#christmas budget

[manicpixxiedreambitch]

Hey guys just a heads up since it’s getting closer to Christmas season,

Handmade gifts mean just as much, if not more. Thrifting gifts can also be great depending on the person and the object. Pick a craft or hobby you’re good at and work with it.

Some things you could do:

Paint custom Christmas ornaments for everyone

Knit or crochet something

Sew something

Make bracelets and necklaces

Bake sweet treats

Write everyone a poem

Paint or sketch pictures for everyone

Make candles

Make little scrapbooks

Decorate a purse

Frame a picture with some dried flowers

Write a letter

Annotate a book

Thrift a mug and pair it with some fluffy socks and a warm drink mix

If anyone needs DIY gift ideas that can be relatively cheap let me know! I know how hard it is to afford things these days!

[icecreamnstickyfingers]

9 Simple Ways to Prevent Overspending at Christmas

[investing-diva]

A Strategic Christmas Budgeting Guide

The festive season is upon us, and as an Investing Diva, it’s time to infuse the magic of Christmas into our lives while keeping a watchful eye on our financial goals. In this guide, we’ll explore savvy Christmas planning, ensuring your budget sparkles as brightly as the holiday lights. 🎄✨ 1. Setting the Scene: Before diving into the holiday whirlwind, take a moment to envision your ideal…

[bizadvisor]

Don't overspend this Christmas | By adding items for free shipping!

[ancient-art-of-craft]

I go to a crafting faire. I see a stand with knitwork. I approach. To prove I am not like the other plebians, I flip it over.

I compliment the floats. I ask if they blocked it.

The woman is suitably impressed. She sees I am like her. We talk about the wool blend for a couple of minutes, and I buy nothing.

[bettsfic]

this movie broke me. i have a headache from crying. i've been dissociating for 2 hours. i got fried chicken on my way home and i don't remember it. 5 stars.

[stormesandshowersparttwo]

"it's gonna be a tight month" I say looking over my finances as if every month isn't a tight month

[princeloww]

does anyone else LOVE giving gifts like i actually get physically excited thinking about it and planning it and putting everything together and making little lists of what people like

my friends are doing secret santa this year and im literally giddy reading my person's wishlist im SO excited especially when its budget gifting like hell yes I'll go around every charity shop and buy the hell out of every shark i see

[alicenpai]

CHARM COMMISSIONS are now live!! INFO HERE

Please don't hesitate to ask if you have questions 😫👍

not first come first serve so take your time!

[backlikeineverleft]

pre and post fill feels 🥰🥰🥰

[nostalgic-manatee]

Could you draw Annie in her winter outfit from Saint Nicholas?

Didn't expect such an underrated character for an ask, but this was fun! Man, I love colours

[bottomless-fries]

the temptation to take off work and just smoke and eat all day… 😮‍💨

[navybrat817]

Trying to budget and trying to save and trying to get Christmas gifts. 😭

No? Just me, lovelies?

[radagon-in-eldentale]

🎄Merry Christmas🎄

You can put an angel and a star on the top of the tree at the same time🎄🌟

Merry Christmas!

Have a beautiful night!

[dreamersbcll]

I know it's early for Christmas, BUT i was thinking that it could be nice to have a story where the core 4 celebrates Christmas a lot earlier because since sam left, tara refused to have anything to do with that holiday and so this is sort of a reapay for all the the christmases she missed

“Sixteenth”

(a little break from whump. happy sunday!)

—————————————————————————-

“Okay, now smile!”

Sam grinned widely at the camera, squinting a bit as the flash obscured her version. Her baby sister, well, her twenty-one-year-old sister, sat on her lap, beaming at the lens, her eyes twitching a bit.

They had been taking pictures for at least twenty minutes now, Chad dancing around in his stupid fuzzy sweater in the background, Mindy taking the photos. It was their “new tradition,” as Mindy claimed.

She wasn’t stupid. Sam knows that this was an attempt by the twins to give the sisters what they yearned for most: time. So the minute after they got home from their Halloween movie marathon at the Carpenter’s, the twins got to work. Mindy was the mastermind, Chad the muscle. Together, they proposed a plan, Operation Carpenter Christmas!

First was the matching Christmas sweaters, then the stocking-making session, and now the cheesy, 90s-inspired Christmas photo shoot. Tara refused to take solo photos, only allowing herself to be in pictures where she could cling to Sam. Various images of Sam holding Tara like a baby, a Step Brothers homage, and now, Sam holding Tara on her lap on the stool.

It was silly. It was only November sixteenth, for crying out loud. Sam was hardly in the mood for Thanksgiving turkey, much less evergreen trees. But here she was, holding Tara to her lap, smiling at the shaky camerawork of Mindy Meeks-Martin.

Squeezing Tara's shoulder again, Sam leaned in, resting her chin against Tara’s back. “You okay, my sweet girl?” she whispered, her breath tickling the back of her little sister’s neck.

Tara squeaked in response but leaned into Sam’s touch. “I’m okay. Focus, Sam. We haven’t even finished the stool photos.”

Rolling her eyes, Sam pulled back and straightened up.

“Okay, no more chattering ladies. It’s time for gift-giving pictures!” Mindy crowed, Chad clapping enthusiastically in agreement.

Sighing, Sam plastered on a smile. It was only the sixteenth of November. This was ridiculous.

Yet she still smiled with suppressed joy at Tara’s reaction to the photos.

And so what if she bought a tiny picture for her wallet?

It wasn’t Christmas yet.

——

Staring at the scene before her, Sam shook her head. “Nope. I can’t ice skate. This is ridiculous.”

They were at an ice rink, the only one open to the public for free in the city. It was a dinky rink, the lights half on, the music perpetually being eighties pop hits. But Sam couldn’t deny the excitement that fizzled from her sister or how she felt a little bit excited at the prospect of making new memories with Tara.

But ice skating? Come on. She thought she dodged a bullet when she vetoed an ugly sweater-wearing contest, but she underestimated Mindy’s sly smile.

So here she was, staring at a couple of amateur skaters stumbling out on the ice. It was her turn next to make a fool of herself.

Tara rolled her eyes back, tugging at Sam’s hand. “Nuh-uh. We’re gonna go ice skating. Besides, we can’t be worse than Chad, right?” she chirped, giving Sam lethal puppy eyes.

Blowing a piece of hair out of her eyes, Sam groaned. “Fine. Let's go,”

Now if she were to say they were incredible, natural-born skaters, she would be a damn liar. But surprisingly, if they held onto each other just tight enough, they could stay upright. When Tara stumbled to the left, Sam veered right, and so forth. They barely went faster than a snail, yet they did better than the twins.

Chad kept slipping, falling backward onto his ass like a cartoon character. Mindy laughed every time until she fell right on top of him. Sam doesn’t think they even made two laps around the rink before they left.

Sam had to grudgingly admit that this activity was rewarding. Seeing Tara concentrate hard, her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth, Sam knew what love was. She may not have been good at it or good at staying around to find out what love was, but here, she knew that she craved it like no other drug she had ever ingested.

Discreetly, on one of the rare occasions where Mindy stayed upright for more than two seconds, she took many photos of the sisters skating together.

Her favorite one was Sam falling, taking Tara down with her, the two toppling on one another. She especially adored how Sam checked Tara over for any bruises and kissed her face all over.

Mindy knew her plan was working. She was slowly wiping away all the tears. Tara didn’t have a big sister at Christmas, no matter how much she wrote to Santa or prayed to God. It wouldn’t fix everything, but it damn well would make up for lost time.

November was just as magical as the Christmas season itself.

——

After three cups of hot chocolate and about seventeen cookies, Tara was out cold on Sam’s lap, snoring softly. They had just finished the Polar Express, and the ending knocked Chad and Tara out cold.

Mindy was searching through the Christmas movies on the floor, looking for her favorite, It’s a Wonderful Life. Coincidentally, it was Tara’s favorite as well—pretentious little shits.

Looking down, Sam gazed fondly upon her sleeping sister. Tara was snoring quietly, her eyelids fluttering slightly. Her head was firmly in Sam’s lap, her hands wrapped around her big sister’s thighs, anchoring herself to Sam. Though they were both in matching, sweltering flannel pajamas, Tara still held on. It was wondrous how such a precious thing could love Sam despite her flaws.

“I love you, baby. Merry Christmas,” Sam whispered, tucking one of Tara’s wild locks of hair behind her ear.

Sam was startled at the sudden squeal that came from Mindy. The girl was smiling wide with a shit-eating grin. There, Sam realized her mistake.

“Hey. Quiet. She’s sleeping,” Sam shushed, frowning at the noise.

Mindy just shook her head, laughing to herself. “You said Christmas! I knew this would work!” she crowed, pumping a fist of victory in the air.

Shaking her head, Sam flipped off the gleeful girl with her free hand. “Fuck you. It’s still November sixteenth, weirdo,” she hissed.

The girl shrugged. “All the more reason to celebrate. Man, we’re gonna be so ready for the actual holiday!”

Sam snorted, waving the girl off.

Wait.

“There’s more?”

Mindy’s laughter could be heard from thousands of miles away, probably even the North Pole.

Whatever.

[cyberphuck]

I was going to work on something sensible tonight— I’ve got one more art prompt to do (thanks for being a trooper, Avocado), December’s postcard needs to be brainstormed and thumbnailed, the P8reon could use a new icon— but I worked on this for two hours instead. I’m rapidly coming up against vanilla Procraete’s limitations when it comes to making animations, but I don’t wanna take the plunge on Procreate Dreams or any other paid animating app just yet. (Also it probably doesn’t help that I’m learning animation the same way I’ve learned everything else in my life, by doing it without any instruction or guidance whatsoever.)

Anyway, this piece is pointed directly at @satans-codpiece .

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