Saving Money on Christmas Gifts

Financially speaking, this year has been a tough one for many people. And now with Christmas just around the the corner most folks are planning their Christmas spending like never before. But a tight Christmas budget needn’t get you down. Your friends and family will understand your situation, and with a bit of thought, the gifts you choose for them this year have the potential carry far more meaning and show just how much you really care.

No one ever said you have to spend $50, $100 on each person. Often big Christmas budgets like that lead to quite thoughless presents. SOmetimes, if you know you have a hundred dollars to spend, and the lastest video game is exactly that amount, then there’s your decision made for you. But what does that demonstrate to the person who receives that gift? Sure, they might really like the video game, but how much thought did you really put into that choice? On the flip side of this, if you only have $20 to spend on each person, you’re going to have to really plan your gift – and that will show. The level of thought and care that you put into the gift is always valued most of all by the recipient.

Here are some gift ideas that won’t break your budget.

1. Young children have no idea what the lastest big, plastic, toy sensation from ToysRUs costs. And as everyone knows, most young kids have far more fun with the box it came in than the toy itself anyway. So take advantage of that. Find a box and visit the dollar shop. Fill the box with all the cheap fun you can find for your budget. You’ll probably end up with about 10 different items, and the kid receiving it will feel like you’ve given them a treasure trove.

2. Get baking. Women in particular love this type of gift – so do most grandfathers! You can bake cookies or cakes, Christmas puddings or fruit cakes. Wrap them in cellophane with a beautiful big bow and you have a gift that satisfies the tummy as well as the heart.

3. Gift baskets or hampers also make cheap Christmas gifts. Theme them around the person you are buying for and they’ll know that everything in the basket was specially chosen for them. Gift baskets can be as cheap or expensive as you want to make them, but simple ideas include: a Pamper Hamper (with bubble bath, organic face cream, aromatherapy oil), a Chilli Lover’s Heaven (five kinds of chilli sauce and a recipe or two), Chocolate Delight (chocolate bars, chocolate sauce, chocolate anything), a Candle Collection (various small candles of differing scents and an oil burner). The options are endless and limited only by your imagination.

4. Image collections make great gifts for grandparents. Find your best pictures of the children and use an online scrapbooking service to create some memory books.

5. Offer yourself with coupons. It sounds odd, but if you have a particular talent and someone you know has a particular need, print up some coupons on your computer and slip them into a Christmas card. You can offer to babysit, clean their house, cook them dinner, change their oil, cut their lawn, paint their fence, cut their hair, do their tax.