We are so broke...

I sooooo Feel you on the money issue. Thank god, I have no children right now or else I'd be in your exact same boat. I do not know of any websites, but I have a few suggestions.... My boyfriend and I are on food stamps..... do you qualify for them... you should with that many children and a limited income.... Go to your local office and see. We get like $90 a month for just us, but that frees up that money for other bills. Times are tough now... we just gotta get tougher. Have you tried christmas angels or toys for tots? Those are programs where a person, weather an other child or an adult chooses a name off a tree or an age and gender of the child and buys a gift. The angel trees usually gets 1 gift per child... usually about $10 or so...... The toys for tots, I think just gets a few gifts of small value like $5 and under or something. It's something though..... When I was in the student social work program we took a list of children in our community who otherwise would not get a christmas present and did shoe box presents..... we filled shoe boxes... to the brim with coloring books, crayons, clue, markers, hygiene products, socks, underwear and other items for them and wrapped each box. It was fun and very appreciated. You might look into some of the community organizations and see if anyone is doing a similar program. Lots of times churches in the areas do this type of thing. Also... do you recycle? If not... save cans from pop.. you can even help clean up your area by picking them up off the side of the road and such. we save all of ours and always make about $60 or so when we turn them all in. Just a suggestion. I know it's hard. I am in so much debt right now that it isn't even funny. I am slowly paying it off, but unemployment only goes so far.... I wish you luck......

i feel for you! do not worry because a lot of people are going through this right now - including me! Although I am still single, I still help out with the expenses back home. I do a lot of online work- mainly designing. I have just joined an online greeting card company and have sold a few cards, pay out takes a while though but the excitement of actually selling something that I made is great! if you have a blog or website you can link my store(on my profile) and earn about $1 or 50 cents per card sold :) this will help me too. or if not this maybe you can make your own designs :) i've read a lot of success stories over there and I am hoping that I will be the next to write one :) good luck to you and I wish that your kids will have a great Christmas :)

ust sign in into size of paper which is really nice..if you possibly can,in the referral column just give my name thats more than enough for me..this name is the same for me over there also..i hope you could achieve your feat in the site and hope to see you over there..happy mylotting..

I'm so sorry that you're having such a hard time, and especially at Christmas. Someone mentioned Toys for Tots in another response and you indicated that you didn't know how to contact them. Here is a link to their website. From there you will be able to find contact information for your area. http://www.toysfortots.org/request_toys/default.asp Have you contacted any of the churches in your area? My church collects new toys and non-perishable food for the needy during the holidays so make some calls if you haven't already. If they can't help you they might know someone who can...the more you reach out the more you might be able to find. I know that times are rough but I have never heard of a community outreach program who's goal is to give children gifts at Christmas, actually turning children away. It would seem to me that they could give a little less to each child so that every child could at least have something.

It may be a little harder to solicit family and friends but you could always send either an email, letters or call to say that you guys are really having a hard time this year. Ask if they would be willing to "sponsor" your kids for Christmas. If you live in an apartment complex or subdivision you could also solicit your neighbors. Many people would rather give to a person that they know rather than a stranger or organization. But they often don't want to ask you if you need the help. Since you don't belong to a church, you may know someone that is. Most churches will help you if a member tells them of a family in need. Check your local newspaper for Christmas parties for needy children. You can also probally call your city hall or local government to see if they have anything that you can get. Your case worker for DFACS may also be able to refer you to organizations or charities. You can also check craigslist.org for free stuff that you may be able to use. Also the items that you have for sale you can post for free. For the child that is in school, you could ask the school if they have any time of program, usually the public schools have something in most areas. The school counselor could help you, or maybe refer you to some type of program. I sponsor a bike give away for a couple of schools each year. I normally solicit the names of the needy children from the counselors. As far as the outreach and charities go, they can only give what they have. You have to realize that these organizations like others are feeling the weight of the economy as well. This year more families are in need and there is only so much to go around.

When I went to walmart today there were 3 different organizations colecting toys for tots. I am thinking Salvation Army might be a good place to go check how to recieve help. This is a year like no other. I am unable to buy for anyone in my famils. So My Son and My Mom and Teenage Grandchildren are the only ones recieving a gift and they will all be made by me. I have a craft business and make crochet beanies and simi precious jewlery. These are not shabby gifts by no means. I have seen on the news that more people are going to make gifts this year. We are in a serious mess with the economy and people loosing their jobs. I am disabled and on a small fixed income. Things are seriously tough for a whole lot of people this year. Honestly I do not know about making money quickly. I have tried several of those sites you mentioned and never reached payout. Unless you hurry and try to get a part time job for the holiday season, I have no ideas, sorry.

Check with your local united states marine recruiter he can let you know where the toy's for tots program is.the marine corp does this every year. ooh rah u.s.m.c.

Hi there, I know how you feel about not having money for gifts. I am in teh same boat. I do surveys online I make anywhere between $1 per survey all teh way up to $100. Just depends on the survey and if you qualify. if you would like the link please feel free to Im me. Thanks :)

I am a single mom and I got denied all help for everything. One thing that always went against me was my child support. Even tho I rarely got it, it was counted as "income" because eventually, I would get it...someday. So ya, raising 4 kids on my own was definitely not easy. Once when my kids were small, someone put my name in anonymously for help from the salvation army and I did get some gifts for my kids which was very nice. That was years ago. I do live in low income housing and so I'm greatful for that but my rent is pretty high in comparison to my pay. I have one child at home and get no child support at all. I also do not have money for gifts and I work very hard. I do know that kids as young as yours are very easy to please. I would shop at discount stores and even the dollar store. I always managed to make christmas a fun time in our home even tho we did not have much in the way of gifts....still don't. Please don't let the stress of it all get in the way of fun of the holiday itself. I know as a mom, how easy that can be to do as I always stressed a bit too. We want to give our kids everything. My kids are older now and they always assure me that they really don't care about the gifts. A part of me will always wish I could do more but the main thing is that we have a great time each year. We have a party the night before where close friends and family come. We have a buffet and just enjoy each other's company. Just before bed, the little ones can open one small gift. Then we all go to bed and get up in the morning and have a big breakfast....guys cook. We exchange gifts none of which are expensive and they are minimal. Thats it. I think it is the build up to the holiday that creates the memorys. We do a lot of baking and crafts as gifts for others. We drive around and look at the beautiful lights and all. We make decorations and just get into the spirit of the holiday. Heck...we've even been known to go to church.

Hi Camomom, It is tough when skint at Christmastime or at any time really. Your little girl is too young to realise that it is Christmas and I would wrap up a couple of her exsisting toys to open and chew on, the two and 1/2 year old I would fill an empty cardboard box with balloons and wrap and let him open and have fun chasing them around, the little one will love that too batting a balloon. The eldest though will expect something more but I have seen that someone has mentioned Freecycle so you may be able to pick up a bike or skateboard or something from there and decorate up to be his own and wrap. I have no moneymaking ideas for you but no matter how little or how much the children have they will have FUN within a lovely family on Christmas Day which many children haven't got and LOVE is priceless. Huggles. Ellie :D

I have a great site for you that is very legitamit and a nice earning site. For some reason I can not PM you. I would love to get the referal from you of course, but I don't mind not getting it if it can help you make some extra money. Please PM if you are able to and would like to and I can give you the information. Thanks.

Geez that sucks. I've never had that happen, but I don't rely heavily on those outreach programs, even when I needed them, they were just fillers for us, we found other ways... usually like not paying our bills, lol If you want my Clixsense link let me know, it's a good site I've been on for awhile. Not sure it will help you much by Christmas, but I've gotten one payout from them thus far, and I'm not that active.

I have also problems , money ones. Last time I needed a cheap present, I bought a nice cup from the dollar store , filled it with candies and wrapped it nice with a big ribbon. I also visit often the second hand stores. If you look around, you can see even new toys, or new colouring books. Few stores also have new thinks at very low price. Or, you can ask your friends to switch games or videos/CDs'/DVD movies. In every household there is something that you don't use anymore, so why not to switch? My daughter switches clothes with her friends, so every one gets to wear a different wordrobe - that's a great idea that Tyra Banks had in one of her shows. Hope you'll find this idea good and wish you all the best!

I think not only money can have a happy Christmas, love is also very important. Showing your love to your children, i think they can understand. Difficulty will be away, wait for some time. Everything wil be good!

Well, I'm seeing two sides here...on one hand with the economy the way it is ppl are having a tough time this year affording much of anything. That means alot more ppl are turning to charity groups to help out. The thing is they help out as much as they can but they can't help everyone...when the funds run out, their done. Demanding help from them isn't going to change that. The other side that I'm seeing is confusing me a little here. Your saying that you need the help b/c you have no money for bills or gifts but your online...meaning your paying for the internet. The cheapest you can get internet is $10.00 a month for dial-up. Why not turn the net off, take the $10.00 and buy a few gifts at Dollar General or the mark down aisle at Walmarts. Or better yet put the $10.00 toward a bill and make some gifts for the kids. You also might explain to the two older ones the truth that times are rough and there won't be alot for Christmas. My Mom and two youngest brothers had a Christmas one year in a shelter...not a pretty thing but the boys who were about 5 and 7 understood that there just wasn't money for Christmas. It doesn't make for a happy holiday but at least your honest with them and when they do get a big Christmas their more pleased with it. You might also start thinking way in advance since you have three kids you might start going to yard sales, talking to friends and family, keeping your eyes open earlier in the year...I know alot of ppl that get all their Christmas presents at yard sales for little of nothing. [b]MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! ~~AT PEACE WITHIN~~ **STAND STRONG AND TRUST IN GOD**[/b]

If there is a mission for the homeless where you live you could go there for help or you could go to a site called Wish Upon A Hero. http://www.wishuponahero.com

We have had some bad Christmases in our time as well. I know well how much it hurts not to give your children everything that the other kids are going to get. Our kids are much older now and the gifts have gotten exponentially bigger. LOL. I am on disability now and some of the things they hint about I just tell them guys you know I can't afford that now and they fully understand. Thank goodness. Especially our eldest. He is 20 and out on his own. He understands what hard earned money is all about now. When our kids were small though we would take out the old toys that they didn't play with anymore and bring them to Good Will and the Salvation Army just before Christmas so they would have room for their new toys. Maybe you could check those places for some inexpensive items. The really young ones will truly not know the difference. I am sorry I am not much of a help for anything more. I hope you enjoy your Christmas with your family anyway. MERRY CHRISTMAS!! I can watch for your discussions and make sure to comment on them for you!

Mine are all grown up and thankfully I have never been in your boat,What about making a cake with little sweets on it,colouring cutting and glueing.It is really the seven year old and the 2year old the baby won't know any difference,one time I made a board game and my kids played it for hours and it lasted and lasted ,card board coloured paper make a track and put school on it, chops, carpark ect,a cup for the dice and off you go, papaya masha news paper soaked in water and glu for a few days,take out squeeze together and make a mountain let it dry paint it use cars or dinosaurs , to make beleave games how to get over the mountain,little trees and beleave me they love it.I wish you well and good luck to you ,we have the salvation army in this country to help struggling families ,I just hope these suggestions will help and home made decorations will cheer the place up.

oh i forgot try quickrewards.net they can pay you in the next 24 hours directly into your paypal account, no minimum amount needed to reach.

hi! my heart goes out for you because i am a parent too! i have not much to offer about your inquiry but i'll include you in my prayers. we were also so broke once and you know what being broke gave us to opportunity to be creative and find a good way out of the situation. brainstorming helps a lot. hardwork and determination will always be a key. However i have a good book to recommend for you to read, it will help you stay focused in your endeavors: The Millionaire Mind. it may sound too corny at first and have that "hey, i'm already broke, i don't have time to read!" thinking in your head,but to tell you honestly it really worked for me and my husband. it's not that we are now millionares but hey we're working on it. in my personal experience, when we became very broke, i loaned some money from a friend, and bought clothes from the super sales stores. i then sold then to my office mates and boom! i created money in no time. good luck and God bless you and your family always.