This year, I’ve teamed up with a few other fun ladies to share with you some great ideas for ways you can save money this Christmas.

[Tweet “The Ultimate Frugal Gift Guide for Christmas. Lots of ideas for kids!”]

The Ultimate Frugal Gift Guide {Links}

• Babies and Toddlers @ A Beautiful Blessed Mess
• Young Children @ Seeing Sunshine
• Older Children @ A Virtuous Woman
• Teens @ Counting Change Again
• Young Adults @ Breething
• Adults @ Wisdom Seeking Mommy

A Frugal Christmas {Under $20.00 Gift Ideas}

I remember years and years ago... I must have been about nine or ten years old… My parents were having a terrible time financially and there just wasn’t money for Christmas – or not much. We couldn’t afford to purchase a Christmas tree and so we went to scour our twelve acres for one that would do. We lived in South Georgia where those awful scrub pines grow everywhere. And so, you can imagine how misshapen our scrub pine Christmas tree was.

But you know, it was beautiful.

My parents couldn’t afford much in the way of gifts. They purchased a used trampoline and then my mom borrowed cassette tapes from people at school {she was a teacher’s aide at that time} and used the school’s double tape player to record music onto blank tapes for my brother and I to listen to while we jumped on the trampoline. Songs from Elvis Presley and Ricky Skaggs.

We didn’t have much, but we had each other and so it was okay. We have precious memories. And that’s what Christmas is really about. Creating special memories – not based on fantastic expensive gifts, but based on family togetherness, tender moments shared together around the table, and listening to a good book read.

[Tweet “#Christmas memories should be about #familytime and moments #aroundthetable – not stuff. “]

This Christmas season, so many families are struggling to make ends meet. In my own household, we’ve been facing major changes in our financial situation. Whether you are experiencing a financial crunch or just want to save money, here’s some great ideas for those kids in your life that you want to bless this Christmas season.

Frugal Christmas Gift Ideas {Games}

Okay, so sometimes games aren’t the most frugal, but playing games with your kids is sooo worth the time and the money spent. And, if if you are planning to shop during Black Friday, you can snag some pretty awesome deals on games.

Yahtzee is available on Amazon.com for only $7.79.

Classic games are classic for a reason! In fact, we often purchase old classic card games like Milles Bornes on ebay.com for super good prices. Here’s a picture of my older kids playing Milles Bornes just this past Sunday:

According to Walmart’s online Black Friday Flyer, they’ll have select games on sale, including Yahtzee for only $3.88.

Okay, so this next group of games is under $30.00, but I had to include them just because they are that awesome.

Mayfair Catan: Family Edition is only $29.99 at Kmart.

Our family owns Settler’s of Catan and the Seafarers Expansion as well as the Catan Junior as well as Settler’s of Canaan {which is a “Bible” version spin off} and we love, love, love playing this game.

Settler’s of Canaan is only $24.21 on Amazon.com – less than Settler’s of Catan if you’re looking to save even more money and still have an awesome game to play.

Card games are super fun and super frugal. Here’s one of our favorites:

One of my favorite card games {and we have a lot} to play with my daughters is Dutch Blitz. My girls all learned to play this game by the age of nine. It’s fast paced and so. much. fun.

Other frugal games we love:

• Rook
• Uno
• Phase Ten Dice

Frugal Christmas Gift Ideas {Homemade}

This year for Christmas I’m making some really sweet and fun accessories for my girls American Girl Dolls. There are so many great tutorials and free printables online.

Here are a few of my favorite sources:

• My Froggy Stuff
• Doll Diaries
• Chic and Petite

Super Hero Fort Kit @ Meg and Andy

DIY PVC Bow and Arrow @ Skip to my Lou

Art Kit for Boys @ The Anderson Crew

Homemade Angry Birds Game @ Homemade Beauties by Heidi

Homemade Canvas Treasure Map @ Make the Best of Everything

[Tweet “Children today are overloaded with stuff.”]

In our house, we try to give gifts that are meaningful. I don’t believe in giving gifts to children to just be giving gifts. Children today are overloaded with stuff. So much so that they often don’t appreciate those things they do have. Here’s my criteria:

• inspire creativity and the imagination
• encourage family interaction
• will last for many years
• something they need {i.e. clothing, sports gear, etc.}
• good books

Frugal Christmas Gift Ideas {Adventure}

My girls love nature and outdoor adventures. We’ve had a lot of adventures in the wilderness over the years and I believe that encouraging children {including girls} to get outside, brave the wild, learn to build fires {and more} nurtures their self-esteem and their self-confidence.

[Tweet “Encouraging boys and girls to get outside and brave the wild nurtures their self-esteem.”]

I love to give them new gadgets for camping as gifts and my daughter Sarah, when asked what she wanted for her eighteenth birthday just requested a really good pocket knife.

Now, mind you, she’s very much a girly girl. She promptly used it on our all girl, 24 mile backpacking trip in the wilderness of the Cumberland Mountains.

Camping gear can be expensive, but there are lots of neat tools and gear that really won’t break the budget if you buy one every now and then. Remember, small camping gear also makes for a great stocking stuffer!

[Tweet “Small camping gear makes for a great stocking stuffer.”]

Live Butterfly Garden for only $10.95

Expert Companion: Outdoor Skills and Tips @ $11.57

Adventurous Femininity: When Being “Girly” is Not Enough on CD @ $8.00

Here’s some great camping and outdoor gear that any adventure seeking kid will love:

• Military Prismatic Sighting Compass w/ Pouch @ $8.97
• Rayovac Head Lamp @ $9.99
• Coleman Extendable Cooking Fork @ $6.44
• Square Pie Iron @ $16.99
• Magnesium Fire Starter @ $4.39
• The Down and Dirty Guide to Camping with Kids @ $13.65
• Camp Out! The Ultimate Kids’ Guide @ $10.77

Frugal Christmas Gift Ideas {Books}

I purchase books either from Amazon.com {with free shipping} or at one of the large used book stores in Knoxville, TN or Kingsport, TN. I’m sure most good sized towns have used book stores and you can often find really nice books that look brand new.

Here are some books my kids have loved:

This post contains affiliate links.

Do you have some creative ideas this year for Christmas? What’s on your “must buy” list for kids?