It’s amazing how many people we give gifts to during the holidays. If only we had unlimited funds and we could give generously to everyone on our list.
But, unfortunately, that is not the case for most of us. In these harsh financial times, I know very few people who can comfortably give as much as they would like this year.
The fabulous news is that you can still give meaningful and appreciated gifts to all the people on your list and do it on a reasonable budget. Frugal giving is the way to go this year and so is staying out of debt.
We all know that you aren’t doing your family any favors if you have to struggle to pay bills for months because you bought gifts you could not afford in December. Even if you have a good job today, being frugal now will help you later if that good job goes away as so many others have in the last few months. Take a look at the following frugal gift ideas and start thinking about the people on your gift list. I’ll bet you can find some great matches.
Homemade goodies from the kitchen: Some of the most popular (and loved) frugal gifts during the holidays are edible treats. Choose from cookies, fudge and brownies baked from scratch, hot chocolate mixes in a mug, soup mixes in a bowl, fudge, pies, homemade bread, fudge, a bottle of wine, quick bread mixes in a loaf pan and little gingerbread men. Did I mention fudge?! See http://southernfood.about.com for a number of recipes including brownies in a jar and fudge, of course!
Hobby related gifts: Many folks have hobbies they love. Some people collect coins, stamps or glass horses. Some are train enthusiasts or enjoy taking pictures. If someone on your gift list has a hobby, find a gift that will contribute to that hobby, without breaking the bank. Buy a magazine subscription for the train enthusiast, rolls of film or photo paper for the photographer, specialty scissors, paper or stickers for the scrapbooker, exotic spices for someone who loves to cook.
Picture perfect: Some great ways to share your family with loved ones is through framed photos, scrapbooks, photo albums and digital photo frames (split the cost with siblings for a gift for the parents or grandparents). Many photo centers in malls (like JCPenney) offer high quality, low-cost portrait packages for around $20. These often include multiple sheets of the same picture with larger and smaller photos, excellent for gift giving in an inexpensive frame from a craft store like Michaels.
Arts and crafts: Nothing says love like a piece of artwork from a child or a handmade scarf (which would take me 800 years to produce!). Drawings from the grandkids in inexpensive frames, handprint concrete stepping stones (these can be found in kits for under $10 at most craft stores), knitted scarves, and crocheted blankets all make for impressive and lasting gifts.
Corny coupons: It may sound corny to give a coupon you made on the computer to someone but it’s not corny to the new mom who could really use two hours of free babysitting so she can go to the store all by herself. Or consider a coupon for a homemade dinner for that same new mom who has no time or energy to cook. Sometimes just helping with the everyday responsibilities is the best gift of all. Coupons are also great for kids. Consider a coupon book with coupons for an afternoon at the park, dessert at the local ice cream shop, a trip to the museum, their choice of movie rental, etc. None of these outings needs to be expensive and they are great ways to spend time with the kids or grandkids.
Gift Certificates: Gift certificates are an excellent choice when you aren’t sure what someone would want or you want them to be able to choose something they can really use. For the college students on your list, those big box stores have just about anything they could ever need. For the kids, certificates to book stores make great gifts. For the person on a fixed income, a grocery store certificate would be very appreciated. You don’t need to spend much. Even a $10 certificate can go a long way.
Donations to charity: Some folks would rather not receive a gift themselves but would love for the money to be spent on a donation to a favorite charity. You don’t have to donate $10,000 for the gift to be meaningful. Any donation is deeply appreciated when it is to a charity the person cares about. For instance, we give to the Gynecologic Oncology Program at Duke Medical Center in North Carolina each year in honor of my mom, who has ovarian cancer and is being treated at Duke.
Gift Baskets: People love receiving gift baskets. It is just so much fun to see all the goodies packed into a cute container and then get to take out each item and “ohhhh” and “ahhhhh”. Look for bargains all through the year and make themed gift baskets geared towards the people on your list. For the person who loves to watch movies (or any teens on your list), put together a Movie Theme Basket with movie rental certificates, microwave popcorn, candy bars and soda. Other themes include a Baker’s Basket, Chocolate Lover’s Basket, Coffee or Tea Basket, Sewing or Knitting Gift Basket, Gardening Gift Basket, Bath and Beauty Gift Basket (great for college students) and Kids Craft Basket. See http://rubyglen.com/gifts/giftbaskets.htm for ideas on what to include in many themed gift baskets. She also has creative ideas on containers to use.
Holiday cards: The high cost of holiday cards is shocking to me. I love to send cards to all our friends and family and I would go broke sending cards purchased at full price. For the last 10 years, I have bought my cards in January when the boxed sets are marked down to 75% – 90% off. The selection is still surprisingly good at many stores (including Target, CVS and Walgreens) and the cost is excellent. For those who still need to purchase cards for this year, consider letting the kids make cards out of high quality construction paper, some stencils, stampers and holiday stickers. Have everyone sign the cards and you will be giving a handmade gift your family will love.
Most of my shopping is now finished for this year and I am already thinking about next year. I’ll hit the clearance sales in January and stash away cards, decorations and many gifts to use next December. One of my favorite websites for finding out about holiday clearance sales is Hot Coupon World at http://www.hotcouponworld.com/forums/after-christmas-clearance-deals-discussions-2008/. In the next few weeks, they will be posting the best clearance deals after the holiday.
For a list of 63 inexpensive gift ideas under $10, see http://www.betterbudgeting.com/articles/money/63giftsunder10dollars.htm.
Just think of all the happiness you can bring to your friends and family with thoughtful and frugal gifts. Don’t forget the joy you will feel because you stayed within your budget and avoided those high credit card bills after the holiday. As I always say, it’s your money, spend it wisely. Happy spending, happy saving and happy holidays!
By Faye on 12/4/08 in Columns, Featured, Holidays, Main Feature, Money, Smart Spending
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