Picking Up a Little on a Budget

So, you’ve been a part of your sorority for a semester or more, and you’ve entertained the idea of expanding your sorority family, but that’s all you’ve done. That’s when you get the unexpected call from your chapter’s VP of New Member Education, and you learn one of your newest sisters wants you as her big sister. You are flattered and, of course, you can’t refuse because in the past couple weeks you two have formed a bond that transcends the normal bond of sisterhood. However, here’s the catch: you’re absolutely unprepared and your funds are minimal. The panic starts to sink in. How are you going to give your new little the Big/Little week she deserves? Don’t worry you can do this, and without dropping $500 like some big sisters (yours truly).

Don’t Fool Yourself:

            
First things first, give yourself a little tough love and a reality check on what you can and cannot afford. If two new members wants you as their big sister take a while to think this through. If you believe you can pull it off, and make sure each girl gets the same amount of swag then go for it. However, if you feel that picking up twins would stretch you too thin then you’ll have to make the hard choice of picking up one versus the other. It’s rough, but you need to have faith that your VP of New Member Education will find another big sister that will be just as great for the other new member.

Big/Little Shirts:

            
One of your biggest purchases you’ll make is your Big/Little shirts especially if your buying shirts for your family or picking up twins. If you can’t afford more than two shirts (I find shirts to run around $40-$50 a piece) then do not hesitate to ask your big, g-big, twin, etc. to pay for their own shirts. Also, keep in mind that your whole family does not necessarily need shirts for you to get great pictures.

            
If you are picking up twins think about making your own shirts with fabric and shirts bought at the fabric store and puffy paint. Then you can just give your littles an IOU on official family shirts for when you have adequate funds.

            
Secondly, be wary when picking fabric for your letters. I know the store in which my chapter gets their Big/Little shirts that Lilly Pulitzer fabric costs extra. Now I love Lilly just as much as the next sorority girl, but if it costs extra that’s a no go. You could find cheap Lilly fabric online at Etsy or other such sites. However, by the time you order it and pay shipping you are basically paying the same amount if not more then you would in the store. Save the Lilly for Christmas or birthday gifts.

            
Also, pay attention to how much the shirt itself costs. It is better to go for the cheaper shirt then to pay a few extra dollars for the American Apparel v-neck. If you’re worried about how your little will look in her shirt remember she’s your little; she’s going to look great in anything!

            
Lastly, if you’re thinking about getting embroidery on the back do the minimum. If the store charges per letter get your monograms.* If the store charges in a range, for example 3-8 letters is x-amount, then it’s okay to get “Big” or “Little” on the back.

            
After this your second expensive thing will be your little’s craft box, but I’ll address that later. Now that you know roughly how much your expensive things will cost you can budget. My advice is to set a limit per little, for example $150 per little etc.

*Note: When getting your little’s monogram make sure you have the correct monogram. Unfortunately, when I picked up my little I got her middle name from Facebook where she had spelled her name phonetically, and therefore; her middle initial was wrong. Thankfully, I called the store in time and was able to change it.

It’s The Little Things:

            
If you are having a hard time thinking of small cutesy things to get your little just think back to when your big picked you up. What type of things did she get you? What types of things did you wish she got you? What are the other bigs thinking about getting their littles?

            
Now there are a few things that I believe are totally worth spending the money to buy. The first is a car decal with your letters on it. This is on the list because it fills your little with pride for her letters. She will literally have her letters with her wherever she goes, and that is a great thing. The second is a pad of stationary in whatever design represents your sorority. This way whenever your little goes to write a note to herself or one of her sisters or even to one of her Panhellenic sisters it’s a little reminder that she joined the best sorority for her and that she chose the best big sister in that sorority. Next, don’t forget to splurge a little on sunglasses. They are actually relatively cheap, and let’s face it any sister is cool wearing her shades with her letters on them. Lastly, get your little a baseball cap with your letters on it. That way the days when she rolls out of bed running late for class (because let’s face it we’ve all done it) she can just throw up her hair, and slip her hat on. Call it I-forgot-to-set-my-alarm chic.

            
Now the best place to buy all the little treasures to give your little is going to be most likely Dollar Tree/Store/General and the dollar section at Wal-Mart. Honestly, the things that you can find there can be absolutely silly, but at the same time absolutely magical. Some ideas are: tumblers, plastic crowns, glow sticks, silly string, plastic jewelry, mugs, etc.* All of these things you can customize for your little. Remember puffy paint is your best friend in this area.

            
Do not be afraid to ask your twin or your big if they have anything that was crafted (without their name on it or their name is easily removed) that they don’t mind parting with, so that you can re-gift it to your little. Trust me, every sorority sister has that one thing that someone made them that they really don’t want to keep. It also helps if your big is about to graduate because as an alum I can tell you I passed down a few things I knew I wouldn’t have room for in my adult life. Now if you are missing a few key pieces that’s when your crafting will come in.

*Note: Do NOT forget to pick up your candy, gift bag/basket, and tissue paper at these sites!  These will be your “fluffers”. It will give your gifts a feeling of fullness and fill in any gaps you might have.

Craft Supplies:

            
Now if you’re having troubles coming up with ideas for things to craft then navigate over to Pinterest! You can follow Sisterhood Redefined, and find different craft inspirations for your little.

            
Now there will be some supplies that you will have to buy at Michael’s or A. C. Moore. It’s inevitable. I know my sorority family just started the tradition of doing stools. Honestly, stools really only cost $15, and a good thing about buying canvases at these stores is that you can quite often find them in bulk packaging. Take advantage of this! You never know when you’ll need to craft a gift again.

            
For other supplies such as paint and that type of thing go ahead and just browse your fellow sisters’ craft boxes. Most of the time in a chapter those sisters who are picking up at the same time will often craft together. Take advantage of the things that your sisters have in their craft boxes. It will save you a ton of money. Also, you do not necessarily need spray paint. I will admit that it saves time, but you can just as efficiently craft a stool with acrylic paint. You can also do a homemade coloring book by printing off free coloring pages online, and you can make your own coupon book for your little with coupons for a crafting dating or an ice cream date.  

            
Now if you were anything like me when I first started crafting you may not be a savant. That’s okay! Practice makes perfect, but if you’re still wary of your skills don’t be afraid to ask advice or help from your more artistic sisters. I learned a lot about crafting from one of my sisters who was an art major. If you are also in a time crunch where you’re picking up without a break in between do not be afraid to ask for help from your big, twin, or other sisters. When my little picked up we split the crafting half and half. Of course afterwards I never wanted to see another canvas again, but it was worth it.

            
Also, don’t be afraid to snoop and stalk your little on Facebook to find out what her interests are, and ask her friends what she really likes or obsessed over. You want your gifts to be catered to who she is.

The Craft Box:
There is a simple way to put together a craft box on a budget. Only really give her the necessary tools, i.e. brushes, a few tubes of paint, something small to craft, fabric, a few paint pens, ribbon, etc. Most of these things you can ask sisters if they have and they don’t use. However, do not put already used paint or paint brushes. Then it really looks cheap. Yes, the goal is to do this on a budget, but we don’t want it to look like that.

Tips:

The first is my own opinion for picking up a little, but you should at least do one special thing for your little that week. My big had my twin and I do a voluntary (we volunteered) scavenger hunt across campus. When I picked up my little, I ordered her a pizza to be delivered to her with a special message. It’s those somewhat grand gestures that make littles feel extra special.

            
If you find an idea on Pinterest that you really like, but you feel like it’s out of your skill zone, and you can’t print it off and modge podge it onto a canvas then just leave it. Big/Little week is really not the time to start experimenting. Instead use the experimenting for an activity that you can do with your new little.

            
Remember Big/Little week isn’t about you, it’s about your little.

            
If you pick up twins make sure that they each get equal amount of gifts. This is very important for building a healthy and equal relationship between you and them.

            
Lastly, make that week as deceptive as possible. That’s the whole fun of Big/Little week. Keep her guessing as to who her big is that way when reveal happens she is totally surprised.

Big/Little week doesn’t have to break your bank and it doesn’t have to be stressful. If you follow these tips and tricks picking up your little will be the greatest and one of the cheapest things you ever do.

            
But also remember, it’s not about the gifts it’s about building that bond that goes beyond the normal bond of sisterhood. Not only are you her big, but you’re her mentor and best friend.       

Editor's Note: This post was written by one of our new writers, Alexis. Congratulate her in the comments on her first post!