Homemade Holiday: Update

I'm embarrassed to say but, here goes. 26 hrs to go before showtime and I have not made 1/8th of what I had hoped. Maybe next year I should start this challenge in OCTOBER! I did make a few awesome gifts (that couldn't be shared because my family reads this. Hi!) but I was really hoping to make them all. That was probably my first mistake. I have four kids. Correction, I have four boisterous boys. Boys that can make a clean and organized room look like a crime scene in 5 minutes flat and to top it off the 4 year old changes his clothes more than Princess Kate will during Christmas at the Buckingham Palace (Did anyone else see that? Kate has something crazy like 20 outfits that she will wear on Christmas day!).

Instead, I leaned on my crutch, http://www.craigslist.org/! We scored big with some of our gifts. We were able to reduce, reuse and recycle and we saved a small fortune in the process! Take a peek at part of our gift stash...

-Bubble mower, new in the box for $10. Saved $19.99
-80/800mm Telescope with a pro guide to constellations and the original box $25. Saved $195
-Tech Deck Skate board lot (4 ramps and 16 boards) $20. Saved ~$80
-Groovy Girls doll house with accessories and 6 dolls $25. Saved $150
-Jr. Golf Clubs (two sets) with bags $60. Saved $180

Total savings: $625

$$ CHA-CHING!!!!!! $$

The gifts that I did make could have been purchased on Etsy at $150 each. Thanks to an awesome friend with a Cricut and some extra frames that we had around the house, we didn't spend a dime! I'm not going to lie though, I spent endless hours making them, neglecting my kids, and there were multiple remakes. But, I love the end product and hope the recipients do too! Savings on three: $450.

Do you have some last minute shopping to do? Check your local http://www.craigslist.org/, you never know what you might find!

Merry Christmas to my favorite GTRooties!