Christmas on a Budget

Our budget was a bit tighter for Christmas this year. So, we got creative. Some people got handmade gifts, like bath finger paints for the toddlers and scarves for a couple of the women in the family.

For Landon, we wanted to make this year really special. Even though we didn't have a lot of cash to throw around, we did have a willingness to make it great. You know what? Money doesn't equal great. Thoughtful giving however, always equals great!

We decided to convert our spare room in the basement in to a play room. This room was a hot mess when we started. It was basically a catch all storage room with nasty old carpet. We did this project (and by "we" I mean mostly Scott because I had some nasty sinus crud attach itself to me just days before Christmas) in 3 days. It included clearing the room, ripping out old carpet, removing old nasty window coverings, cleaning, priming and painting everything. It was a ton of work but completely worth it. We still need to choose some wall art but other than that, it was completed last night by 10:30!

This room only cost us $20, which is what we paid for the United States rug. We already had everything else around the house. We were given a couple of really great tower like toys so we set those up and they were new to Landon Christmas morning. He LOVES having his very own play room!

Check out the before and after pictures!