Quick Tip: Recycled Card Holders

My kids love Wrigley's gum...I love the little plastic containers that they come in.   They are so handy once the gum is finished....

Remove the paper after the gum is gone, and you can fill them with flashcards, playing cards, Pokemon cards, Baseball Cards whatever.   (And yes, it would take at least two of these to hold an UNO deck, but you get the idea).

Unfortunately, they don't quite fit index cards, but these are great for everything else.  They stack really nicely too, and hold up well if thrown in a purse or totebag (unlike the packages the cards originally came in).

Your cards may smell like peppermint afterwards if you don't wash them very well, but the kids I tutor now consider this a perk, not a problem.  They love the minty smelling game cards I have. 

(This post is not sponsored by Wrigleys or Uno.   All opinions are my own).

Do You Hate Easter Grass?

Do you hate Easter grass...with a passion? Were you still de-tangling the stuff from your vacuum for months after Easter last year? 

(That pic above affiliate links to Amazon, 

where you can buy the cursed stuff if you want...

but seriously, don't do it!   That stuff is AWFUL!!).

Do you want a a better alternative?  Well, one day in March  I stumbled onto a brilliant solution!   Do you see the basket below?  Does that look like Easter grass?  Well, it's not! 

That grass is made from this....

Yep, a fuzzy green wig is GREAT for alternative Easter grass.  I picked up mine on sale right after St. Patrick's day.  It doesn't get all over your house, and it can be re-used year after year too!

Plus, my kids loved playing with the wigs afterwards.

BONUS POINTS FOR COOLNESS!

If you can't find one at your local store, you can also get one online.

(Yes, that's an affiliate link which earns me money if you buy through that...but seriously, those after St. Patties sales are great...try there first!)

This is so far my favorite Easter grass alternative, but if it's not for you,
another fun idea I've seen is growing your own, real, live Easter grass.   It's a little more challenging, but also practically free and sounds fun.

Pinnable Image Below...

Shared on Friday Funnies, Flops and Fails, and Little's Learning Link Up and Throwback Thursday.

5 Things to Buy at After-Christmas Sales

I love after Christmas sales.  They can offer some of the best prices of the year on a day where I rarely have any holiday plans, and I love that I don't have to get up at 5 am to take advantage of them.  Here are some of my favorite things to get on December 26th.


1.  Holiday Decor and Gift Wrap
I buy nearly all of our holiday decor on December 26th.  Holiday items will be 50% off or MORE, so it's really the perfect time to shop for it.   Since all of this year's decor is still up, its a great time to assess what you would like to change, replace, or improve on for next year, and get all that shopped for before you pack it away in January.

But don't just think of things for next Christmas.  Consider other upcoming holidays.   Usually packs of plain red, white, and green Christmas tissue will be on sale with the rest of the Christmas wrap, which can be used for Valentines and St. Patrick's day too!   I stock up on that stuff this time of year.  Look also for sparkly wrap in gold or silver that could work for birthday wrapping paper, and if you have a little girl that loves Elsa, snatch up anything with silvery or sparkly blue snowflakes for future gift wrapping (as well as snowflake garlands and ornaments and even tinsel for Frozen party decor!)  


2. Holiday Candy
Candy tastes as good no matter what it is wrapped in, so I sometimes buy a few "after Christmas" treats...as well as some candy for New Year's parties, where  "Christmas Specific" designs are still acceptable.   Last year I found several candy items that were easy to repurpose for other February and March parties.  Warning, while Chocolate items should be good til Valentines if stored in a cool dry place, they may not last until St. Patrick's and definitely aren't worth saving until easter.  Hard candy, however, can be saved for much longer (though I wouldn't stash it away for next year).  Look for red and green plastic or tin candy boxes with easy to remove "holiday" overwrap, or bags of candy where the only holiday markings are on the outer bag (like the Cherry Cordial Kisses Wrapped in Pink Foil, included in the Christmas candy sale because they had snowflakes on the outer bag).   And, there's several brands of holiday candy in plain red and green foil wrappers, which can be sorted out for Valentines and St. Patrick's day.   You can also find fun cartoon character and movie themed stocking stuffer candy tins on sale even without holiday markings, which I'm saving for Easter Baskets (or you can eat the candy now and refill at easter if its soft candy). It's a good idea to consider what candy needs you might have for homeschool projects.  This is a good time of the year to stock up for gumdrops for candy molecules at co-op, and things like that. 

3.  Gifts For Easter Baskets and Upcoming Birthdays
There are lots of stocking stuffers which are un-Christmassy enough to use as party favors or Easter basket  filler (especially Cartoon Character and Movie themed items).  And while toys and gifts may be a little picked over you can still find some great buys on Dec 26th Sales.  Don't forget to shop online too--there's some amazing online sales this time of year.  

4.  Next Year's Holiday Outfits
It's a little risky trying to predict what size your kids will be next Christmas (especially with very small children), but things like Christmas sweaters tend to be a little more forgiving if you guess larger, and if you have a larger family buying a few extra sizes to hand down doesn't hurt.

5.  Christmas Cards
I admit I haven't sent Christmas cards for several years now, but back when I did I ALWAYS bought them a year ahead for half off or more.

What are your favorite things to buy December 26th?