The Nickelodeon contest for a $500 Walmart gift card has come to an end, and it’s time to announce the winner. Before I do, though, I’ll tell you about the process I went through to pick the winner.
I narrowed down the almost 400 entries to 43 of the best posts and comments. I couldn’t possibly narrow it down any further, though, so I used a random number generator to pick the top 10.
The top 10, in order of the random generator number picks, were Patricia Johnson, Tammy Tam, Geoff K., Michelle P., Jaimie, Every Simple Day, Kristy V., Jennifer Short, Patti Sherman, and Julianne.
Using the random number generator again, I picked the winner. And the winner was #10! Julianne, with her post Living more frugally…in a BOX???!!!!!!!!???
I just love this post, because it’s not only creative, it’s right on. All the frugal tips in the world don’t matter, if you’re not willing to change your mindset. In my opinion, this post is a must read. So go read it! And congratulations, Julianne!
Because the rest of the tips were also great, I wanted to give some credit to the rest of the top 10. So here are their tips also.
From Patricia Johnson
Do acts of kindness for others in the name of the person you would normally give a gift to. These acts don’t have to cost anything or you can set a small limit. i.e. shoveling someone’s walk, offering to do a shut-in’s grocery shopping, spending time with someone who may be lonely. Volunteer at a soup kitchen. Little ones can do age-appropriate things, too. The ideas are endless.
Then write down what you did and place it in a little gift box and put that under the tree for each other to open. Make it a contest to see how many gift boxes you can put under the tree. Spend the time on Christmas morning opening up the boxes and reading about the good things that were done in everyone’s name. A regular gift pales in comparison.
From Tammy Tam
First I keep a Christmas cash stash all year in an envelope–I put a little in each pay check. I also keep an updated list of people I am going to buy for and when I see or hear of something I think they will like it goes on the list. I research prices all year (a little at a time) and look for sales/special offers–so I end up buying things through the year if I think I am getting a good deal.
From Geoff K.
Get creative and devise some meaningful homemade gifts — make a personalized CD of someone’s favorite songs (or songs from artists they might enjoy but have never heard before), a video compilation based on the events from the year you captured on film, a heartfelt poem or letter to good friends and family, or cook a great meal for some of your closest friends and relatives to let them know how much they mean to you.
From Michelle P.
For family and friends that live nearby, this year I’m going to make a large pot of soup and take a bowl of it over to them (enough to feed the whole family of course) and give them the gift of a night off of dinner-duty. Soup is a cheap meal to make, and I know any mom would appreciate a night off of making dinner! Just make sure to take it over BEFORE Christmas, so the recipients can really appreciate it during the busy Christmas season. And if they can’t use it that night for dinner, you can let them know that they can freeze it and use it another night when it would be more convenient.
From Jaimie
We save money by giving photo gifts. You can often find GREAT deals, especially for new customers, on photo websites. For example, I purchased the free Oprah photo book from snapfish and I’m VERY happy with it. My mother in law is SURE to cry when she sees pictures of her three year old grandson in a photo story book. I also took advantage of Vista Prints free photo calendar for my mom – for an uploading fee of $4.95 – great deal. A few websites to check out are vistaprint.com, snapfish.com, shutterfly.com, kodakgallery.com, walgreens.com…just to get started. I know Walmart had a free photo book a few weeks ago too. The key is to check often for the new promotions and offers to new customers – they make GREAT, meaningful gifts for a low low price. Just make sure to allow for processing and shipping time when ordering. I haven’t found a gift a grandparent loves better!! And I get a bargain at the same time…
MUCH cheaper than a new purse or perfume and sure to be a bigger hit!
We LOVE Nickolodeon…having a three year old it’s fun to watch shows and remember the shows I loved growing up as well…
Every Simple Day has a fantastic post on how she’s cutting her budget, and what she’s doing with the saved money. It’s a great idea, so head over there to read it!
From Kristy V.
Save money on wrapping paper and gift boxes. Instead of buying gift boxes, use the boxes you receive samples in (WalMart sample boxes are great for this) or boxes that products you buy come in. To save money on wrapping paper, and to save paper, use paper grocery bags and wrap the gift in it, print side in, then use stamps or stickers to decorate the paper. After you are done with the unwrapping, recycle the paper.
From Jennifer Short
Start your Christmas shopping on December 26. Decorations, paper, cards, etc. go on clearance then. In the spring, when winter clothing goes on clearance, buy some for gifts for Christmas — just remember where you store the stuff. Garage sales can even be a treasure of items for gifts. You’d be amazed how many new in box items you can find — still shrink wrapped. Watch for clearance sales through the year, and by Christmas you’ll be ready and your shopping will be done — and for a fraction of what others will spend. One year I bought gifts for 9 family members for $50. No one had any idea I spent that little — original retail price would have been several hundred dollars!
From Patti Sherman
I garage sale all summer long and find great buys for pennies. I buy only new items. Some have been handbags, a wine tote that a bride had received and diodn’t want(worth $60 and bought for $4), stuffed animals with price tags still on them, a set of 12 hand painted wine glasses still in the box and numerous pieces of jewelry. I say ’seek and ye shall find”
Thanks to all who entered! I enjoyed reading each and every one of your posts and comments. You all gave some great holiday tips, and I learned a lot from your wisdom!
And in the interest of full disclosure, I did not receive any payment or other benefits from posting this contest. Nickelodeon and Walmart offered the opportunity, and I thought it would bless someone this Christmas season, so I ran it. Happy Holidays!
Photo by krisdecurtis.
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Susan
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