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Holiday Giving Without Breaking the Bank
On the Frugal Living message board, mps721 wonders, "How do those of you with large families and not much money do Christmas? How can we celebrate Christmas without going bankrupt?"
It's no surprise that this is a question we're seeing a lot of in the community -- and it's not just on the minds of those with large families. Many are trying to cut back on holiday spending this year -- either due to economic caution or hardship caused by debt and job loss. Luckily iVillagers are at the ready with a multitude of tips and ideas for stretching any gift-giving budget -- or coping when there's really no budget at all. Many families are cutting back on the number of gifts, relying on the good old-fashioned name draw or white elephant gift exchange, or opting to put their funds toward one family gift everyone can enjoy. Most everyone agrees that this year part of the strategy is to adjust the expectations your family and friends have about presents.
If you don't want to give up on gifts but need some low-to-no-cost ideas, here are some fabulous ideas from our Frugal Living friends:
"Use a dollar store bowl, put some popcorn in it (unpopped, you can also buy it in bulk and bag it yourself), make a spice jar size container of popcorn seasoning (you can do different flavors for each kid, whatever their fave flavor is) and a certificate to pick out the movie at the rental store, or pick a movie to watch on TV or in your own movie collection, depending on your budget." -- karabella_mom
"Stockings: Keep it simple. Roll up a magazine, comic books or coloring book and tie off with ribbon. This fills out the center of the stocking nicely. Add in a box of crayons for the one getting a coloring book and fill in with hard candies, gum, an individual bag of microwave popcorn, homemade granola, dried fruit and nuts. Add a new toothbrush and a travel-sized toothpaste in each child's favorite flavor." -- ma2connor
I scouted some more great ideas from iVillagers across all of our boards, including the Budgeting, Frugal Families, and Christmas message boards:
"I do canning and I love to bake, so one year I made jams and baked bread and put them into baskets for Christmas. Another year I did an ice cream topping basket for Christmas. I made walnut syrup topping (canned), praline syrup and strawberry topping and put it into a basket with chopped nuts, sprinkles, cherries and some marshmallow cream." -- scoopsmommy
"Instead of buying a gift for everyone in a family, think about giving one gift that everyone can enjoy. How about a jigsaw puzzle? Package it with a big package of microwave popcorn and some hot chocolate mix and they'll be all set for a fun family night!" -- cl-bessieboo
"For friends, I make my favorite cookies in bulk and then freeze them until I need them. I'll also make the dough and put it in disposable containers for my friends that want to make their own cookies, so their house smells so good." -- mama_krishna
"One of the things I did last year for the girls that they really loved: I found cute photo albums at the dollar store and printed filled them with pictures from some of our Disney trips and far away family. It was a really inexpensive gift, but they loved it." -- mzjulie2000
"Do you have some sort of expertise you could share? Teaching folks to bake, for example, or helping older family members learn to use the computer might be very appreciated. I have a girlfriend who loves me very, very dearly because her Xmas gift to me every year is to clean my filthy house from top to bottom. Best gift EVER." -- mrshofman
"I like to sew and I have a lot of left over material around, so I am making placemats. I am also doing jar gifts and I have made corn bags to heat up in the microwave oven. Then [I will make] scented heat pads for hot pans on the table or coasters." -- iamom300
"Older parents are hard to buy for... I have been making photo books online and photo calendars for my parents and also putting together photo albums of my daughter." -- jepcep
"My first response when I want to give out inexpensive gifts is to fall back on my art skills. A lot of times I will make a painting of some sort, or else I will make stationery. This year I am knitting some shrugs and scarves." -- kw135705
"Make a home-cooked meal -- you could even do it as a freezer meal to save, or ask them to pick a night in January and you will deliver it. This is especially good for busy families or older people." -- karabella_mom
Are you cutting back this year or have you always had a frugal or simple approach to the holidays? Share your gifting strategies here with us! Be sure to also check out our picks for gifts under $15 for more ideas.
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This year (and probably for now on), I bought reusable cloth grocery bags for presents instead of traditional wrapping paper or gift bags.