Creative Cost Cutting for Eid Shopping
As a growing homeschool family of 3 daughters ages 9, 8 and 6 year old, with Ramadan just days away, we already begun our shopping for decorations, clothes, foods, etc. When asked how could we cut costs for holiday shopping, we just began to think how do we holiday shop–period. Below are some frugal, fun, creative, and very personalized gifts and decorations that we do during this blessed time of year:
- Our Kids’ Gifts For Others: This is a perfect time when we go through all their art work that has been piling up all year, and start determining which ones will be sent to which family member as gifts. The girls personalize each art project, sign and date them, then decorate fancy envelopes as well.
- This is my attempt to keep our closets and shelves from overflowing with all the “you-must-keep-this-I-made-it-for-YOU-Mommy” hand-made home-made gifts. Fortunately, my parents (now, just Daddy) and my one sister (aka “Super Auntie”) actually frame their work and hang it up in their homes. Therefore, I always explain that their art work lives longer as gifts for others, rather then in Mama & Baba’s file cabinets. This is Mama’s persuasion at its best
- Because my family is non-Muslim, this serves as an act of dawaa (introduction to Islam) by educating them of our lifestyle and way of life. So, my girls take great pride in gift-making and gift-giving.
- Cards – Since they can pick up a crayon, we’ve been making home-made cards. We started with easy construction paper, and now as they grow older we’ve graduated to more scrapbooking materials.
- This is my attempt to keep our closets and shelves from overflowing with all the “you-must-keep-this-I-made-it-for-YOU-Mommy” hand-made home-made gifts. Fortunately, my parents (now, just Daddy) and my one sister (aka “Super Auntie”) actually frame their work and hang it up in their homes. Therefore, I always explain that their art work lives longer as gifts for others, rather then in Mama & Baba’s file cabinets. This is Mama’s persuasion at its best
- Clothing Gifts For Our Kids: My girls are shop-o-holics who love a bargain and LOVES clothes. In the past 2 years, they prefer when they search for clothes with me, then they get to wear them for Eid. Shopping is a blessing (for my pocketbook and the joy of family time together) with my girls because they want a deal just as much as I do. They know, with every dollar saved, more dollars to spend on them–like games, toys, accessories, etc.
- Gifts For Our Kids: I take one day off, which hubby watches the girls, and I go on my bargain hunt for books, toys, software, etc. I buy steals and deals, but my goal is to make a “shopping list” for hubby so he can find them online much cheaper. We did this for ice skates, educational games, laptops, etc.
- Eid Clothes: For our Eid Days (since there are only 2 Eids a year), my girls have always worn bridal gowns. Because our girls were flower girls to my sister and brother’s wedding; it only seemed to be a logical excuse to wear gorgeous expensive dresses again. After all the hadith says “wear your best clothes…not ‘new’”. In keeping with the theme, we look at Bridal dress shops online, discount stores like Burlington Coat Factory (they have “Cinderella” brand that JCPenny sells for a fraction of the cost), search for clearances, and make sure we get a bargain on bulk shipping costs. It’s about dressing one’s best, and with a little research you can find $100-200 gowns for less than $40! We always accessorize too.
- Food: Because we have a huge breakfast in the morning before our fast and extra huge “break–fast” (get it?) dinner after the fast; we go to the closest metropolitan Arab community (Detroit, MI before and New York City now) and stockpile of wholesale, bulk packages of canned goods (pickles), special spices, specialty foods (e.g. quails). Then for the Eid celebration (3 days for Eid al-Fitr and 4-days for Eid-al-adha) we go to a local livestock or butcher to slaughter our own lamb or goat and stockpile at least a month’s worth of fresh meat, and give at least a third to the poor. Fresh meat–yum! At penny’s a pound–even yummier
- Decorations: Arts & Crafts, Party, Dollar Stores and Department Stores: clearance bins. For “Eid specific” we make our own. There are some online stores available, which I just discovered and may search their close-out bins too. But, every year visitors marvel at our creative, classy, and ingenious decorations. Last, because we’re off-season, we can always buy white lights during after-Christmas sales and store them for our holidays.
Hope this Creative Cost-Cutting Eid Tips help you spend more time with your family, making personalized gifts and memories which will last all our your lifetime rather than resorting to spending hundreds of dollars for the next-best-thing advertised in billboards and TV…which will never satisfy our inner peace and remembrance of Allah (May He be Glorified). We must not succumb to commercialization, and dedicate our actions and intentions to our beloved Creator the Only One Allah (May He Be Glorified).
If you have frugal, fun tips to share, please comment below!
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ain on Wed, 16th Sep 2009 11:59 pm
salam,
great ideas , will apply t to our life here in malaysia.we use to buy all new items on every eid.poor us..thanks, do visit my blog.tq
Ponn Sabra on Fri, 18th Sep 2009 10:36 pm
Wa-alaykum asalam. Enjoy the family fun time spent making your gifts and decorations too! An early Eid Mubarak!
ed hardy on Thu, 22nd Apr 2010 2:47 am
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