Yesterday we talked about money-saving tips for holiday shopping. Today I wanted to make a second part that also focused on how to stretch your dollar when buying gifts, rather than how to save up front. If you want to learn about that, check out my post from yesterday.
Go Halfsies
This is very common in large families but I find that it’s broadly useful. If you have a budget of $50 per gift, and you found the perfect gift that is $100, there is no shame in pooling in with someone else who also has a budget of $50. I think sometimes people get all in their heads about gifting, and think they’re going to be judged. Especially if the gift recievers are children, they’re not going to care that grandma and auntie had to pool their money for their gift, they’re just going to be happy that they got what they wanted.
DIY It
Now this does not apply to all craft and fiber arts, which can be very time consuming and expensive. But there are some things you may be able to make that shows your appreciation to those you love without breaking the bank. People love getting baked goods, for example. When I was growing up, my family always gave Christmas cookies to our neighbors, friends, and teachers. My parents only really bought the baking ingredients, since we re-used containers that we already owned. We often reused holiday cookie tins that we had, but sometimes we would use plain Tupperware.
Thrifting
I understand that you may not want to gift someone a used item. However there are often unopened or new with tags items both at local thrift stores or on Facebook Marketplace for a fraction of the original price. I would not recommend getting tech this way, as you don’t know if it will work. But your mileage may vary on this.
Written by Brigid Coffey
