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The Ultimate Frugal Christmas Gift Guide {Older Children}

ByMelissa Ringstaff
This post may contain affiliate links. You can read my disclosure policy here.

The Ultimate Frugal Christmas Guide {Older Children} on AVirtuousWoman.org #frugal #christmas

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}

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

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:

Milles Bornes

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.

Catan: Family Edition

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 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:

Dutch Blitz Game

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.

Dutch Blitz @ AVirtuousWoman.org

Other frugal games we love:

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:

Super Hero Fort Kit

Super Hero Fort Kit @ Meg and Andy

DIY PVC Bow and Arrow

DIY PVC Bow and Arrow @ Skip to my Lou

art kit for boys

Art Kit for Boys @ The Anderson Crew

Angry Birds Game

Homemade Angry Birds Game @ Homemade Beauties by Heidi

treasure map

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.”]

butterfly garden

Live Butterfly Garden for only $10.95

Expert Companion: Outdoor Skills and Tips

Expert Companion: Outdoor Skills and Tips @ $11.57

Adventurous Feminity

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:

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?

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My name is Melissa Ringstaff and I've been blogging here at A Virtuous Woman since 2001. I'm a pastor's wife and homeschooling mom living in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains of Southeastern KY. I believe in finding freedom from perfection and living life with purpose and I want to help you do exactly that.

I'm so glad you've stopped by to visit with me. I hope we can be friends!

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14 Comments

  1. Oh my goodness you mentioned Settler of Catan!! My husband and I LOVE that game! We have gotten all our friends hooked to it, but I am curious how is the family edition different then cities and knights as well as seafarers? Does it include an expansion pack so you can play with 6 people rather then 4?
    Reply
    1. Laura, The Family Edition of Catan very similar to the original with a few changes to make the game more affordable. For instance, instead of lots of small tiles to fit together, you have six large pieces that are interchangeable and reversible. Also, the game pieces are plastic instead of wooden. The Family Edition is not really for the rabid Catan player. It's for the family who wants to play casually, but I suspect once a family owns the one, they'll be hooked and want more! Mayfair created the Family Edition to be more affordable than the original which runs around $40.00 or more. We love the Catan games, too! I would love to own more of the expansions. Hope that helps. Thanks for visiting. I hope you'll come back soon!
      Reply
      1. Thanks for getting back with me and explaining the differences! I think my Mom is going to get it! Yeah I wish the expansion packs were not so much! We don't know which one to buy since we enjoy all of them! Happy Thanksgiving!
    1. BethAnn, we love Phase Ten, too! We have the cards and the dice version. I think I like the dice version better - I always travel with and a couple of other games like UNO and Dutch Blitz for those moments when we need a boredom buster. :) Thanks for stopping by!
      Reply
  4. One year when I was stumped for what to buy for each of 9 family members, 6 adults and 3 grandchildren, I decided to give money . We would gather at my daughters house to exchange presents a week before Christmas. Not to be boring with money, I went out and bought things like stocking stuffers , 5 small gifts that was useful to each. I then preceded to withdraw a hundred dollars per person broken down in 5 different bills per 100.00. I folded each bill and taped it to the gifts . I then purchased 9 gift bags and filled each with their name on it. It was a fun time seeing each one hunting for their hundred dollars. I had purchased 18 scratch-off and the young ones had a ball with that. It's something you can only do once but it was fun and a great night with my children.
    Reply
  5. Hi. I found a picture on pinterest of a plate that had penguin s made from finger prints. I was wondering what type of paint was used and if you let it out to dry.
    Reply
  6. If you're looking for books for Christmas and looking to be frugal, always check bookfinder.com. They will have them listed cheapest to most expensive, with two rows - one of new books and one of used books. They include shipping in the prices. I always check there before I buy a book.
    Reply

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