key to my success, is I start early, made evident by the fact that I'm posting on September 15th! Some may read this and say can we get through Thanksgiving/Halloween/ Remembrance day first? Well you could, but that cuts down on a LOT of time to get ready. We know Christmas comes every year, and yet a large portion of the population scramble to get everything done, but it never changes it's place on the calendar.


     Another LARGE part of my success is a website I've used as a guide. If you follow this series I'm about to do, you will see this link, because I plan to give credit where credit is due. It's 101 Days to Christmas , and if you do the math, that's actually today. That's right, we're a mere 2 days from being double digit days away from Christmas, see how quick it gets ya? SO I will reference her site often, and it will continue to guide me, but I will be going through this fewer days a week, and giving you more of a taste of how I do it, because if I were to just do it the same way she does, there would be no point. I'm also, pretty sure, she's American, so mine will be the Canadian spin too, and we Canadians know, we're coming up on thanksgiving in October, instead of their November Thanksgiving. Just keep in mind, my processes is larger chunks at a time (I usually use my days off), but she gives you a little each day. I do recommend checking out her page for sure, it's made my organizing and preparing easier. So yes check hers out, and please keep an eye out for my posts as well to see my spin and how I do things a little differently :)