Have you ever ran around at the last minute, looking for gifts, only to end up buying something you really don’t want at a price that is far more than you intended to spend? Holidays don’t have to be expensive. You can make gifts, of course, but if you want to buy them, here are a few suggestions for saving money.
- Make a list.
It’s always convenient to make a list of all the people that you will be giving a gift to. Make sure you know what their interests are so you get a gift that they will appreciate. It will make it special for them and for you. (If you are looking for fun gifts for kids, check out my 2020 Holiday Gift Guide for infants-teens) - Buy in advance.
Don’t wait until the last minute to go Christmas shopping because you’ll end up paying high prices for stuff you don’t even like. This happens especially with popular toys each year. If you decide to go a local mall, make sure you do it during the first two weeks of November. You’ll avoid the majority of Christmas shoppers and you are guaranteed to find what you’re looking for at lower prices. - Take advantage of online pre-Christmas Sales.
Most stores offer deep online discounts (up to 70%) on toys, clothing, accessories, gifts, candles, and more before Christmas during the months of October and November. They even offer Free Shipping with your order. - Buy from the comfort of your home.
Every year, more people buy online to save time and money. By buying online, you’ll be able to see every item on every gift category you’re interested in without the hassle of searching a whole store or waiting in long lines, only to find out that what you’re looking for is not available or is overpriced. You’ll also receive the items you purchased early, giving you time to wrap them in advance.
Be sure to follow me on LiketoKNOWit for more holiday gift ideas!
Love of impromptu dance parties, 80’s cartoons, and horizontal life pauses (aka naps); Natasha Brown is a stay at home mom of 4 kids, and wife to one lucky guy! In her spare time, she is co-editor of Grits & Grace, as well as editor for The Mother Hustler Blog and Creative Director for the Mother Hustler podcast.
![Circe by Madeline Miller is a wildly original, beautifully written novel about Circe, a goddess of magic or sometimes a nymph, witch, enchantress or sorceress in Greek mythology. My love of modern mythological adaptions should be evident by now. I've enjoyed the many stories released this year with this very theme, I'm so excited to constantly bring you more recommendations. In my opinion, Circe far surpasses Song of Achilles, which was a tough act to follow. Miller will surely become remembered as one of the literary greats. She has managed to take a classic story, and weave an entirely new legend into the tale while keeping its original mythos. Miller managed to cultivate a desire in this reader to keep reading, despite other demands. The anticipation and satisfaction of finally finding a true unputdownable book were amazing. Read on to find out why. About Circe In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child--not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power--the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves. Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most famous figures in all of the mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily Odysseus. But there is a danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love. My Review of Circe: I finished reading Circe in a day and a half. As soon as I began reading Friday night, I had to force myself to finally put it down and go to sleep. I was disappointed I had to go to sleep. Let that sink in. As a background character, there is not much written on Circe. The literature that is available on the character paints Circe as an evil, ruthless witch. Circe the book is not completely contradictory to everything you've read regarding the character. Good or bad, Miller paints an intimate portrait of Circe, allowing us to create a truly complete vision of this mythological woman. Circe is likable and human, not the cruel, sorceress or enchantress we know from Greek Homer's Odyssey. Working within the constraints of the original text, Circe shines a light on the story of a woman, we were so sure we knew. Circe's joy and loneliness of independence mirror my own, another reason I felt a relation to the character. Miller's empathetic character Circe was met with various obstacles and characters blocking her path throughout the novel, but the anticipation of reading on until the end was well worth it. (Don't worry I won't give any spoilers.) Circe is a beautifully complex character, full of flaws and guilt like us. Miller does an amazing job at painting all of the characters as that: contradictory and flawed. Jason may be beautiful and strong, but he is also “lost in the details of his own legend” Hermes is all very well as a lover, as long as one doesn’t ever commit the sin of being dull Odysseus is “lawyer and bard and crossroads charlatan at once”...“He showed me his scars and in return let me pretend that I had none.” Circe bridges [wo]man and myth perfectly to create a well-rounded plot, beautiful prose. The pure anticipation I felt reading this book, Feel free to check out Madeline Miller's other books: Song of Achilles Circe This post contains affiliate links. Any purchase you make will allow me to buy more books. See disclosure for more.](https://i0.wp.com/www.gritsngrace.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018-04-23-11.42.05-1.jpg?resize=450%2C340&ssl=1)
