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I made a trip to Costco yesterday to buy index cards. (Believe it or not, index cards are the building blocks of this blog.) The store didn’t have any, but it did have four long aisles stocked with Christmas supplies: lights, laughing Santas, and artificial trees. “Are people thinking about the holidays already?”, I wondered. Turns out they are. In the Get Rich Slowly discussion forums, Samantha is asking for frugal Christmas ideas:
We sat down to develop a Christmas budget for the first time ever last night. And I have to say, I was a bit overwhelmed by how much we plan to spend. Currently $425. But at least this year we are PLANNING for it and we have the cash to spend!
Does anyone have any tips for inexpensive ideas for Christmas gifts, traditions, etc. and just general ways to save money around the holidays, i.e. holiday entertaining, hostess gifts for every party we’re invited to, etc.?
Samantha’s question made me realize the holidays aren’t actually that far away. Besides, this year, in this economy, it makes sense to begin planning early, especially if you want to try some do-it-yourself projects.
We’ve discussed this subject before at Get Rich Slowly in articles like “Five fantastic frugal tips for Christmas”, “The amazing frugal Christmas savings spectacular”, and “The four things children really want for Christmas”. Some of my favorite money-saving tips for the holidays include:
- Consider giving experiences. In the forums, Brad suggested giving music lessons, bike tune-ups, wine advice, or other gifts of time, knowledge, and experience. If you have friends with children, give them a night (or afternoon) of free babysitting so that they can have a special getaway without the cost of a sitter.
- Also in the forums, Pulmano1 noted that if you’re holding your family gathering after Christmas (as we are this year), you can find heavily discounted gift ideas in post-holiday sales.
- Do a group project, like assembling a family history. Amberlynn’s family writes a chapter of their family history each year, covering topics like favorite holidays, the house they grew up in, and how people met their spouses. The gift costs nothing but time, and carries more value than commercial gifts.
- Remember that children don’t receive lasting value from toys and candy. What kids actually want are a relaxed and loving time with family, realistic expectations about gifts, an evenly paced holiday season, and reliable family traditions.
- Give homemade gifts. In the past, we’ve given jams and jellies and pickled vegetables. A good friend once gave us a hand-assembled collection of gourmet salts, complete with written description of each. Rather than a gift card, I’d much rather receive a plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies.
It’s not just gifts you can make by hand — it’s also fun to create do-it-yourself cards and decorations. When I was a penniless college student, I made my cards by hand every year. These were more meaningful to me, as a giver, and I think they were treasured by the recipients, too. It’s easy to make your own cards. (Trent at The Simple Dollar has some tips for doing so.)
My cousin Nick and I recently reminisced about family traditions for decorating the house and tree. “There weren’t so many lights when we were kids,” Nick said. “We made most of our own decorations.” I can remember doing some of this, too. Older children might enjoy stringing a popcorn garland, and constructing a paper chain is so easy a 5-year-old can do it!
Most of all, remember that the holidays are time for gathering with family and friends. Giving is secondary. Spending money doesn’t even make the list.
What about you? Have you started thinking about the holidays? What are your some of your favorite ways to keep costs down while enjoying the spirit of the season?
October 17th, 2008 at 5:15 am
We are Jewish. In recent years, as our children got older, I decided that Chanukah was not the “Jewish Christmas” as it has become in America and we did not have to give our children a gift(or a “real” gift) every night. They got gifts from others so some nights the gift from an aunt or grandmother was the gift and some nights, they got nothing. I also began to follow the joke that Jewish kids get socks and pajamas while their non-Jewish friends get game systems(don’t worry- my kids had those too). So one night, everyone got new socks and one night, PJs. Now as young adults- they get a check(and socks and sleep pants) and my husband and I exchange one gift(that we have discussed). We light our menorah every night and usually have a Chanukah buffet dinner/party for friends. We also volunteer our time on Christmas eve and Christmas day through our synagogue for meals to the homeless on the street and at a church- as part of a year round feeding program with which we work.
October 17th, 2008 at 5:32 am
Since I sew and have my own shop on etsy… This year I am making my 2 nieces and 7 nephews gifts, saving us TONS of $! We also NO LONGER buy for the adults in the families and am hoping to PITCH IN for a gift for the inlaws! My kids have already been told there will be NO TOYS from us this year, and instead I had cartoony pictures done of them from a seller on etsy! SOMETHING they will cherish for a long time (MY aunt gave me one when I was younger and I still have it!)
Last year we spent the money on LED lights and the Year before we bought our tree at 75% off after christmas!
In the SHORT of it, we try to teach our children that one small and VERY THOUGHFUL gift is SOOOOO much better than a lot of crappy, NO THOUGHT gifts! NOW if someone could just tell my husbands sister that~
THANKS for such a great blog! I enjoy reading it daily!
October 17th, 2008 at 5:34 am
we are going to hang out like we always do. we don’t celebrate holidays or anniversaries anyways, so we don’t have the stress. we’ll go to church probably, we may go out with friends, or go over to someone’s house, but that is pretty much routine stuff. at the end of the day you have to decide whether you are celebrating a religious holiday or a commercial one.
October 17th, 2008 at 5:50 am
Yeah, the Christmas holidays are coming (wow, time flies!). I’ve never really thought about a spending budget for the event, but this year something changed. First of all, my my mom just had another kid. I’m 23 years older than my sister who just turned 1 this past summer. She’s starting to walk, so I’m thinking that she will really start to enjoy Christmas. That is coupled with the fact that my sister is in the Army. Because of events not controlled by herself, she has sent my niece off to live with my mother. That said, my mom is currently watching two really young children (a 3 year old and a 1 year old). I have been inspired to make this Christmas special for the bunch. One because my baby sister can enjoy it, two because my niece is without both of her parents this holiday, and three because my mom is dealing with both of them so well.
I naturally created a budget to ensure that I can accomplish this.
Caleb
http://www.mefinanciallyfree.blogspot.com
October 17th, 2008 at 5:50 am
For my cash hungry nephews & niece I make sure to do something creative to get the money. This year is going to be a family trivia game with questions that make them talk to other family members. It is much more interesting than a $20 bill.
October 17th, 2008 at 5:50 am
Here’s an interesting idea: Buy Nothing Christmas. They’ve got a list of alternatives here or check the “stories” here (click on Find More Stories at the bottom to read more).
October 17th, 2008 at 6:09 am
I tend to go a bit crazy trying to find the “perfect” gift for everyone, but not this year. We don’t have much extra money this year, so all I gave my mom for her birthday was a jar of chow-chow (a type of relish with cabbage, peppers, etc), and she was so thrilled! Then and there I realized that people don’t need expensive gifts so much as thoughtful ones. This Christmas will be homemade!
October 17th, 2008 at 6:13 am
My husband and I both come from large families, and this year we are finishing our master’s degrees and moving across the country at Christmas time. In the past, our siblings have done a gift exchange by drawing, but this year we opted out. We don’t buy gifts for our nieces and nephews, period. This year our budget is $100, broken down as follows: $20 each for each other ($40), $25 for a homemade quilt I am making for my grandparents that we will spend Christmas day with, $15 for my aunt and uncle that will also be with my grandparents for Christmas day, $20 for cards and miscellaneous.
When I was 15 my mother was called back to active duty in the Marine Corps, and so my family had two incomes for Christmas that year. The result sickened me. We just kept opening more and more presents. Ever since that year I have disliked being with my parents for Christmas. It is overwhelmingly materialistic, even though the Christmas story might have been read the night before.
For my children, when they come, my plan is: outfit for school, outfit for church, pajamas, a book, something small, and something big. I hope to keep it to that. Christmas means more when there is less.
October 17th, 2008 at 6:21 am
Playing with your kids rather than watching sports or chatting it up with the adults is one of the greatest gifts you can give them.
Children crave time with their parents and relatives.
I’ve found that pictures (especially really old pictures) thrill people more than just about anything. Collages with multiple pictures of the grandkids make my parents happier than any gift.
October 17th, 2008 at 6:26 am
Last year I made functional pottery serving bowls & utensil holders. I placed them in a basket with colorful, but inexpensive kitchen cloths, a nice set of teak utensils (purchased a set at Walmart for the cost of one at Pampered Chef), & a grocery gift card. All the adults in my family are great cooks. This year I am making gift baskets with an inexpensive, but well-performing immersion blender, a set of recipes I type up for smoothies, blended soups, etc. & a set of soup bowls or smoothie glasses. Another year I did crock pots & spices. Another possibility is to purchase all those really nice grilling utensils in September when they’re half price & give them with a nice cutting board & a gift card to their favorite butcher. These are excellent gifts for couples. If they have kids, I go with something like a set of cool cookie cutters, a couple batches of cookie mix in jars, a rolling pin &/or cookie sheet, sprinkles & small aprons or oversized t-shirts they can decorate with craft fabric paint. Each basket costs less than $50.00 & most less than $25.00. All my gifts include something homemade, whether it’s handmade placemats, clothing, needlework, stained glass artwork, pottery, or creations from my kitchen.
October 17th, 2008 at 6:30 am
I’m going to be a college student next year, and I’m already thinking about money for then.
My moms side of the family is… big. We do a secret santa type gift giving. Each person purchases for one other, with a limit of 25$.
This year, I have an aunt who runs a day care out of her home. They only use cloth napkins. I knit and sew, and I’m planning on knitting a few cloths, as well as sewing several. I could make at least a hundred with 25$ worth of cloth and yarn. But, instead, I will offer to help out with the day care one day a week until the end of this school year.
My parents do all the buying for their nieces and nephews. Most of the ids are VERY INTO one or 2 things (crafts, hockey, hunting etc) and for the crafty crowd, I use the 40% off coupon at Michael’s to get them a kit of some sort.
October 17th, 2008 at 6:32 am
Our family members, especially on my husband’s side, are very generous when it comes to gifts and for years we’ve felt we had to spend the same amount and it was becoming *very* costly.
For the past couple of years we’ve decided to budget $25 per person in our families, and more for our children. While it doesn’t seem like much, when you’re buying for 15-20 people, its by no means a budget breaker.
We’ve become more creative in our gift giving, making some of our gifts. We’ve also started our planning earlier, in September, so we can take advantage of items on sale before the Chirstmas season truly starts.
October 17th, 2008 at 6:37 am
Why not buy your kids stocks of companies? =) They can keep it for a long time and hopefully it will grow in value considering the current market conditions.
October 17th, 2008 at 6:38 am
Never pay for wrapping papers! Some stores, like Sears, give out free wrapping papers without having to spend at the store. You just have to get there before 8am.
We all like to think that Christmas is only about love and unicorns, but some activities are obligatory. Do know your party before handing out handmade gifts. Some people really hate them.
October 17th, 2008 at 6:40 am
I grew up with two brothers and when we were children, we only received one present each from our parents at Christmas — and we very much looked forward to that present! I agree with Katherine that at Christmas, less means more.
Now that I’ve grown up, I’ve got two god children and a niece to think about. When buying for kids, I try to avoid buying toys. I opt instead for books and educational material that can be bought for reasonable prices. Kids love books. I think a lot of people underestimate that as they’re shilling out $100 for the newest Elmo doll.
Kids also love to colour. This year, I bought my niece a book of blank pages, pencil crayons that I bought on sale during back-to-school specials, and I’m creating a colouring book for her.
Another option might be to go to a craft store and buy supplies the child might need to create something. The gift itself might be “unfinished” but at least the child gets the pleasure of designing something themselves. This could be especially helpful if they need some sort of furniture in their room, like a little stool or something.
I don’t create a budget at Christmas. I’m anal enough to shop throughout the year; when I see something on sale that I think someone will like, I buy it and put it aside until the holidays. That way I’m not spending a huge chunk of money at one time. It’s not too early to start thinking now!
October 17th, 2008 at 6:42 am
I’m not as good with homemade gifts as I’d like, but we try to get creative with the wrapping. We wrap all our Christmas gifts in brown craft/postal paper and tie with twine. Then we head outside with our pruners and cut small branches from our holly tree (with beautiful red berries), pine trees, and magnolia. We tie the different leaves together with more twine (sometimes we tie in a couple of cinnamon sticks as well) and tie them to the center of the gift. Sometimes I’ve also taken a gold paint pen and written the name of the recipient on one of the holly leaves. We end up with a beautifully wrapped gift that people seem to love. It’s also extremely inexpensive.
October 17th, 2008 at 6:46 am
This year I (in part) have convinced my boyfriend’s siblings to draw names. In total, there are 6 of us, which means a lot of gifts in addition to his parents, and my large family. Since my brother has joined the NAVY, my father and I have both realized how much time means to us and that no material goods can replace that. Due to this, we try to keep the holidays simple, and enjoy time with the family.
I have realized that over the years, the holiday have been a bit of overkill, and the overall meaning has become lost. I much rather give my time, than stress over the perfect gift, or spending equally among family members.
I hope this holiday season will be the beginning of a simpler, more meaningful Christmas!
October 17th, 2008 at 6:50 am
We decided this year to make it a kids only Christmas.
We have 4 nieces, 1 nephew, and 1 daughter. All of which are under 6 so Christmas is still full of magic and Santa for them. We decided to to spend $20 on each kid (that needs to include any taxes or shipping), $100 worth of things for our daughter (that comes out to about 5 to 8 presents I guess), and $50 to spend each on each other.
We told our brothers, sisters, and parents not to expect anything from us, and to please not to get us anything in return. Then not only do we end up saving about $140 in ‘adult’ gifts, but they save an average of $40 not spending on us too - and that is kind of a gift itself!
And really, when was the last time you got anything from your brother in law or whoever, that you really could have just done without, just kinda like, is totally not you, or both of you didn’t just think you were following the routine and you just picked up whatever at the last minute?
For our close friends, we decided we are just going to have a big pot luck dinner and have a nice night together.
We wanted to save some money this year - but we really don’t want to go down the make your own gifts route. Personally I think that usually ends up more expensive and time consuming! Unless you REALLY make something someone else wants, then you are kind of just missing the whole point and just trying to fulfill obligations.
October 17th, 2008 at 6:56 am
If you plan ahead then you can buy things when they on sale which can literally save you hundreds every christmas.
Also, enter competitions to try and win the prizes you want to give to people. Makes it an inexpensive gift…..
Make people some gifts, or get friends to all chip in is another great idea
October 17th, 2008 at 6:56 am
Instead of exchanging gifts with family this year, we will be creating care packages for our men and women who are currently overseas serving our country.
We don’t like the materialism of Christmas, it’s become more of a commercial holiday than anything else.
In an effort to teach our children to think of others, they will be drawing pictures and writing letters for our soldiers this holiday season, instead of sending letters full of “I wants” to Santa.
Instead of shopping for gifts that people don’t want or don’t need, they will help us shop for things such as gum, magazines and soap. Items that are needed and very much appreciated by our military men and women.
Is this a frugal Christmas idea? Maybe, it depends on how much we send. Even if we end up spending more this year than we normally would, we know it will be more appreciated and actually be used; unlike the gifts we’d normally exchange.
October 17th, 2008 at 7:18 am
My mom kept boxes in the attic where she would store presents that she bought all year round. Christmas presents were in the box only she was allowed to go into. The others where hostess present, baby presents, etc. All year long she would find the great deals on cool stuff and uses those purchases to keep her boxes supplied. That way we always had a gift if we needed it and didn’t have to go out and spend a lot more just to get sometime not as nice. It was a great system if you have the space for it. If not it still works on a smaller scale (I use an under-the-bed storage container in my apt.)
Instead of making cards, I make envelopes out of pretty magazine ads and then pair them with nice stationary paper that you can get cheaply by the pound from any stationary or craft store. It is a great way to recycle magazines and the resulting stationary sets have been a real hit with my friends. If the gift calls for a little extra just pair a set with an address book or a nice pen.
October 17th, 2008 at 7:30 am
We are having a Buy Nothing Christmas, quite against our will. Three months of job hunting after a lay off has depleted our finances to the breaking point. There are a few traditions we will not surrender, however, the most important of which is the Birthday Party we hold on Christmas Eve (complete with cake, candles and song) to remember the roots of the holiday we celebrate.
October 17th, 2008 at 7:32 am
We do photos each year for Chirstmas for the family. It’s not like my family really needs anything.
I took up photography for the express purpose of learning how to take better photos of my kids. I’m getting better at it and my family appreciates the photos. (And I don’t get nagged to take my kids to walmart for photos anymore. I hated dealing with the photo department at our walmart.) Considering what I spent on the camera, backdrop (suede curtains), and work lights - I’ve made my money back several times over by doing the photos myself. It’s taken a few years to feel that I’m “good” at it, but the process has been a lot of fun. Hope the idea helps.
October 17th, 2008 at 7:37 am
The most wonderful gift I’ve ever given (it’s still talked about years later) cost me almost nothing. I spent a few months contacting friends and family members and asked them to send me memories and old pictures of my grandfather. Then I wrote one memory (or printed one picture)on each of 365 business card sized pieces of cardstock. I folded each in half and secured it with a bit of tape, then placed them all in a big jar I decorated. Every morning for the next year, my grandfather would take out a paper, open it, and see what other people cherished in him. He loved it.
As much as I’d like to take credit for the idea, I found it on flylady.net. They have many clutterless (and often quite frugal) holiday ideas!
October 17th, 2008 at 7:40 am
One of the best traditions we ever got rid of for Christmas was the giving of gifts amongst my mother’s side of the family. Once everyone had been reduced to asking for things like black socks and trash cans and subscriptions, we decided that we didn’t need to exchange gifts to get together, share a meal, and have good conversation, so we all gave it up and we’re ever so grateful. Saves us a ton of needless expenditures and we still enjoy the company.
October 17th, 2008 at 7:48 am
With my family we celebrate a “homemade” Christmas. Everyone has to make gifts and can only spend $10 per family on supplies. It’s so much more fun that receiving a gift you end up giving to Goodwill in a year or two. We give each other jams & jellies. Last year I made pancake baskets for all the families, and partially baked cinnamon rolls for them to pull out of the freezer and bake on Christmas morning. I also made a dad a quilt out of old jeans and flannel sheets that had all of his boyscout patches sewn on it. Needless to say it is his favorite gift (and it cost me $0).
We prefer to do this kind of holiday and donate the money we would spend to a charity. No one in our families needs more things, so why not spend time together and donate money to people that don’t have anything. Perhaps pool all the family gift money and buy a goat from Heifer International. Then just enjoy some quality time together.
Mr Chiots and I buy each other a few small gifts (mainly things we need like Burt’s Bees Chapsticks etc) and we spend a lot of time sitting by the Christmas tree drinking hot cider and listening to our collection of Christmas music. Does it really get any better than that???
October 17th, 2008 at 7:56 am
http://www.newdream.org/holiday/
Simplify the holidays from the New American Dream.
Not all of their tips are necesarily frugal, but they do lack a consumerist tinge and so frequently coincide with frugality.
Last year I spent $30 on yarn and made mittens/hats/socks for about… 10 people? I think. I used some stash yarn too so the number’s a bit off, but all the same.
I won’t have time to knit for everyone this year since I’m in school, but I will for my mom, dad, brother and boyfriend. Everyone else will get a card with a thoughtful letter.
October 17th, 2008 at 7:57 am
In my family, we don’t give a lot of gifts. I can probably name every gift I’ve ever gotten from them - which is actually pretty cool since I still use them all (including my Beauty & the Beast comforter - I’m 25).
There are only a few friends I exchange gifts with so when I give a gift, I can go all out. I’ve had the most fun and the best reaction from my “theme” gifts. For instance, my friend was always complaining that he couldn’t get a date so I gave him a “Guide to Love” gift set, where I wrote out funny instructions and pick-up lines and gave him things like movie tickets and small gift certificates to fun date things. I also gave him some random junk to make it fun (and secretly, to get rid of stuff I didn’t know what to do with). But I tied it all together with the love theme(”you can use this children’s book to read children’s stories together?” honestly, i had a lot of random junk in college) He then showed the gift to EVERYBODY and everyone complimented me on it. Of course, you have to have a kinda unique relationship with someone to pull that gift off without sending ambiguous/condescending vibes.
Another good idea was something for every different sense. Examples: Homemade cookies for taste. A mix cd for hearing. A candle for smell. A photo for sight. A stuffed animal for touch. The moral is, it can definitely be memorable and fun (for everyone) without costing a lot.
October 17th, 2008 at 8:04 am
I agree with Rachel. As the youngest brother with two older sisters, you can imagine it was an unpopular suggestion by me to forego gift giving among the adults.
My sisters enjoy shopping and gift giving. But as we get older, and my sisters are having children, it just seems like it is inevitable that we will eventually outgrow gift given between siblings. I just wanted to do it sooner than later.
Since we live distances apart, just getting together and spending time together is what I look forward to.
In terms of being frugal- experiences make the most memorable gifts. Donate time, offer to cook a meal for someone, a picnic in the park, a free concert, free chores. These are the things I did as a broke college student. . .
October 17th, 2008 at 8:10 am
During the holiday season our family goes out and volunteers together– usually at a local soup kitchen or food bank. We also try to bring relevant donations when we go, or toys for the kids who come through.
We do get each other presents, and are really lucky enough to have everything we need– especially since me, my siblings, and cousins (”the kids”) are all in our 20s and are pretty self-sufficient.
To eliminate giving random objects that will just sit around the house and collect dust, we’ll give each other (or really, 3rd world families) animals from Heifer International, or small things that we really do need– scarves, etc. Last year I asked for candles and told them to go to the outlet where they’re $2 instead of $20. They got me regular candles, plus this football-sized seashell monstrosity that gives me a laugh every time I see it. (It is getting used, though!)
For those who are looking for electronics, Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) is a great time to get steep discounts. $5-$15 can get you a huge variety of things; just make sure it’s stuff you actually need. It’s actually become a family tradition for us, too– nothing says sibling bonding like standing in line and hanging out in the freezing cold at 4 am. The parents sleep in for this one!
October 17th, 2008 at 8:15 am
I don’t want to do big Christmases with my son ever. When he’s old enough, I’m planning on incorporating a tradition of volunteering, of giving time and resources to the truely needy, instead of expecting lots of gifts. I also want it to be a time to really enjoy family. I’ll probably do a few practical gifts, things I would have to buy him anyhow like new clothes and what not, and maybe one fun gift, something he really wants, but besides that, I’m not going to do much.
One tradition I’m starting, and this is more for birthdays, is I’m going to write him a letter every year. I’m not going to actually give them to him. I’m going to save them in a box for him to have on the day that I die. I have this terrible fear, because I am in the military, that I am going to die before he’s old enough to remember me, and the letters will be something he’ll have to know who I was and how much I love him. Even if I don’t die until I’m very old, it will still be something he will like to have, I think.
Other than that, I tend to bring food or drink to gatherings for the holidays, and that is usually my gift. I think the holidays are about parties and gatherings more than gifts. Also, when we were little we used to draw pictures and make little things for friends and family, I’ll be encouraging my son to do the same, once he’s old enough. He’s just barely going to be a year old this year, so he’s not going to care one way or the other.
October 17th, 2008 at 8:15 am
We just started a family discussion via email about the holidays. So far, we have heard from my brother-in-law, and we’ve agreed to just get presents for the children. I plan to make cookies for a variety of people, and I just found a blog featuring apple jelly…I think it would make a great gift. It’s the perfect time to make it right now.
Also, over the summer, I bought a few things that were either affordable to me at the time, or were on clearance. For instance, my brother and I have an inside joke about a really peculiar uncle who gets upset when people eat butter…I found “The Great Big Butter Cookbook” for $4 on
Amazon, so it was a must-have frugal gift.
For many years now, we have given really inexpensive gag gifts to immediate family, and it’s always a huge hit. For the last two years, now, I’ve received marzipan pigs from my mother. Tasty AND humorous. A pig catapult one year from my brother. A woven straw pig for my birthday…you get the picture.
October 17th, 2008 at 8:21 am
It’s exciting to see other people’s tips. After a very stressful Christmas last year, my family decided to start a new tradition. No gifts (except for stockings, with little items contributed from everyone) but we will gather and spend the day cooking a meal together, with a different cuisine every year (i.e. Greek, Italian, etc.). Hopefully it will be fun and help us focus on spending time together, rather than opening gifts.
We also do an annual gingerbread house party in the beginning of December, and that is one of our most important holiday traditions.
October 17th, 2008 at 8:25 am
My friends and I do not exchange gifts, we meet for a potluck dinner and games night instead.
For family I try and make at least one part of each person’s gift, although some- like my brother tend not to really enjoy this aspect so every year I pick a DVD from his Amazon wishlist.
I probably spend less than $20 per person, but generally a fair amount of time creating gifts.
My partner and I exchange very small gifts instead we both pick a movie to watch and a board game to play and spend the day together.
Because I do not see my family over Christmas I try and connect with them in other ways, my mum and I both do either an Angel Tree gift or a shoebox gift for charity and discuss our purchases for that over skype with video, so we get to spend some time together and do a little for others.
October 17th, 2008 at 8:25 am
I am in that lovely in-between stage. My siblings are grown up (or practically so) but none of us have any children. This means that I don’t have many people to buy for, but they are all difficult particularly as they live a long way away.
I cut costs by taking advantage of sales and things. My family aren’t going to appreciate homemade gifts and I’m not crafty anyway. We live too far apart for experience gifts to work well without being expensive. I just do my best within whatever budget I have.
October 17th, 2008 at 8:30 am
Another one that my family used to do was a White Elephant. Instead of buying lots of cheapo gifts for everyone in the family, we decided to do the gift exchange idea, so we all only buy 2 gifts and receive 2 gifts.
It works like this. We each bring two random gifts to the family gathering. All the gifts are set in the center of the room, and we each draw two numbers from a bowl. The person who draws #1 gets to pick any present from the pile and open it. The person who picks #2 then gets to either pick a new present from the pile, or steal the present #1 picked. If #1’s present is stolen, then #1 gets to pick a new present. Then #3 gets to either steal the present from #1 or #2 or pick a new one, if he steals, then the person stolen from can either steal from someone else, or pick a new one. And so on until all the presents are gone. We made a rule that presents can only be stolen 3 times before they retire, and that you can’t steal a gift strait back from a the person who just stole it from you.
This used to be great fun and the whole family looked forward to it each year, but it started getting bad lately. One problem is that half the people in the family buy nicer gifts and the other half buy really cheap gifts, so a lot of people feel like they put a lot of money in to get junk. I think a good solution to this would be to put a spending limit on the gifts, say no more than $15 a gift. Another problem is that you get one or two people in there who are really ruthless about getting all the expensive gifts, and sometimes other people’s feelings get hurt. For example, last year my mom put in a $50 gift certificate for a local seafood restaurant, and my cousin and his wife were trying to get it even though they didn’t like seafood, just so that they would have gotten all the expensive gifts! And of course, they brought a variety of $7 gifts. Psh.
October 17th, 2008 at 8:31 am
I plan on going gonzo making christmas wreaths, then giving them as gifts. It takes time, but time is money right? And I always prefer hand crafted gifts to spending cash.
October 17th, 2008 at 8:34 am
As many others have said, it’s photos for me, as I’m also a photographer. That said, there are a LOT of really nice options beside an 8×10 in a frame. Stretched canvas wraps are really nice and more affordable than most people think. Same goes with photo books.
October 17th, 2008 at 8:37 am
One thing that I’ve seen a lot at Christmas gatherings that drives me batty is the following.
Very young kid– say, 2 or 3, who’s still new to all this present stuff– opens their first gift. Is really excited with it, and starts playing with it immediately. Grown-ups actually DIVERT him or her AWAY from the toy and BACK to opening gifts, because the gift-opening is happening now.
Um, yeah. Way to teach a kid “no! no! Don’t appreciate or enjoy what you already have! Instead focus on what MORE you can get!”
Inevitably, after the kid opens all their presents, they are a bit overwhelmed, unable to enjoy any of them thoroughly, and ends up bored at the end of the day.
Better to let the kid play with the new toy until they get tired of that particular game, and only then give them the next gift– encouraging them to enjoy that one for a while as well. So what if it takes all day?
October 17th, 2008 at 8:41 am
For hostess gifts, I start baking in late November and freeze the cookies. Seven or eight different cookies makes a nice mix to box up and take along to many parties. They also make great gifts for teachers and daycare workers.
For my children we are tyring to get the family away from stuff (it can be hard sometimes) by asking for more experience related gifts, an outing to the museum, planning to do something together and last year the best gift was a week at summer camp.
Both my kids are involved in art classes and bring home lots of projects, so some those will be given as gifts for Christmas this year.
Not so much a frugal tip, but in the spirit of giving, at work we have done a secret santa but rather than purchasing a gift for the person, you buy a toy that you think they would have liked as a child, everyone else has to guess who you have. Afterward, all the toys are donated to charity.
October 17th, 2008 at 8:44 am
Hmm. I’m running a little counter to the prevailing trend here.
I like giving presents because I enjoy the process of thinking about what people might like and then finding it, and I like receiving presents because it gives other people the same opportunity.
Presents don’t have to be expensive. We have had Christmases with big budgets and other Christmases where the family budget was $10 or $15 for each of our two children and $5 apiece for my wife and myself. I still treasure used cassette tapes my kids gave me in the 1980’s because they went to the trouble to find a store that had Dr John and Professor Longhair, even though they didn’t spend more than $2 each.
These days, I like getting books — new or used — and home-made pickles. I have a big classical music collection. If I were unemployed, I would put together a classical favorites compilation on a CD or cheap thumb drive, and I would be thrilled if someone did the like for me.
We try always to have single friends and sometimes people we don’t even know very well to share the table with us, and in recent good years we have made it a rule to give away as much to charity as we give in presents to each other.
October 17th, 2008 at 8:49 am
@ Someone
“Very young kid– say, 2 or 3, who’s still new to all this present stuff– opens their first gift. Is really excited with it, and starts playing with it immediately. Grown-ups actually DIVERT him or her AWAY from the toy and BACK to opening gifts, because the gift-opening is happening now.”
This is actually an interesting observation and I have a suggestion for this one.
Last year our daughter was only about 9 months old and she didn’t really ‘get’ the whole wrapping thing and plus she couldn’t unwrap them if she tried.
So on Christmas eve we put out all her new toys - unwrapped, new batteries in, and taken out of the box and ready to play with - under the tree with just a few bows here and there, but just ready for her to play with at her leisure. We actually saved a lot on paper and stuff that just gets tossed out.
I think this works great for the overnight “santa” presents - but of course would never work for the ones that sit under the tree for 3 weeks!
Also, ever since my sister and I were about 5 - my mom would prop us up on the couch with all our loot and take a picture. It is so fun to look back now and see exactly what we got each year from Santa and how excited we were. Plus it let me realize that my parents only got us about 5, to max of 10, presents each (the majority of them were small things) but I don’t remember feeling like I didn’t get much. Usually one really cool thing, and the rest just fun silly stuff.
October 17th, 2008 at 8:55 am
This year’s christmas for various people for under $250
Homebrewed beer (belgian, christmas ale, brown ale)
Blackberry Jam (garden picked berries)
Apple Butter (apple tree in back yard)
Hot Pepper Relish (peppers from CSA membership)
Apple-Basil Jelly (same tree and garden)
Bread & Butter Pickles (CSA again)
Maybe some homemade bread
Who in their right mind wouldn’t want a basket full of that?
Plus, there’s always some leftover beer for quality assurance.
We spend a weekend or two doing all the work, which is probably more meaningful than trying to find a cheap gift for that person you can never figure out.
October 17th, 2008 at 8:57 am
I spend $50 each Christmas on gifts. That’s it. Why? Because it’s the law
My family does a version of Secret Santa that brings us all together.
On Thanksgiving, we bring out The Poster Board of Gift Requests.
On the poster board is a grid, a square with each family member’s name on it.
Within that square, the person writes what they would like for Christmas, obeying the agreed upon $50 limit. Another rule: No Gift Cards, as they are the easy way out.
After everyone has filled out their square, in between bites of dressing and turkey, we put the names in a hat and draw.
You get the name of another family member, you walk over to the board, make a mental note of what they would like, and hey presto - you go and buy it for them.
It can be one item, it can be 100 items, as long as the total doesn’t go over $50.
It’s an inexpensive Christmas, you get what you want from your Secret Santa, they get what they want from you, and all is well.
We’ve done this for about 13 years now, and it works great.
Hope this suggestion helps someone have an inexpensive yet satisfied Christmas.
- Bill
October 17th, 2008 at 9:00 am
I think the most important thing is to have the discussion among the family you exchange gifts with and come to some sort of agreement.
Over the last few years, various members of my immediate family have spent much time on creating scrapbooks of important family history, but it turned out that it made my sister-in-law feel that she had to spend a lot of money (that she doesn’t have) to be “fair.” At a family dinner in September, we talked about expectations for Christmas gifts, and I think we were able to make it clear that the scrapbooks were so exciting to make that the people making them enjoyed them even more than the recipients. My sister and I (at least) were able to say that we don’t really care whether the gift-giving is fair. If my brother happens to find the perfect thing for my sister, he doesn’t need to get something for me just to make things even.
We talked about maybe doing a low-budget Yankee Swap among the adults just for fun: $15 max or something that you want out of your junk closet.
October 17th, 2008 at 9:01 am
This year my family and our extended family have agreed to put $50-$100 in a pot and draw names. The person whose name gets drawn gets to donate the money to the charity of their choice.
October 17th, 2008 at 9:06 am
My husband and I took a cross-country vacation last year, which was a boon for me as a landscape photographer. For Christmas, I plan to process some of my best photos from our trip and frame them for my parents. They built a new house this year, and they have a lot of wall space to fill.
October 17th, 2008 at 9:06 am
My family loves doing stockings, but they get expensive. Last year my mother suggested that we all purchase our own stocking gifts, then exchange our stuff, with the recipient being challenged to wrap the items in a way so that the purchaser won’t recognize them. My mother created sculptures out of packages of toothpaste and plastic forks; I wrapped an entire stocking with scraps of fabric from my stash. It was fun; it was cheaper because some things simply came from the pantry rather than the store; and we all ended up with things we’ll actually use.
October 17th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Oh and one other way to save money and disappointment -
Don’t get involved in Secret Santas!
Now I know that all of you out there are like, “Hey! These are a great way to save money!” Yeah, you might save money but….
1)
Half the people on the list are people you would have never bought for in the first place. Now you are buying a gift for a person you never would have had to shop for in the first place, and you will probably end up buying at least something small for the people on the list that you WANTED to get something for
2)
Half of the people will half-ass it, and at least two people don’t deliver. Unless you are doing this with a group of less than 4 people, THIS WILL HAPPEN. You know Murphy’s Law? Well, this is Secret Santa Law. I swear to you, if you are the type of person who spends hours contemplating the perfect gift for someone (or even spend hours creating it) I guarantee you will get a dusty, stinky, bath salts set picked up on the way to the party from Walgreens.
3)
And then, perhaps the worst, will be the guy who ruins it for everyone. The spending limit has been strictly set at $20 - he buys a $300 autographed poster for his pick. Yes, they LOVE it. Yes, it is the “PERFECT” gift. Yes, everyone else feels like a shmuck. AND the expensive giver always has a obvious look of disappointment when he opens his bath salts from the last minute guy.
I have been screwed on these suckers since I was 7. Some of the worst were: a candy cane as a main gift, a scented lilac candle (I am allergic to lilacs and lived in a candle free dorm at the time), and worst of all a jar of peanut butter. (I still can’t figure that one out…)
If you feel you must limit - do the White Elephant. We do this at one large ‘bar crowd’ type party. Most of us spend months to pick out the funniest, weirdest thing to add to the pool - you usually at least end up with something funny, some times something awesome, and it’s okay when you get the stupid scented candle to say, “Aw man! I got screwed!”
October 17th, 2008 at 9:26 am
When my brother and I were little, my uncles were both working on their Masters degrees in education and had little money. One Christmas, my uncle Neil gave us each a coupon for ‘A Day with Uncle Neil’. He took my brother hiking and they came home with a jar full of soil and rocks and moss. He took me to Stanley Park (Vancouver, BC) where we rode the train and fed the birds. We got helium balloons and when we arrived home, Uncle Neil got out my dad’s fishing rod and attached the balloons to see how high we could let them go. They got stuck in a tree! I know it’s cliche, but I remember that day more than most gifts I’ve ever received.
October 17th, 2008 at 9:32 am
I’m really excited about my holiday gift to my fiance (will be married by the holidays)this year…we love to cook together so I’m going to sit down with him and create our first family cookbook. It’ll be something we can update as we add more recipes. This would be a good one for a big family…get everyone together for a recipe day (could be some cooking involved) and then print and bind the recipes somehow for all to have. Good for a HS senior or college student, too.
Two other great gift ideas are making hot chocolate mixes (personal favorite: peppermint hot cocoa) and getting cool reusable bags (can be very cheap and people really use them). People love being environmentally friendly these days!
October 17th, 2008 at 9:33 am
The thing that I have started doing every year is going shopping at the after Christmas sales. I know that it’s just past the holidays and most people are ready to just leave them behind … but I start thinking of what I want to get people for the following year.
After Christmas, the stores just want everything gone. You can save quite a bit of money on wrapping paper, cards, decorations … tons of stuff. I already have a large chunk of my shopping done because I did it last year.
October 17th, 2008 at 9:41 am
Being very crafty and creative, as well as being a baker, I have decided to make gift baskets for everyone this year. My mind has already run wild with ideas (everything homemade):
Cocoa Mix
Marshmallows
Inexpensive Mug (purchased)
Cookies
Cookies Mixes
Jams
Burn a CD
Polar Fleece Scarf (no sewing involved)
Polar Fleece Purse/cosmetic bag
Chocolate covered pretzels/popcorn
Herbs started from seed
Soap/Lotion
Bread
Fudge/Candy
Kitchen Towels (purchase fabric/terry cloth)
Pot holders (ditto above - clearance fabrics?)
The list goes on and on. I thought of doing different themes for each person too.
I refuse to get in debt over Christmas this year. I also believe the gifts will be so much more meaningful.
October 17th, 2008 at 9:43 am
Decorations are a place where you can have lots of fun for almost free. Last year I saved the Christmas cards at my job and I also saved all the wedding cards we received, I’m planning a weekend to sit at the table, put on White Christmas and make our ornaments.
Take the cards, outline a Christmas shape on the back (cookie cutters are great for this) then cut it out, punch a hole through the top, run ribbon through and you’re done! If you want them to be a bit shiny-er (I’m a fan of shiny) then you can do a thin layer of glue and sprinkle loose glitter over the top and let dry.
October 17th, 2008 at 9:47 am
In addition to a “homemade Christmas” I also plan to capitalize on free holiday events in my area. There are several communities that have annual festivities such as “lighting of the greens”. Everything is free and generally includes musical entertainment, cider and hot cocoa as well. My community even offers free sleigh or horse drawn carriage rides. We have several greenhouse/garden/gift shops in the area that have annual holiday open houses. Free wine, beverages and appetizers! Some local shopping malls (the nicer ones) have free holiday events with tree lightings and music and all.
Check out your community and local shops….you’ll be surprised!
October 17th, 2008 at 10:07 am
The way I save money during Christmas is to not be Christian, and not buy into mindless consumerism.
October 17th, 2008 at 10:15 am
I love these ideas. I feel though, that the best gift you could give your family is to try and take some time away from work if possible and spend it with them.. your children will cherish you for this extra time and attention.
October 17th, 2008 at 10:34 am
I just thought of something else: one of my credit cards is a reward card that gives me coupons for free movie tickets, free movie rentals, grocery store gift cards, etcetera.
I plan on using those points to get some of these items before Christmas to give them out at gift-exchanges… all without spending an extra dime!
October 17th, 2008 at 10:44 am
When my nephews were younger, they didn’t keep track of who gave them what in the torrential downpour of gifts they got every year, so I could have gotten away with giving them nothing. I gave them savings bonds instead, for future use. I’m a graphic designer, so this year I’m creating a booklet that Photoshops my 6-year-old nephew onto cheap stock photos of world landmarks, such as the Great Wall, so it looks like he’s traveled the world. But most importantly, my uncle and I have talked the buyers in the family into donating to charities in lieu of gifts. It was a surprisingly easy sell, on the whole. The beauty of it is you can get away with paying a lot less and still make it a thoughtful gift by explaining why you chose that charity for that person. He and I desperately searched for a way to introduce meaning into Christmas morning instead of it being about stacks of wrapped stuff turning into stacks of unwrapped stuff that you had to clean up. Once I became an adult, Christmas dinner became the high point of Christmas Day because the focus was on your family (and the food!), not stuff.
October 17th, 2008 at 10:50 am
One present that I wish I had thought of earlier was for my grandmother, who certainly didn’t need more “stuff” at her time of life. I bought a little book of 20 postcards, wrapped it up, gave it to her… and then took it back, with the promise that I would write to her during the year and mail her the postcards. It meant a lot more for her to hear from me regularly than to have something that just sat on a shelf collecting dust. (I’ll admit, it made me write more frequently than I normally would have. And even if you’re not a writer, which I now am, it doesn’t take much to fill a postcard!)
My mother receives a lot of Christmas cards from all her friends, and now instead of putting them in the recycling bin, she cuts off the decorated front part and glues it to a brown paper bag to make it into a gift bag. She gives a lot of presents of her home-baked bread and home-made jelly/jam and everyone who receives it, loves it.
This year I would love to have my friends get together to teach how they make their favorite recipes. Low cost, everyone can learn new recipes, and then when we make those recipes later we can think of our friends and the recipe party!
October 17th, 2008 at 10:55 am
Elizabeth says:
“creating a booklet that Photoshops my 6-year-old nephew onto cheap stock photos of world landmarks, such as the Great Wall”
OMG! Elizabeth! What a fabulous idea for my nephew! My older daughter is a whiz with Photoshop.
Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!!!!
October 17th, 2008 at 10:57 am
We don’t have any small children in the immediate family, so we all got together early on and drew names for gifts. So we can just buy one gift instead of 10 or 12. The whole family agreed this was the best thing for everyone.
In the past I have given donations to charity in people’s names. It’s a good way to keep costs down, but give where it is really needed. Usually Heifer.org gifts go over the best. People like the idea of sending chickens, goats and rabbits to people who can really appreciate them.
October 17th, 2008 at 11:01 am
The way I save money on Christmas is the time old favorite of Christmas in July! Really this works if you have the space such as an attic or basement but I always buy the kids and families gifts starting in July and finish the bulk by Nov. It saves me money just in the fact that I don’t do last minute impulse buys or get sucked into the Holiday “gimme gimmies” I also set a goal as to how much to spend and shopping through Mypoints.com all year on any other purchases helps me rack up points that I use every year to redeem for a $50.00 gift card to KB Toys that I cash out and use every Oct.
Mypoints.com is a great way to save on purchases you already make. You should do a whole blog post on just the online shopping sites that give you rewards. The savings can add up as long as you were planning to purchase the item anyway.
October 17th, 2008 at 11:09 am
@ Jenny
That’s so funny about the pig gifts. When we were growing up, my sister and I called each other “pig” followed by “hog” followed by a door slam. We laughed about it several years ago and since then have been giving each other pigs for Christmas (it’s all I’m going to give her this year except for a donation to a charity). I got the pig catapult one year, and a pig dart board another. One year for Easter she out-of-the-blue sent me a stuffed pig dressed up in a bunny costume. When she got married, I gave her a big stuffed pig dressed up in bridal gear, complete with “pearls” and a veil. Fun stuff, inexpensive, and memorable.
October 17th, 2008 at 11:14 am
@ TeresaA,
I’m glad you like the idea. My sister loved it and has been supplying me with photos. She even offered to do a photo shoot with him. I told her I could use one of him hanging from something and then hang him off the Statue of Liberty’s torch. Have fun!
October 17th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Main thing I do is start shopping early. I also do a lot of baking ahead and freezing (just turned cool enough to bake here, so I should be getting started). Helps spread the expenditures out over more months, and avoids the last-minute rush and the zoo at the malls. And we never had a tradition of expensive gifts in my family, which really helps a lot. Saying “thank you” for a pair of socks like you mean it is a useful life skill.
October 17th, 2008 at 11:45 am
This is actually the first year my family will be approaching the holiday’s with a budget in mind. A good thing considing my Mom can easily go nuts spending money she doesn’t have. My family and I are doing both a Secret Santa with a $100 limit and a Yankee Swap with a $15 limit. We have a large family and for us this results in a savings of a couple hundred bucks per person based on our average spending habits. Everyone is really excited about it since I’ve been hyping it up for about a month now, and I’m confident our less expensive Christmas isn’t going to be any less enjoyable than ones in the past.
October 17th, 2008 at 11:50 am
My family is doing “Recycled Christmas” this year, at the suggestion of my aunt. All gifts must be used–purchased from flea markets, garage sales, used bookstores, etc. No new items allowed! It’s definitely going to force me to be a bit more creative in my shopping, but I think it will be a fun challenge. I’ll be in Japan for a couple weeks next month, and I’m already planning on hitting the big flea market it Kyoto for some unique items!
October 17th, 2008 at 11:52 am
EscapeVelocity Says:
“Saying “thank you” for a pair of socks like you mean it is a useful life skill.”
I actually think socks are a great gift! Every year for our office gift exchange, one of my coworkers buys each person a pair of socks. I cannot tell you how much we look forward to this. Seems really simple, but the truth is, socks are always something useful and one of the last things we tend to buy for ourselves. A new pair of socks is one of lifes great “little pleasures”.
October 17th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
Similarly, today, I have a friend–a very dear friend from college that, alas, I don’t see very often or get to talk to much–who compiles a mixed CD every year and mails them out to all his friends. It serves as a holiday card, gift, and moment of reconnection (we get a sense of how his year has been/things he’s been dealing with or excited about based on the music he chooses) plus we get introduced to new music we might not have picked up ourselves. Funnily enough, his cd’s also go out under the name of Will.
In both cases, the giver does the same thing year after year, which builds up a certain cache around the gift itself. Were Will’s Buns so great because the recipe was fabulous, or because they were so eagerly anticipated year after year? A bit of both, probably–but I think that developing a “signature” gift can actually be a good way to simplify both the costs and the stress of gift-giving for all the disparate folks you probably need/want to give gifts to, but that aren’t of the “inner circle” if you will…
October 17th, 2008 at 12:43 pm
Giving experiences and homemade gifts are the best ideas for keeping withing your budget during the holiday season. Plus it gives much more room for creativity, and it makes sure that your gifts that you give actually have meaning for the recipient.
October 17th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Last year, my sister-in-law gave me the best gift. She made and froze 10 meals and 2 desserts and printed a menu of the items. I work full time and have two children (ages 3 & 6), so the gift was well appreciated. It was so nice to come home from work and pop a homemade meal in the oven.
October 17th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
Be like my sister-in-law and give something that you received as a gift-with-purchase!
October 17th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Thank you to all of these completely fabulous ideas. I hadn’t even started thinking about the holidays yet, but just by reading the replies here I have ideas for my grandparents (stack of postcards thanks A Different Rachel) and am going to start getting cookies ready and frozen.
One thing I have learned to make this year and are wonderful gifts are tamales. You can hand them our frozen or fresh depending on when you want to make them, but you can make tons for cheap. Practice before you dive headlong into the task of pumping out a massive batch.
October 17th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
I try to give out presents that require a little thought behind them. I hate giving out the same stuff as everyone else, I like to be different.
October 17th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
One year I made my Mom the now-infamous “Mom Action Hero” magnet set. I bought a sheet of flexible (thin) magnet. Then I made copies of photos of my mom, my brother and I, her sister, niece, pets, parents, and so on. I cut each person out of the photo and attached him/her to the magnet sheet (one side was sticky), then cut around the photos. Voila! A set of refrigerator magnets featuring all the people she loves most. The gift was less than $20 but those magnets are still up on her fridge!
October 17th, 2008 at 3:10 pm
Ye gods, the holidays.
I love many of these ideas. But my family would hate them.
My dad has money to throw around, and he does; loves to buy many and expensive gifts for everyone, regardless of what they might actually want or need. Sometimes something is a big hit; more often things just collect dust.
My sister refuses to let go of the stocking tradition, even though they’re invariably filled with junk. My grandmother made our stockings and they are large enough to fit a small child in. My dad seems to enjoy finding things to put in them, but it seems wasteful to me.
My husband should have been born in the Victorian era; fancy clothes, cakes, chocolate, elaborate decorations, etc etc are de rigeur. His parents also have money and like to spend it on useless things.
I am frugal but not crafty or creative. I occasionally get lucky while shopping and find something perfect. Otherwise, I do my best and try not to worry about what people think of me.
October 17th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
this year, i learned to crochet, so i am making the clothing, accessories, and toys for my closest friends and family, similar to the ones at my etsy store.
at times the yarn isn’t cheap depending on the material, but the crafts store i shop at (joann’s fabrics) tend to have constant sales and coupons online and in-store, which helps.
i enjoy making the items, even if it takes me a few weeks or more. i get great satisfaction from making things for my own self as ‘presents’, and my friends and family seem pretty excited to receive my hand-made surprises as well, for upcoming holidays and birthdays
October 17th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
Making your own cards is a great money-saver. I’ve been doing this for the past year. I’m a scrapbooker already (which I know can be a huge money-waster, but I try to be frugal about it). I buy boxes of 50 assorted bright-color cards at Michael’s for around $7. Then I use my leftover paper scraps and stickers to decorate them. I enjoy doing it, and everyone gets a very personalized card. I’d estimate my cards cost about 50 cents each (or less), so I’m saving at least $2 per card, usually more.
October 17th, 2008 at 3:37 pm
@Leanne
Love ths tory of Will’s buns!
My partner and I have worked out a signature gift for our siblings and their families. It came about because buying individual gifts for each child wasn’t so bad when there were only 3-4 kids, but between all our sibs, we had 11 kids on the gift list!
For at least 5 years we’ve been giving one family gift and it’s always a game. The adults and kids alike look forward to a new game every year. We are careful to pick out something that playable by the youngest in the family but won’t bore the older child(ren) or the parents.
October 17th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
Two things. First, I sent a nicely worded note to all my friends and family with whom I usually exchange gifts explaining that I was committed to reducing my debt and so would not be doing Christmas this year, and please don’t give me a gift. I said something about how the money not spent is our gifts to each other, and that I would continue to honor birthdays throughout the year.
Second, I found a really good $7 wine that has a good story/anecdote behind it. I bought a case at a place that offers a 20-percent case discount. Now, if pressed I have a hostess gift/potluck contribution etc which costs me $5.60 and I can tell the cool story so it doesn’t seem like some boring, random bottle of wine.
Btw, very much enjoy the blog. I read it every day!
October 17th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
I think the best tip for a frugal Christmas is to be mindful of what you are spending and why.
If you LIKE giving presents and the receivers are a) important to you and b) LIKE RECEIVING THEM, then give presents! A little or a lot — all that matters is you give something you can afford and is wanted.
Most importantly is to have traditions that make sense for your situation.
In my family, we are small in number. My parents and I exchange gifts, and we team up to give my mom’s sister’s family a family gift.
This year we are giving each household in my aunt’s family a “family heritage” cookbook filled with all the traditional recipies that were handed down to my mother from long-gone relatives.
Otherwise, I try to give my dad something useful (like food items he likes) and my mom something to pamper herself with (like new bedclothes, or an assortment of bubble baths and soaps). It’s fun to pick something out for them.
October 17th, 2008 at 4:07 pm
I have one rule for gift-giving, no matter what the occassion:
Give consumables.
Gifts I have given in the past:
gourmet olive oil from greece, handmade soaps (purchased), assorted fruity liquid hand soaps, flowers, perfume, candleshome-made food such as cookies, chocolate, cakes. These all seem more meaningful to me because it makes the person feel good about the gift - smells good, tastes good etc.
This is not 100%, I do sometimes give non-consumables if I am pretty sure it is the better choice.
Also sometimes a gift card to an excellent non-chain restaurant is ok for me.
Advantages:
1. It doesn’t cost too much that they feel obligated to give you something. It does not hurt your pocket either.
2. It will not clutter up their home.
3. You can be more creative and unique.
4. There is only a small chance that they will not like the gift. Even if they don’t, there will always be someone who can “consume” it.
Try this method and you will find there is less stress in finding the “perfect” gift.
October 17th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
jgood — there are some really lucky people in your family!! I have been reading these replies all day and am finally getting around to my two cents.
Of course, I totally agree with everyone who said to start early — especially after Christmas and in July! Not only do you get the benefit of discounted prices and selection, there are no crowds and you don’t have potential inclement weather and deadlines to deal with.
That said, here are a couple last suggestions:
Books and Music are usually pretty good gifts, even for the ‘hard to buy for’. Amazon has a great ‘Blowout Books’ section which generally has a nice selection for as low as $5. Also, check you local libraries for book sales. Another great place to find some nice prices on both — and perhaps even some collectable goodies.
Think outside the box: I picked up some really inexpensive notebooks (for coloring) markers, stickers, etc. and a Hello Kitty bag to put it all in for my niece — at a school supply sale. Teacher supply stores or scrapbooking stores are also good places to find bargains on some of these things and kids have hours of fun with it.
Try something different. If the list is long and there are several age groups, try inviting everyone over for an after dinner game night. This can be held after Christmas (when everyones schedules free up) and since dinner is not an issue it just involves popping some popcorn, some hot chocolate and / or cookies and a few good games. Depending on the group, maybe the kids do the computer stuff and the adults team up for Pictionary or whatever. It gets everyone together, is inexpensive and is more about the experience.
Finally, as far as hostess gifts go, the homemade jar of jam (get jgoods recipe), bread or cookies is usually a winner. A few years ago, I made Emerils ‘Hot Buttered Rum’ recipe (available on the Food Network Website) and gave it away with a small bottle of rum — a huge hit. It was easy, the batches could be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge and very inexpensive overall. A great non-alcoholic idea is also a nice specialty coffee or tea.
One of the ladies at work gets inexpensive frames at a craft supply store and puts $10 Blockbuster / Walgreens / Grocery gift cards in it. This way she can be prepared for various ages, etc.
Most important — make the budget, the list and stick to it.
Good Luck!!
October 17th, 2008 at 5:15 pm
My (4 year old) son is getting a 6″ cast iron skillet (for $6!), and his Christmas present is that I’m going to teach him how to cook scrambled eggs. I’ve let him beat the eggs beforehand, but I’ve never let him get close to the stove. I’m ridiculously excited about this, as (in my mimd) it’s a major rite of passage. The trick will be waiting until Christmas to do it!
October 17th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
this year, i’m thinking about putting together gift packets of seeds. (no, they aren’t paying me, but http://www.botanicalinterests.com packs their seeds in really lovely packets, and they even have an option where you can choose for some of your purchase to go towards a non-profit)… and they’re ridiculously cheap, too.
October 17th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
TRUFFLES!!!
My husband and I made them last year, and they were a big hit. I had no idea how easy to make they were, and we covered them with different kinds of crushed nuts and such. It was really fun!
We then went and bought blank little white boxes and I decorated them with just some wrapping paper (glued) and ribbon. I think all together, we made about 15 boxes of truffles (9 truffles each box) for under $30. And we used good chocolate to boot!
October 17th, 2008 at 5:53 pm
I find that nothing sets the mood for Christmas better than Christmas music. How about getting Christmas music for free? I have spent quite a bit of time the last couple of years compiling a list of websites that offer free, legally downloadable Christmas music, and a lot of them have some really good music available. You can see the results of all my searching at http://freechristmasmusic.googlepages.com ; there you’ll also find links to my blog, which I use to highlight my favourite sites, and a custom search engine to search through all of the sites.
I must say, it’s nice to see Christmas being talked about so early. Thanks for such a great article; I have bookmarked it so that I can continue to refer to it as Christmas draws closer.
October 17th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
on one side of the family we do a gift exchange where everyone brings an item, draws a number, and steals from the others- not that uncommon but our twist is each year we have a theme- grocery store, silver, round, and nothing purchased new are just a few of the themes we’ve had over the years- the theme is set at Christmas for the following year so we have all year to get creative
October 17th, 2008 at 7:00 pm
As my family members have gotten older, presents really don’t mean much to us anymore. My family have a better time playing some party game on Nintendo Wii, or a board game like cranium than opening presents. We’ve also decided to pool some money together and donate to 2 charities of our choice. It makes the holidays much more meaningful.
As with my friends, we all had a great time volunteering at the local soup kitchen and spending some time together.
The other tip I have is this is the time to redeem those credit card points (if you have it). I love redeeming it for gift cards to buy gifts with (for the little children). I also use my credit card to pay for any remaining balance so I can collect more points (but make sure to have the cash to pay for it when the bill comes).
October 17th, 2008 at 9:27 pm
With money getting tight for everyone, my family organized a gift exchange among the extended family. Immediate family still gets gifts like usual for now. The rules of the exchange are this: it must be under $10 per gift and it must fit that year’s theme. Themes have been Christmas ornaments, snowmen, etc. Family members were divided up into couples, so I only had to come up with 4 gifts: grandparents, aunt and uncle, single female cousin, and a male cousin and his new wife.
I was a poor college senior last Christmas, so I had to get creative. The theme was Christmas ornaments. I didn’t think they sounded too hard to make, so I headed for a craft store. I left with everything I needed to make all four gifts for less than $10 total.
- set of 12 simple metal Christmas themed miniature (~3″ diameter) cookie cutters ($6)
- a spool of green fabric ribbon with simple red stitching (ribbon was about 3/4 the width of the metal cookie cutter sides) ($1)
- matching red ribbon with green stitching ($1)
- a spool of jewelry twine ($1)
I just used my glue gun to glue the ribbon around the outside of the cookie cutters (surprisingly easy, only took 2 or 3 minutes each). Then I tied a loop of twine through the cookie cutter so it could be hung directly on the tree. I gave each person a set of three ornaments, and they went over very well. I was amazed at how simple it was. (And how cute they were!)
I’ve found several other fun, simple, and inexpensive ideas on http://www.craftbits.com.
Puzzle Wreath - These would be good for kids to help make and who doesn’t have a puzzle with missing pieces laying around?
(Or use the painted pieces, some fuzzy red pompoms or red sequins, and some gold cord to make Holly ornaments!)
Marble Magnets - Cute and versatile, you could use pictures from cards or magazines for any holiday or a birthday, make themed sets, or even use different colored/shaped letters to spell out the recipient’s name.
Peppermint Candy Spoons - Can be made for less than a quarter a piece. Pair a few with a nice, inexpensive mug and some hot chocolate or coffee mix for a good gift for coworkers, Secret Santas, etc.
And two things I learned from my mother…
1. Cut pictures and patterns out of last year’s Christmas cards, and put a hole in the card piece with a hole punch. Then slipknot a small length (~4″) of curling ribbon through the hole for pretty and very inexpensive gift tags. Just tape the curling ribbon to the box and cover the taped spot with a bow.
2. At the beginning of the Christmas season, pick an interior door in your house, cut 3 long strips of wide (~1″) decorative ribbon (not fabric), space them evenly across the door, and firmly tape them to the hidden top edge of the door so they hang loosely down the door. As you get Christmas cards from your family and friends, staple each card to one of the ribbon strips. By Christmas day you’ll have a beautiful and heartwarming decoration. (When you take them down, don’t forget to save them for next year’s gift tags!)
October 18th, 2008 at 10:28 am
Trying to convince my other half to not celebrate Christmas for the second year in a row. We are making more money this year, and he feels we should buy gifts for the whole family (8 siblings total), but I feel we should save for a down payment
It’s hard to get past this with him as he always had big, exciting Christmas celebrations, and my Christmas celebrations were always stressful and depressing (not for the amount of present, my family has a lot of issues, kind of like Chandler on Friends feels about Thanksgiving). His parents spend around 400 per child, and they can barely afford their home anymore, and just lost $60,000 in the stock market last month alone. But their motto is spend, spend, spend because that’s what everyone else in their neighborhood/circle of friends is doing.
Obviously, there are other issues here than money, but when it comes down to it, it’s always what makes the holidays so stressful!
Last year, we politely told our family that we were not at a position to spend money on Christmas (just returning from Europe and moving into a new apartment). We stressed that we would appreciate if people respected our decision, and for the most part, they understood, until my boyfriend’s mom handed us each checks for $400. I found that insulting. Can’t we just respect each other’s personal choices?
I think if you need to give gifts, maybe to bosses or neighbors, dog walker, etc, homemade treats are the best. I agree with the consumable factor listed above (nothing that will end up in the bottom of a closet), and it sure is more thoughtful than standing in line at Target to buy a scented candle.
October 18th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Hi Krystal the wife and I pretty much stopped celebrating Christmas when we moved over here. It helps that over here it is very low key so you don’t feel so out of place. I do miss family but I don’t miss the stress of too many family dos on her side and the stress of having nothing on my side.
I would suggest a compromise for your family, exchange names with a $50 limit.
October 18th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
My daughter is 16. We have had a tradition since she was 3 years old. EVERY YEAR I BUY HER BOOKS FOR CHRISTMAS. It would never even occur to her to ask me for anything for Christmas. I pick out anywhere from 3 to five books. I pay attention to titles she might have mentioned or hinted at. I spend an average of about $40 for the holiday…no toys, no gadgets, etc. To this day we remember how excited she was the year she got her Shel Silverstein books. It’s so rewarding to see her curles in a corner nearly frantic about which title she should read first! So what message am I sending her? Books are the most treasured gift of all!!!
October 18th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Can I second the truffles? I made them last year and gave them as presents to friends, neighbours and shops I use a lot.
Good presents for me often come from the charity shop (thrift store) last year I found a fantastic crocheted all wool knee blanket for £3 which I gave to my mom. Or I like giving consumeables. Any speciality food from South Africa where we are from goes down a storm in my family and is realatively cheap.
One year I made ‘Survive winter kits’ a bag with a second hand book, fair trade chocolate, fairtrade coca and a small bottle of port.
October 18th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
To comment #95:
Ha! I hope those “Survival kits” contained “cocoa”, not “coca”. Fair trade or not!
October 18th, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Just as kids crave time with their parents, I think that parents crave time with their kids - especially as everyone moves out and away.
My dad asked for lessons from his kids on various techie things like flickr and XnView ( an excellent metadata tool for digital photos). I’m going to make a tutorial and then spend an hour or so going over it with him.
October 18th, 2008 at 5:33 pm
I love some of these ideas mentioned here (truffles and fudge are favorite gifts of mine to receive!), but the folks that I’d give these types of gifts to are dear friends and we’ve decided NOT to exchange gifts. My girlfriends and I just get together for a nice dinner out or at one of our homes, usually right after Christmas. Most friends we just send cards to now. We have honeybees so we also give jars of honey to folks or make honey butter for them. These are cherished gifts.
However, for family we’re still doing gifts. And, frankly, I marvel at the amount a lot of people say they spend. JD says they are going to spend $425 and that feels like a lot to him. I don’t disagree, but there’s no way we’d get by on that little with each other, our son, parents, siblings, etc. Each year, the media says what the average is and I think who spends this little, because everyone I know spends a lot. And, we are not outrageous.
We finally started doing the white elephant exchange with my husband’s cousins a few years ago and that has been a lot of fun. Until then, we exchanged gifts with all of them. (Their kids, in their early 20s, still get gifts. We usually just give them $20 each.) At the White Elephant, there is still some inequity among gifts, but first we enjoy a meal together and we just try to enjoy the fun of it all. (One wind-up dancing chicken keeps appearing, but last year it came with a $25 restaurant gift certificate that did not appear until the final recipient had it.)
With my husband’s immediate family, we are all required to post a wish list on MIL’s fridge of what we’d like. You’d think that would work out well, but sometimes the lists are heeded and sometimes not and you are not allowed to get more than one of something (even say a flannel shirt), so all the gifts must be coordinated. I’d be happy to just skip it all.
My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving because it’s all about the meal and spending time together. I’d be thrilled if Christmas were spent the same way … with the additional treats of listening to Christmas music, decorating the tree, attending festive pageants, etc.
P.S. to JD … unrelated to this post, but remember Golden Boy and me giving you a hard time?
… you might take some satisfaction in knowing that my DH is wearing his college track sweatpants today because he is under the weather. They are 34 years old! Only have a little hole here and there and they still fit perfectly! LOL
October 18th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
I’m not planning on buying anyone anything, I’ll make them something from scratch so its more meaningful, however, being the great big sister I am, I’m giving my lil sis my one year old iMac for Christmas because I purchased a macbook a few weeks back and her horrible compaq is buggy and wont even work with the iPod I gave her! Guess you can say she’s the one person I spoil ^_!
October 18th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
We have four children and several neices and nephews. For the past several years, we have picked up clearance items throughout the year and put them in a box in my husband’s office. Then, in early November, we go through the box and decide who would most like each item.
This year, though, our two oldest children and two oldest nephews are beyond the age where toys are really appealing. So, I’m planning on giving them each a check made out for $15 or $20 with the “pay to the order of” left blank. The idea is that they find a cause that they care about and make the check out to that cause. I think there is a great lesson to be learned here. Of course, we could be the ones learning the lesson, because they could make the check out to themselves.
I heard the idea on NPR last year, and I’m anxious to give it a try.
October 20th, 2008 at 5:29 am
In my family, we have a somewhat different approach to wrapping gifts. My mother, over the years, has made a ton of cloth gift bags out of Christmas-patterned fabric that she buys on sale in January. We use these bags instead of wrapping paper, and over the years they have been gradually distributed to friends and more distant family. They’re very easy to make, and although it may be a bigger investment up-front, it saves us from buying wrapping paper every year, and cuts out a huge amount of waste.
October 20th, 2008 at 10:08 am
I wanted to add that I agree with #83 about buying consumables. I certainly prefer to receive consumables — I don’t want more stuff that I will have to find a place for, dust, and eventually (maybe) take to Goodwill.
I love to give wine, bake homemade cookies, send smoked salmon (I live in the NW), good coffee, soap, candles, make homemade caramels, that kind of thing. I also like finding unique ornaments to send — they can get used year after year.
October 20th, 2008 at 11:02 am
Saw this idea recently on Parent Hacks: chop up left-over Halloween chocolate to use in place of chocolate chips in cookie dough. If you’re already baking early for the holidays, you could save a few dollars on chocolate and save a few calories from random candy-snacking.
October 20th, 2008 at 11:26 am
I love all these idea! I wrote a post at http://current.pic.tv/ about Frugal holidays tips! the whole idea of a simpler Christmas, with emphasis on family and tradition and skimp on stuff is big for me! I really like the idea of just goving books! As an avid reader, I might incorporate that with my son.
Something my family (of 5) did when I was small was we had the 12 days of Christmas. “Santa” came Christmas morning and we had stockings and each recieved one nice item. Then each day of Christmas a family member gave small gifts (like a new shirt or book) to everyone. Then the next 5 days we gave recycled gifts. This was the BEST part of Christmas to me! On our day we would give our family something of ours or a coupon for time, to help with a project or maybe to make them a special treat! The last two days my Mom planned something like we gave the gift of volunteering or she would buy the family a board game. It was such a great tradition. Our Christmas’ were not filled with “stuff” but I never felt like I didn’t get alot!
October 20th, 2008 at 11:41 am
Although I have no idea what I am going to do for Christmas this year, after reading over the posts I did come up with something that I will do in the future. I just moved into my first real apartment (not counting college dorms and college apartments) where I could legitimately have a Christmas tree, but I have very few ornaments to decorate with. So in anticipation of the nieces and nephews I will have (my brother just got married), I think I am going to buy an ornament each year for them and then keep it in a box for them when they get their own place. I know I will end up getting them other presents as well, but at least I will be contributing something meaningful to the mix.
October 20th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
My favorite frugal toy for a boy is to use white plastic sprinkler pipes and fittings to make an “outdoor tinker toy” set…it’s LIKE a tinker toy set in that you put things together, and every time is a different way.
The sprinkler pipe fittings are $0.10 each at Home Depot, and you can get a 10 foot length of pipe for a few dollars. The only real expense is to buy a pipe cutter (about $10) if you don’t already have one.
My son LOVES to create things with his outdoor pipe set.
October 20th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Two years and counting on my campaign to switch to a name exchange. Still no luck. Planning to try again anyway.
Thoughts on a low cost Christmas
1. Crafts are great on saving money and also great on taking a lot of time. (Time that is sometimes unappreciated)
2. Team up with someone and put both names on, especially if you go crafty.
3. If you are crafty and make nice things for yourself, people will wonder why all they got was this lousy (washcloth, hat, armwarmer, pajama pants, etc.) Or maybe I just feel guilty, that’s possible too.
4. It’s hard to come up with things that aren’t too expensive and don’t take too much time year after year for the same people. (However much I love them.)