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.?

Thanks in advance...

Samantha

For hostess gifts, I'm setting aside some time this weekend to learn how to do home-canning (like, in those glass Mason jars). I should be able to whip up a dozen or so jars of salsa and pasta sauce, and I think the salsa especially would make a nice hostess gift. We'll put a nice label on them, maybe a ribbon or bow... I know I love receiving homemade treats, and I think our friends will, too. Plus it's such a conversation piece! Much more fun than just picking up a bottle of wine on the way to the party, which is our usual MO... and a heck of a lot less expensive.

yeah, the grace of my presence is present enough, and it costs nothing (well, except a honey baked ham). that's my cheap xmas.

One approach is to shift away from giving "things" toward giving "experiences" instead. Depending on the experience it can be just as costly as a thing, but if you're creative you can come up with ideas for experiences that don't cost much (or are free). The physical gift can be a handmade "ticket" for the experience. For example "This ticket entitles [person's name] to a night of stargazing at the local observatory" or something like that.

My company has a holiday charity auction each year, and a lot of us auction off experiences rather than physical items. Last year I auctioned off music lessons, for example, and some of my colleagues have auctioned off soccer lessons, bicycling tune-ups, wine advice, and other services. If you have a skill or knowledge that someone in your circle of family and friends could benefit from, why not offer that instead of spending money on a physical gift? It also allows you to spend time with that person, which is a gift in itself.

I have a lot of people who are good to me throughout the year, and I like to acknowledge them:

1) My doctor's office manager. She gets me in when I NEED an appointment, and is always helpful.
2) My workplace parking attendant
3) My office staff (I supervise 5 people directly, and another 5 indirectly).
4) My boss

For many of them, I give small or home-made things: a batch of cookies in a tin with a pretty ribbon; a loaf of banana bread; a small collection of chocolates wrapped in a small basket...I have had great good luck with the women in my life by going to Sephora and buying Sephora-brand lotions or body wash in a 3-pack, and then breaking them down into individual gifts (such as the body butters). Same with the Burt's Bees collections at the local drug store - you can break up the set, and wrap a couple of items individually. I can get 3 gifts out of a $10 starter kit.

I have also had good luck at Cost Plus - they have a nice gourmet food section (one of my staff members loves hot chocolate, and this is a good place to find chocolate gift sets). They also have cute Xmas ornaments, wine, dessert confections, etc.

In general, I set a budget (less than $5 per person for work) along with the baked goods. It really ehlps achieve what I want - an acknowledgment of their kindness, without breaking the bank.

Sandi

A couple of things I do:

I posted about this in another thread, my wife and my siblings and I do not exchange gifts any longer, we instead all go out to dinner. We save the gift giving for the kids.

For gifts to hosts of parties, if they like wine, buy wine that has a story or significance for you, for them, or for your friendship. We have a couple of wines we buy by the case that have interesting stories we can share when we give them as gifts, and both are under $10 a bottle.

As far as buying gifts for kids, we have decided to do Christmas with the extended family after Dec 25th as you can finded discounted toys with savings from 50-75% off pre-Christmas prices.

I'm all about bartering. I knit (and sell on the internet), but I run out of ideas for things I can knit for my family. But I trade gifts with sewers, soap-makers, and other work-at-home-crafting moms to get things my family would like, while knitting for others' families. Then I'm able to quickly knit the patterns I know without giving the same stuff to my family.

you can give people things you own. for example i told my sister that i was thinking of buying a rice cooker so she gave me hers as a gift. she had bought it a year earlier but haven't even taken it out of the box!

maybe there's something in your storage that someone else would actually use. or a book that friend would like. I heard the suggestion of thinking of something that a friend really likes in your house [like a painting] and giving it to them as a gift.

I save the points on my Amex card and cash them in for gift cards in November, that I give to family during the holidays. (My sisters & BIL love gift cards to Barnes & Noble, Home Depot, Williams Sonoma...) The store gift cards are the best deal for my points.

Also, when I go on vacation I love to shop in quirky arts & crafts shops. I buy many unique holiday and birthday gifts on these trips. Spreads the gift expense through the year, and lets me shop to my heart's content guilt-free.

For my kids, who are still fairly young, I will buy gifts at yard sales or even pick them up free at the local swap shop. Last year we gave our dd a bike that appeared to be brand new, which was purchased at a yard sale for $20. And my husband and I buy new-to-us gifts for each other. Two years ago he gave me a set of used "Kill Bill" videos, which I loved!

For those of you who spend more time in the forum than on the blog, I've posted this thread as an Ask the Readers. You can find more ideas there!

Thanks! I almost forgot this was blog site! lol

Make a movie night.
Listen to Christmas music.
Go caroling.
Have a nice cookie day.
Make some Christmas cards together with your kids.
Write your kids a Christmas note.
Read a Christmas story with your kids.

We made a donation to a couple of charities and will be spending the holidays together - no gifts, except the feeling of having done something good and the relaxation of skipping the crowds.

As a Jehovah's Witness, although we don't celebrate Christmas as such, we try to be kind and give gifts to loved ones all during the year.