i know its early but hoiliday gift time tips

[savingsmom]

ahhh xmass.....

oh what a price tag that carries!!!

'to save money' 1 or my families (i have 3 - real moms, real dads, then my husbands) decided to draw names - fine instead of having to buy for 6 we only have to buy for 2! - however we have to pay $100 !!!!!!! for those 2 people !!! ('to save money" yeah right not when everyone but us (i and my dear husband) thinks that the price limit should not be $50 per person !!!)

we personaly celebrate xmass but these tips could be for any time of the year

to me i parctice a few tips and save a bit of money

1 buy all year for gift giving
ex. i know that i have a friend that loves butterflies, so if i am ever at a garage sale or run into a type of sale that i would see a nice cheap butterfly painting i would get it and store it somewhear till it is her bday or xmass then give it to her (i have a 'gift tote' just for this)

2 if u can get something for free - why not. say u do not like candles but u know someone who does - get the free candles then when the time comes (or even before) pair those candles up with some loutions, bath salts, pretty soaps in a nice basket or tote of some kind (all of which can be bought cheaply at a local dollar store (i am talking a 'real ' dollar store like 'dollar tree' not a 'fake' one like 'family dollar' - through family dollar is a nice store)

3 regift the biggest problem with this is to be sure that no one knows - the best approuch would be to once u get the gift - DO NOT OPEN the packaging - and when u get home put a tag on the gift of the name from which side of the family is was given from (figure that if u got a gift from ur husbands family that ur aunts or grandparents on ur side of the family might not know that it was re gifted

4 baked goods
lots of Q are for groucery why not whip up some gift jars (normal clear jars or other containers that have the dry non perishable ingrediants layered through out the jar- then u attache the recipe on what to add and how to make it up to the gift) thier are many recipes available for all kinds of mixes and more specfic insturctions on how to do this
or u can always bake and give the finshed goods away in a nice tin or ziplock container

5 crafts thier are lots of easy no-sew to simple sewing involved crafts (Warning the cost of ur cloth could add up - fast)
i love doing puzzles and craft things and i think craft kits are a great gift for kids (check places like 'hobby lobby' for kits from key chains to making stepping stones - they cost anywhere from $5 - $20 or more- but lots of times throughout the year u can get them close to half off!)

6 advoid going in on gifts with others - it may work but then again. just use your judgement (1 yr others wanted us to pony up $25 - $50 !! on just 1 persons gift - and what happend we ended up getting around a $10 gift that she liked BETTER than what the others had bought for her - also i have it more than once that the gift A they were so excited about giving her truned out that they gave her just the money they had collected! to which she used it on something totally unexpected!)

7 the best time to buy things are after the hoilidays
need i say more about this!

8 keep notes (if u can remember that is) on what people say in conversations that they want through out the year (as in ' i wonder if this works' or 'i really like that, 'i sure could use that' , ' i wish i had that' ,'i want that' or last but not least ' give me that come next...')

9 cant figure out what to give then it never hurts to -ask- give the kid a gft cataloge with a wide range of prices and a marker and tell them to go wild

10 if their really into superman - about anything with him on it would be a hit (when the kids get a few yrs older then 'santa' might just get them new bed spreads or pillows with what they hapen to be into at that point)

i am sure that this has helped people lots
but thier are lots of other hints that i might of left out - so lets all contribute

[TinaKlein]

there will be lots of gift baskets made, and lots of happy people that get one

[gastonclipper]

Originally Posted by TinaKlein

there will be lots of gift baskets made, and lots of happy people that get one

my favorite "easy-but-looks-like-you-made-a-huge-effort gift" & I have given this out at least a dozen times - is to take a pretty colander (sometimes you can even find a nice enameled one in red or blue) and on top of lots of shredded paper add boxed spaghetti noodles and/or other pasta, a jar of sauce, maybe a utensil like a spaghetti spoon or ladle, maybe some parmesan cheese etc and if you are going to give same or next day some fresh green & red peppers - basically almost everything for a nice spaghetti dinner.
Wrap the whole thing in a big piece of cellophane wrap and put a big ribbon on it. voila great gift, big smiles.
If you shop the sales and/or thrift stores this gift is under $15 depending on the price of the colander or basket.
other ideas are a tea basket with mugs or hot chocolate basket with cocoa and marshmallows and a nice bar of chocolate.

[saverintraining]

Thanks for getting my mind churning on this topic! I've got to get a gift list made and decide what my $ limits are, ideas, and so on. I usually end up starting this list in November and then I'm already getting stressed so this should help!

[queennella]

my dd never knows what she wants...she is not a normal girl..she doesn't like anything pink/purple and nothing girly but she is not a tomboy no sports, etc. wow is it hard to shop for her....i have been using the toys r us catalog for a long time. when it comes out i give it to her with a pen and she circles what she wants. i tell her not to pay attention to prices (god love her but she does anyway)....she knows that she will not get everything that she circles but at least she will get what she wants instead of things she doesn't want...we then go over what she circled and make sure she know what it is and why she wants it and eliminate a couple of things...fo example one year she circled an ipod docking station not knowing what it was but it looked cute to her....when i explained that she didn't have an ipod and wouldn't be able to use it that quickly cam eoff of her list...
i have been buying for my mother lately as she loves things for the garden/yard...lots of cheaply clearanced items at rite aid for the garden that she will love...
mil and both sil's will get baskets full of candles/hba/etc that they will love....i will request that the baskets are returned to me whenever they get them emptied (no timeline)

xmas is so expensive that it hurts...dh and i haven't exchanged gifts with each other for the last 5 yrs....we decided that we get what we need when we need it and/or when we have the money....as long as we are together for the holidays it doesn't matter...after all that is what the holidays are all about.

[mckimba]

I have done gift baskets for years for the holiday. This year will even be better. Here are some ideas that have been big hits for mr.

For the office.... I always bake cookies, breads and bars and wrap them up individually then add tea bags, coffee sticks, hot chocolate packs, and all the other essentials (spoons, sugar packs, marshmallows, honey) So basically its a nice small treat for everyone to share. I have also done this individually using chinese take out boxes (they are cheap) and pack everything in them....I have done mugs too But that can get expensive

Family Gift.... I have done either "Game Night" (board game, munchies, hot chocolate, mugs, treats for pet, even slipper socks for everyone) "Movie Night" (DVD, popcorn, blanket, candy, beverages...I usually do this one in a large popcorn bowls and add in those indivdual popcorn containers)

Girlfriends.... I usually use a handbags/tote....fill it with makeup, hair care items, skin care samples (all that girly stuff) I usually find great buy on bags at Target at the end of each season for $2-$3 bucks)

If I think of more I'll post...The Dollar store is also great for stuff too as filler for these. I have a friend who loves trying new cleaning products...she just might get a bucket full of them this year ....lol

[TinaKlein]

Lets see what I got so far

For Guys..Gillette Body wash, shampoo conditioner, razor, and deodarant
Teens..Great Haircare Basket
Women: Lots of Bodywash

Oh and I got lots of Airwick Febreeze and Glade Air Fresheners

so Far....

[mam]

Thanks to CouponMom I've been stashing CVS loot in the closet for a couple of months now with the idea that I will use a bunch of it for my daughters stockings and pay way less than I normally do when I would run out in Dec and pay full price for it all. Also going to try and do gift bags for my hairdresser and a few others.

[bnkkey]

I love these ideas....I also shop all yr .My kids make a list of what they would like to have and I just go from there.I love making gift baskets.At Hobby Lobby I saw a puzzle of Audrey Hepburn.My oldest loves her! I think I might pick that up later and put some other stuff with it.I've done the movie basket...It was a big hit.Man!! This makes me want to start making baskets right now!!Keep the ideas coming!!!
On my side of the family we don't give presents.Us kids just buy for our parents.
On my dh side the kids draw names and the adults do a white elephant game...the limit is 25 bucks.We spend hrs stealing each others presents!! It is so much fun.

[californiashopper]

I already have most of my gifts for extended family members and friends, as well as a few gifts and stocking stuffers for the kids. I look at the clearance racks at all of the stores and use sale items. This year, some women are getting the robes that were on sale at CVS, along with some beauty items. I've bought several games on clearance that will go to siblings. I've got free candles and some other little things for teachers. Right now I'm stuck on my FIL and brother (hard to buy for) and my teenage daughter (she has tons of stuff already and more soaps, lotions, etc. than she will probably ever use!).