Frugal Gift Giving

Setting a Realistic Budget

The first rule of frugal gift giving is to never spend more than you can truly afford on a present. It’s natural to want to show your loved ones that they are special and appreciated, but putting yourself into debt to do so is never a good idea. If the situation was reversed, would you be comfortable knowing that a relative had missed a mortgage payment or maxed out her credit cards to buy you a gift?

Bargain Shopping and Frugal Gift Giving

Bargain shopping is a great way to enjoy the benefits of frugal gift giving. For example:

• Keep a small notebook with details about the people whom you regularly exchange gifts with. Having convenient access to information about their hobbies, favorite colors, clothing sizes, and home décor preferences will make it easier for you to take advantage of any bargains that you happen to come across.
• Take advantage of buy one, get one free offers to stock up on gifts for the holidays. For example, the perfume you love that your cousin always admires may make a great gift for her birthday.
• Use seasonal sales to score inexpensive gifts. For example, school supplies such as decorated notebooks and pretty pencils make great fillers for children’s gift bags.
• Remember that it’s the thought that counts. If you score a great bargain while shopping for gifts, don’t feel obligated to make up for your savings by buying additional items. When you’ve purchased the perfect present, the price tag is irrelevant.

Creating a Gift Closet

Have you even ended up spending much more than you wanted on a gift simply because you forgot to plan ahead? The easiest way to avoid this predicament is to create a gift closet filled with small presents that you’ve purchased throughout the year.

Great gift ideas for children include:

• Art supplies such as crayons, markers, and blank sketch pads
• Classic board games such as Candy Land and Monopoly
• Books
• Puzzles

Gift closet ideas for women include:

• Photo albums
• Scented candles
• Makeup bag
• Stationary set

For men, consider the following ideas:

• Travel alarm clock
• Flashlight
• Deck of fancy playing cards
• Spices and sauces used for grilling

Your local dollar store is a great source for stocking up on wrapping paper, gift bags, and greeting cards to keep in your gift closet. If you have small children at home, you could also try having them decorate plain gift bags and making an assortment of cards that you can use for birthdays, anniversaries, or other special occasions.

A Secondhand Rose

While most people associate the tradition of gift giving with the exchange of new items, you may want to rethink this philosophy. Among those who are committed to frugal living, a secondhand rose is a gently used item that is given as a gift.

When you open yourself to the possibility of giving gently used items to those on your gift list, there are a number of ideas to consider. Books, CDs, DVDs, and video games can be purchased at a significant discount if you buy a used copy. Since children grow so quickly, used children’s clothing from a consignment store may have only been worn once or twice. If you know someone who collects teapots or porcelain figurines, you may find the perfect gift in the rows of your local thrift shop.

Also consider joining groups like Freecycle to see what valuable items people may be giving up that you can obtain and regift.

The Joy of Homemade Gifts

Before shopping malls, catalogs, and Web sites made it easy to order any item you could possibly imagine, homemade gifts were often the present of choice. Although homemade gifts aren’t quite as common today, these presents can still be a thoughtful and unique choice for almost any occasion. Whether you enjoy knitting, sewing, or jewelry making, visit LoveToKnow Crafts for a complete selection of project ideas.