Holiday Gift Giving: 12 Days of Christmas
As the song says “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” It took me a little more time to get in gear for the Christmas Holidays this year, but the girls Holiday spirit along with the countless Christmas songs is quite contagious! Once again the excitement is building in our house and we are counting down the final days. One of the ways we try to spread out the Holiday Cheer in our house is by doing the 12 Days of Christmas. I used bigger boxes this year so it is actually pretty tall (it’s taller than me….not that I am a giant, ha), but it made it more difficult to get a great picture.
The 12 Days of Christmas allows the girls can open one gift a day for 12 days prior to Christmas. By doing it this way they have the time to enjoy each gift because they get one gift every day versus everything packed into one day! Starting December 13th the girls will be able to open one gift a day with the last one being opened on Christmas Eve. Plus, doing the 12 Days of Christmas motivates me to wrap some gifts early so I am not up late the day before Christmas trying to get all the wrapping completed, instead I can relax and go to bed at a decent time!
Some years I keep the cost to under $20 total, including boxes and wrapping paper, while other years we add their main gifts to this stack. Most of the gifts were bought on clearance, using coupons, or at discount over the past year. We did a joint stack for both of our girls again this year, although you can choose to do a stack for each person. You can chose to do whatever works best for your family.
In the past I have shared the items that I put into their 12 Days of Christmas packages, however, it is not possible to do that this year. Mainly because the girls are fluent readers AND they are frequent readers of my blog (wink…wink)! So in order to keep their gifts a secret I will not be able to spill-the-beans on the contents of the packages. I would be happy to share the list of the items I put into their boxes if you send me a message and promise not to tell my kids (shhhh….it’ll be our secret). I just cannot post publicly what is in each box. I have compiled a list of ideas on items that work well in the 12 Days of Christmas packages to get you started!
Ideas for 12 Days of Christmas:
- CDs
- Hair Accessories
- Make Up
- Socks or Tights
- Chapstick
- Socks
- Gloves or Scarf
- Card Game
- Construction Paper
- Markers or Crayons
- Matchbox cars
- Small Toys
- Baby Doll Clothes
- Christmas Underwear
- Shoes
- Slippers
- Books
- Clothes
- Pajamas
- Popcorn Tin
- Mix Nuts
- Sweet Treats
- Christmas Ornaments
- Crafts
- Games
- Gift Cards
- The ideas are endless! 🙂
I wrapped the items in the original boxes or found boxes around the house to put the items into. The Christmas paper was purchased on clearance and I used a coupon. Many of the items we purchased on clearance throughout the year and / or used CVS – ECBs and Walgreens – Register Rewards, Swagbucks Gift Cards or Coupons. I cannot remember the price for all the items but with the rewards it very reasonable price for 12 gifts and some days had multiple items in them.
We did a joint stack for our girls to save money, however, the items we picked match their individual interests. The kids recently discovered the 12 Days of Christmas presents wrapped and ready by our tree! I love seeing their faces and hearing their comments when they first see the stack.
If you need some more ideas you can check out our previous 12 Days of Christmas posts for our family over the past few years:
Gift Giving: 12 Days of Christmas Appreciation
12 Days of Christmas Appreciation for my Husband
Last year I did the 12 days of Christmas Appreciation for my husband so this year as I was putting together the 12 Days for the girls I decided to do one with Christmas gifts I had gotten for him. The one I did last year for him had to be small because he was traveling for work several days prior to Christmas, this year he finished most of his traveling in time to start the 12 days of Christmas. I debated back and forth about posting it this year because I know he reads my blog and didn’t want him to know in advance all the goodies I had picked up for him so instead I decided to post it a few days into the 12 days a Christmas and list the items that he has already opened. If you want more details on what I got him or ideas on what to do for your spouse shoot me an email and I can give that to you personally without him seeing it! 🙂
Here is what Jake’s 12 Days of Christmas includes (at least the first few days):
Day 1: Berry Blast & Vanilla Energy Strips (purchased using rewards from CVS & Walgreens)
Day 2: Table Topics – Road Trip To Go Card Game for Upcoming 2013 Family Trips (free after a coupon) 🙂
Day 3: Spinach & Artichoke Dip Mix (free after coupon)
The 12 Days of Christmas started on December 13th (the day he came back from one of his work trips). Every night after dinner he opens his gift for the day. I used a variety of boxes that the items came in or that I had already at the house. Once the boxes were wrapped I put a bow on top and waited for him to come home. He was surprised to see a stack waiting for him to open too.
If you don’t have time to put this together for Christmas consider doing it for Valentine’s Day (for your “sweetheart”), the month of your anniversary, your spouse’s birthday, or another special occasion. The point is to express your love and appreciation for your spouse.
Here’s a picture of the wrapped stacks:
12 Days of Christmas
I am grateful for a loving, caring and hard working man that loves me despite all my craziness. This is just one way to share my love with him during the Christmas Holiday. It was a lot of fun picking out the gifts, wrapping, and giving them to my man. It is my intention to show appreciation to my husband at least once a day. Thankful for an extra opportunity to say “I love you” to my best friend and life partner!
Gift Giving: 12 Days of Christmas
It’s that time of year again…..excitement is building and the countdown to the final days of Christmas draws nearer. This year we decided to spread the Holiday Cheer out at our house this year by doing the 12 Days of Christmas again. I did this last year and the year before; both years it was a huge hit!
Christmas morning can be so busy and this allows an opportunity to spread the fun over 12 days instead of packing everything into one day. Starting December 13th the girls will be able to open one a day with the last one being opened on Christmas Eve. The cost in the previous years was less than $20 total, including boxes and wrapping paper, however, we decided to add their “big” gift to this stack. Most of the gifts were bought on clearance over the past year and their big gift really wasn’t that much because we got a great deal on it. We did a joint stack for both of our girls, although you can choose to do a stack for each person.
12 Days of Christmas
- Day 1: Reindeer Christmas Socks (purchase last year after Christmas on clearance with rewards)
- Day 2: White Christmas Teddy Bear Shaped Soap (purchased last year after Christmas on clearance and with rewards)
- Day 3: “B” and “K” Candy Cane Striped Christmas Ornament for each girl (purchased last year after Christmas on clearance with rewards)
- Day 4: Christmas Stocking Sticker Craft (purchased on clearance with rewards)
- Day 5: Two Colgate Kids Christmas Toothpastes (purchased on clearance with rewards)
- Day 6: Two Christmas Games – Pin the Star on the Tree & Christmas Checkers (purchased on clearance with rewards)
- Day 7: Christmas Bear Pez Dispensers and Pez Candy Packs (purchased with rewards on clearance)
- Day 8: Disney Cars Christmas Spiral Notebooks (purchased on clearance with rewards)
- Day 9: Gingerbread House Kit (purchased on clearance)
- Day 10: Princess and Frosty Hot Chocolate Tins Sets (found on clearance at Kmart and used gift card)
- Day 11: New Winter PJ’s for each to wear (picked up on sale)
- Day 12: New Digital Camera’s (purchased when it was on sale with Swagbucks gift cards)
Their cameras are their “big” items for Christmas this year. Jake and I decided to give them to the girls for the last day of their 12 Days of Christmas so they would have the cameras to use on Christmas Day. The girls are taking more and more pictures these days. The inexpensive, non-English digital cameras that we bought for them several years ago have held up remarkably well. Whenever their cameras are not working over the past several months they were asking to borrow mine to use so we decided to do a little research, save up (including earning Swagbucks) and get them a little better quality cameras this year since they both are showing a big interest in photography and creative writing. The cameras made my typical $20 or less 12 Days of Christmas gifts a little higher this year but since it included their big gift for the Holidays I am okay with that because they will be so excited to start using them. This time around we got the same camera, but in different colors to help keep track whose is whose without putting names on each camera.
Other Ideas for 12 Days of Christmas:
- Hair Accessories
- Facial Cleansers or Make Up – if you have a teenager just starting to wear makeup or want to update your collection my Mary Kay contact is doing a 12 Day of Christmas set! If your husband is looking for something awesome to get you he may want to contact Ann too.
- Socks or Tights
- Chapstick
- Socks
- Gloves or Scarf
- Card Game
- Construction Paper
- Markers or Crayons
- Matchbox cars
- Small Toys
- Baby Doll Clothes
- Christmas Underwear
- The ideas are endless!
I wrapped them in the original boxes or found ones around the house to put the items into. The Christmas paper was purchased on clearance and I used a coupon. Many of the items we purchased on clearance throughout the year and / or used CVS – ECBs and Walgreens – Register Rewards, Swagbucks Gift Cards or Coupons. I cannot remember the price for all the items but with the rewards it very reasonable price for 12 gifts and some days had multiple items in them.
We did a joint stack for our girls to save money, however, the items we picked match their individual interests (for example, the pj’s were themed to match each girls tastes). When the girls walked into the room and saw the stack of gifts they were super excited. Love seeing their faces and hearing their comments when they first see the stack.
Gift Giving: 12 Days of Christmas
This year we decided to spread the Holiday Cheer out at our house this year by doing the 12 Days of Christmas again. I did this last year and it was a huge hit. Christmas morning can be so busy and this allows an opportunity to spread the fun over 12 days instead of packing everything into one day. Starting December 13th the girls will be able to open one a day until Christmas. The cost was less than $20 total, including boxes and wrapping paper. Most of the gifts were bought on clearance over the past year. We did a joint stack for both of our girls, however, you can choose to do a stack for each person.
Here is what our 12 Days of Christmas includes:
- Day 1: Christmas Ornament for each girl (purchased last year after Christmas on clearance with rewards).
- Day 2: Two Music CD’s by Suzi Shelton (received CD’s from doing a review and giveaway)
- Day 3: DVD Veggie Tales (DVD was free, but paid a small fee for shipping)
- Day 4: Two Giant Candy Canes, one Princess and 1 Cars (purchased with rewards)
- Day 5: Two Christmas Coloring Books (purchased on clearance with rewards)
- Day 6: Christmas Craft, painting ornaments (purchased with rewards on clearance)
- Day 7: Christmas Flower and Snowman (purchased with rewards on clearance)
- Day 8: Christmas Book God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa Tawn Bergren (purchased when it was on sale with Swagbucks gift card)
- Day 9: Two Christmas Headbands (purchased with rewards on clearance)
- Day 10: Game (found on clearance at Kmart and used gift card)
- Day 11: Two Hooded Bath Towels (used a coupon and picked them up on Black Friday)
- Day 12: PJs for each to wear Christmas Eve (picked up on sale and used a coupon)
Other Ideas for 12 Days of Christmas:
- Hair Accessories
- Facial Cleansers or Make Up – if you have a teenager just starting to wear makeup or want to update your collection my Mary Kay contact is doing a 12 Day of Christmas set! If your husband is looking for something awesome to get you he may want to contact Ann too.
- Socks or Tights
- Chapstick
- Socks
- Gloves or Scarf
- Card Game
- Construction Paper
- Markers or Crayons
- Matchbox cars
- Small Toys
- Baby Doll Clothes
- Christmas Underwear
- The ideas are endless!
Karlie & Brina excited about their 12 Days of Christmas
I wrapped them in the original boxes or found ones around the house to put the items into. The Christmas paper was purchased on clearance and I used a coupon. Many of the items we purchased on clearance throughout the year and / or used CVS – ECBs and Walgreens – Register Rewards, Swagbucks Gift Cards or Coupons. I cannot remember the price for all the items but with the rewards it may have been under $10 out of pocket for the entire set of 12 gifts and some days had multiple items in them. We did a joint stack for our girls to save money, however, the items we picked match their individual interests (for example the craft with one being princess and the other being cars). When the girls walked into the room and saw the stack of gifts they were super excited.
CVS: Spent $3 and $12 ECB’s Back
Groceries, Household, Baby, Beauty and Gift Items from CVS I went to CVS on my way home from an appointment this week. The CVS had a bunch of cosmetic items marked down 50% to 75% off. I was able to get the items pictured above for $3.16 including tax and received $12.00 ECB’s to use on my next CVS purchase. Today I used some store, manufacturer coupons and ECB’s to help pay for the purchase.
You can get great deals even without clipping a lot of coupons. My receipt shows that as of December 6th I have saved over $2,000 at CVS this year (and I don’t even go every week) so you can do it without investing a lot of time into it or being an extreme couponer that empties the shelves. Over time the savings add up and I have even taken several weeks off here and there while I have been busy or traveling or when our stock pile is full. All of the items I purchased were on sale or clearance. Here is what I purchased this week.
- 1 – Cherry Candy Canes (10 count) for $1.27 (FREE plus overage after ECB’s because the Extra Care Bucks did not print when I checked so I ended up getting $2 ECB’s for this item.)
- 1 – Ali Deep Brown Brow Definer for $1.19 (on clearance for 75% off)
- 3 – Lip Smacker Lip Gloss (Clear) for $2.46 ($0.82 each after 75% off clearance, perfect for stocking stuffers)
- 10 – bottles Confetti Nail Polish for $8.20 ($0.82 each after 75% off clearance, another great stocking stuffer)
- 11 – bottles Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Polish for $9.02 ($0.82 each after 75% off clearance)
- 1 – Sally Hansen Fingernail Clippers for $1.37 (after 75% off clearance)
- 3 – Wet & Wild Mega Silk Glossy Apple for $2.97 ($0.99 each after 75% clearance)
- 1 – Wet & Wild Mega Silk Glossy Berry Burst for $0.99 (after 75% clearance)
- 1 – Wet & Wild Liquid Lip Color Coco for $0.99 (after 75% clearance)
- 1 – Huggies Supreme Diapers Size 1 (40 count) for $9.49 (received a $1.00 ECB)
- 1 – Sara Lee Whole Wheat Bread for $0.57 (on clearance)
- 1 – Sara Lee White Bread for $0.57 (on clearance)
- 4 – American Greetings Cards for (used store and manufacturer coupons and received $3.00 ECBs)
- 1 – Revlon Deluxe Clipper Set for $2.99 (received $6.00 ECBs)
- 1 – Revlon Valupak Emory Boards for $3.59 (received $6.00 ECBs)
Here are the coupons I used on the items.
- Used $5.00 off $20.00 Coupon from CVS Kiosk
- Used $0.99 CVS coupon from Kiosk for a free American Greeting Card
- Used $2.00 manufacturer coupon for American Greeting Card
- Used $3.00 CVS coupon for Huggies
- Used $2.00 manufacturer coupon from Huggies
- Used $1.00 manufacturer coupon from Revlon
- Used $5.00 CVS Beauty Club Reward Coupon
- Used $25.99 CVS ECB’s
I received $12.00 ECB’s back today:
- $6.00 ECB’s for Revlon Products
- $3.00 ECB’s for American Greeting Cards
- $2.00 ECB’s for Candy Canes
- $1.00 ECB’s for Huggies Products
Today I was able to save $109.01 at CVS by purchasing these items and using coupons.
Here are some more up close pictures of the products I was able to pick up.
CVS had a lot of cosmetic items on clearance for 50% to 75% off
Was able to get 2 loaves of Sara Lee Bread for $0.57 each on clearance!
When you shop the CVS sales regularly and have ECB’s that you can roll over toward future purchases the bonus ECB’s start adding up (Green Bag Tags and Beauty Club). As you can see from my shopping trip today you don’t have to purchase a lot to save money when shopping at CVS. Plus you can use the additional ECB’s you receive towards your next purchase. You can pick and chose what is best for your family.
I would love to hear your CVS shopping story for this week! For those of you who shop regularly at CVS please share how you were able to save this week! Although the weekly ad sales are similar every family and situation is different so you may have found items better suited to your household. In your comment please feel free to share a link to your blog article showing us how you were able to save shopping at CVS.
CVS: Spent $3 and Got $11 ECB’s Back!
CVS has a few good deals this week. I was happy to get some items this week for free with ECB’s plus I was able to utilize a few of my coupons. It was nice have a couple weeks off but I am now back into the routine schedule again this week. This week I was able to get the items for $1.25 plus tax ($2.20) making my out of pocket $3.45 and received $10.77 ECB’s to use on my next CVS purchase. Here is what I purchased this week.
- 1 – Bounty Paper Towel Rolls (8 Pack) – $7.99
- 1 – Bic Mini Lighters – $3.19
- 1 – Colgate Smart Foam – $2.77
- 1 – All Small & Mighty Laundry Detergent (40 Loads) – $4.99
- 1 – Gum Ez Thru Dental Floss – $2.00
- 1 – Maybelline Volume Express Mascara – $7.49
- 1 – Right Guard Total Defense Deodorant – $2.99
Here are the coupons I used on the items.
- Used $3.19 BIC Lighter Manufacturer Coupon (Free Product Coupon)
- Used $1.0o All Laundry Detergent Manufacturer Coupon
- Used $3.00 Maybelline Mascara Volume Express CVS Kiosk Coupon
- Used $1.00 Right Guard Manufacturer Coupon
- Used $0.25 Bounty Manufacturer Coupon
- Used $22.73 ECB coupons from prior purchases
I received $10.77 ECB’s back today:
- $2.00 ECB’s for GUM Products (had a rain check from a sale last month)
- $2.00 ECB’s for Maybelline Products
- $2.77 ECB’s for Colgate Toothpaste Products
- $2.00 ECB’s for Bounty Paper Towel Products
- $1.00 ECB’s for Right Guard Products
- $1.00 ECB’s for All Detergent Products
This week I was able to save over $37 at CVS by purchasing these items and using coupons.
When you shop the CVS sales regularly and have ECB’s that you can roll over toward future purchases the bonus ECB’s start adding up (Green Bag Tags and Beauty Club). As you can see from my shopping trip today you don’t have to purchase a lot to save money when shopping at CVS. Plus you can use the additional ECB’s you receive towards your next purchase. You can pick and chose what is best for your family.
I would love to hear your CVS shopping story for this week! For those of you who shop regularly at CVS please share how you were able to save this week! Although the weekly ad sales are similar every family and situation is different so you may have found items better suited to your household. In your comment please feel free to share a link to your blog article showing us how you were able to save shopping at CVS.
CVS: Spent $1 and Got $9 ECB’s Back
This week CVS has a few great deals. I wasn’t able to get to the store until later in the day but was still able to get these two items for $1.09 and received $9 ECB’s to use on my next CVS purchase.
- Revlon Finger Nail Polish – $3.99 with $3.00 ECB’s
- Schick Hydro 5 Razor – $8.79 with $5.00 ECB’s
The total was over $13 with tax before using coupons. Here are the coupons I used on the two items.
- Used $3.00 CVS Coupon from the Kiosk inside the store
- Used $1.00 Revlon Manufacturer Coupon
- Used $2.00 Schick Manufacturer Coupon
- Used $6.58 ECB’s from previous purchase (I had a couple more ECB’s but couldn’t use them because they were worth more than $1 so I will be able to use them on a future purchase along with the $9 I received today). If you use a $2 ECB to pay for $1.09 worth of goods you will not receive the additional $0.91 back so today I decided to pay the $1.09 out of pocket and use my $2 ECB on a future purchase since they weren’t expiring until later in the month.
I received $9 ECB’s back today:
- $3.00 ECB’s for Revlon Purchase
- $5.00 ECB’s for Schick
- $1.00 ECB’s for Green Bag Tag
When you shop the CVS sales regularly and have ECB’s that you can roll over toward future purchases the bonus ECB’s start adding up (Green Bag Tags and Beauty Club). As you can see from my shopping trip today you don’t have to purchase a lot to save money when shopping at CVS. You can pick and chose what is best for your family. I would love to hear your CVS shopping story for this week!
For those of you who shop regularly at CVS please share how you were able to save this week! Although the weekly ad sales are similar every family and situation is different so you may have found items better suited to your household. In your comment please feel free to share a link to your blog article showing us how you were able to save shopping at CVS.
CVS Savings: Join the Beauty Club & Earn ECB’s
Another way to earn a few extra ECB’s if you go to CVS frequently is to join their Extra Care Beauty Club.
- 10% Off Beauty Shopping Pass after Enrollment
- $5 ExtraBucks Rewards (ECB’s) for every $50 you spend on qualifying* beauty purchases.
- $3 ExtraBucks Rewards on your Birthday.
*The qualifying Beauty purchases include items from the following categories: Cosmetics, Ethnic Hair Care, Fragrances, Hair Accessories, Hair Appliances, Hair Care, Hair Color, Healthy Skin Care, Hosiery, Skin Care and Sun Care. Excludes items from Beauty 360, items from Trial & Travel, gift cards and prescriptions.
How to sign up? It is pretty simple, there are two ways you can sign up!
- Ask the clerk at the store before, during, or after check out. It is as easy as them scanning your Rewards Card and the Beauty Club code. Within seconds you are ready to start earning bonus ECB’s.
- You can sign up online at CVS
I have recently signed up for the Beauty Club after a friend reminded me of its benefits. I have received my 10% off Beauty Shopping pass (it printed out on my receipt), but not any of the bonus ECB’s yet. Since the Beauty Club covers a lot of items in the store that are frequently on sale or have ECB’s I don’t think it will take long before earning a few bonus ECB’s.
CVS Savings: Use Your “Green Bag Tag” & Earn ECB’s
You can earn bonus ECB’s (Extra Care Bucks) by purchasing the Green Bag Tag. If you go to CVS regularly you should consider getting it.
- It costs $0.99 to buy the tag (I used an ECB to buy it a couple months ago).
- The Green Bag Tag is scanned when you check out and you earn ECB’s for using it.
- Every 4th visit to CVS that you bring and scan your Green Tag you will earn $1 ECB.
How to sign up?
- Ask the clerk at the store for a Green Bag Tag. When you purchase the Green Bag Tag with your Rewards Card it becomes linked to your account so you can get the bonus ECB’s every time you use it.
I have a reusable CVS bag in the van with the Green tag attached to it so I can quickly grab it when I head into the store. The Green Tag can be scanned any time after scanning your first item (unlike your Rewards Card that can be scanned before any items). Always make sure that they scan it, sometimes new employees are not aware of it. Also, double check on your receipt to make sure it is updated with your recent Green Bag Tag use. Each receipt will show you how many total Green Bag Tags you have used and how many more you need to get your next bonus ECB. Even though I have only had it a couple months I have been able to earn $4 extra ECB’s using the Green Bag Tag. At one time (several months ago) they offered it free after ECB’s but even if you have to pay the $0.99 to get it the Green Bag Tag will pay for itself pretty quickly.
