ChristmasShopping posts

If you're the one who's hosting a holiday party or the family dinner this Christmas, there's enough stress on the menu without the worry of what it's going to do to the budget.

Here are six ways to save on holiday entertaining, without being obvious about it and without compromising on quality.

The holiday season is in full swing. The mall halls are attractively bedecked, television commercials tout gift-worthy wares and internet ads show off the latest electronic gadgets.

For many, Christmas means gritting your teeth and maxing out the credit card, but it doesn't have to be that way if you follow these top ten tips for saving on holiday shopping.

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If you're like many Canadians, all you want for Christmas is a free flight home – or someplace hot – for the holidays.
But try as you might, you can't find a way to redeem all those frequent flyer miles or other travel rewards points that you have accumulated through credit card purchases because of restrictions imposed by the airlines and other factors.
The mystery has remained unsolved for years. Well, there is a way, says Patrick Sojka, founder of Calgary-based Rewardscanada.ca.

It's great fun stuffing a Christmas stocking, especially when you're doing it for a child.


You can save on fun stocking stuffers for your kids by checking out the great assortment of items at the dollar store.

Candy - There are lots of Christmas candy treats to choose from, including Hersey's chocolate covered marshmallow snowmen, a small gingerbread house tin filled with candy (it's also a coin bank) and a Winnie The Pooh egg with a toy inside. If your kid likes Mario Brothers, you can get a Klik Candy Dispenser featuring Yoshi or Mario, too. A large hollow German chocolate Santa is $2.

Other food items I've seen include chocolate chip cookies in colorful large iced Christmas tins and large iced Christmas cookies for a buck each.

Toys - You can always get small stuffed toys to sit in the top of the Christmas stocking. There are some really cute Christmas characters available or you can opt for something that will be played with long after Christmas has passed. There are usually small dolls available and I saw something called Squisy Dinos for $1.25 each.

Holiday party season is heating up and you don't want to go empty handed when you're invited to one. Still, the holiday budget is getting stretched pretty thin, so what to do?

Not to worry, you can still wow your hostess with these gifts from the dollar store.

Two wine glasses, cocktail napkins and chocolates or fancy cookies on a tray, makes a lovely and useful gift for a host or hostess. Add a shiny ornament, if you wish, to add a little holiday sparkle and cover with basket wrap.

If you usually buy assorted nuts in the shell at Christmas time, put some in a small shallow rectangular bowl with nut cracker on top. Use a patterned candy bag to wrap and voila! It's compact and party-ready.

You've probably already got your kids' wish lists in front of you and you're not going to find any of those toys at the dollar store. Fair enough. What you will find at the dollar store are lots of neat things for stuffing stockings and gift exchanges between kids at school. There are a lot of gift ideas for kids at the dollar store.

Dollarama has a wide variety of craft kits like Paint Your House, stained glass, foam friends, bracelet making or bead necklace sets that are just $2 each. You can also get Mosaic by Numbers, or a modeling clay set that comes with plastic cookie cutters and a plastic rolling pin, also $2.

Yeah, men are hard to buy for. They want high-end electronics or other expensive hardware and offer little or no help when asked what they would like for Christmas beyond those things. Still, you don't need to spend a lot to give meaningful presents to the men in your life. Here's how you can find gifts for him at the dollar store.

Dollarama has Ivy and Castle personal grooming items for men. You can get body wash, soap-on-a-rope, after shave or shampoo for $2 each. Choose, two, three or all four to pop into a gift bag.

Does Dad collect stamps? I espied some large stamp albums in plastic sleeves for only two bucks each at Dollarama. They are from previous years, but what does that matter if you're a collector?

This holiday season, give more but spend less. Get everything you need to pull together great gifts for her from the dollar store. It's easy to personalize each gift to the person it's intended for and give an elegant gift that pretty, practical or yummy.

You can give a single bath set by Ivy & Castle, which contains small bottles of body lotion, shower gel and body spray in a pouch for $2 or combine that with some bath beads for $1.25 and a box of three luxury soaps for $2. Center your gift around two items by the same manufacturer so it will look more polished. For instance, you can get Willows & Bloom body butter and body scrub for $1 each.

If you're doing a spa gift basket, why not add some soothing music? Dollarama has two-disc CDs of classical music favorites for only $2 each. Choose from bath mitts, scented candles or a small picture frame to round out your gift.