Is the economy bringing down your holiday spirit? The past year has been a financially difficult one for many people, but this doesn’t mean your gift-giving spirit needs to suffer. The tree doesn’t need to be surrounded by lots of expensive gifts this holiday season for it to be an enjoyable one. Rather, think creatively and give unique gifts this season, without involving much shopping and buying.
According to a Consumer Reports survey on holiday shopping, 65 percent of Americans plan on cutting back on their spending this season. Many people are planning to give more practical gifts, group gifts to couples and families, and many others will create personal gifts to give. About fifteen percent of employed Americans know someone who’s been laid off, so creating gifts to save money this year will definitely be an understandable practice.
Make a List. Check it Twice.
To help reduce the amount of gifts and supplies you’ll need to buy this year, plan ahead and determine beforehand for whom you’ll be shopping. Buy for close friends and family members, prioritize, and stick to your budget. Consider a few gifts in advance for each person and jot down the approximate cost of each. Making a list of what you’ll want to buy each person will help ensure that you won’t make any impulse purchases.
Get Crafty.
Gift giving can be especially challenging this holiday season for those who are out of work. Most people will understand that many are in a tight spot financially this year, but it’s key to create gifts that are personal and thoughtful without being cheap. Whether you’re a gifted seamstress, knitter, woodworker, or baker, take advantage of your existing talents to create extra-special presents for friends and family. Purchase a simple wooden box at a crafts store, and paint or decoupage it to create a personal keepsake jewelry box. Head to a local crafts store for supplies, from paint to beads to scrapbooking papers, or search for items you may already have at home, to save even more money.
Give the Gift of Food.
Food and treats, like cookies, cakes, and candy, are practical and delicious gift options. Buy mason jars from a crafts shop and fill with jams and candy, and decorate. Inspire some kitchen fun by layering ingredients in glass jars (for example: flour, chocolate, nuts, and brown sugar for brownies) and attaching a recipe.
Scrimp on Wrappings.
Spend whatever money you have on gifts and crafts supplies, not on what the gift comes wrapped in. Save any gift boxes, gift bags, tissue paper, and bows and reuse them to wrap your gifts. Be eco-friendly and reduce costs and waste by creating your own holiday gift wrap from appropriate newspaper sections, or decorating and painting the insides of grocery store bags.
Homemade Holiday Gift Ideas
- Scrapbook—collect pictures that are special to your gift’s recipient, arrange them in a scrapbook, and decorate with colored paper, stickers, and emblems.
- Recipe Book—Collect recipes from old magazines or online, write them out neatly on white sheets with spiral binding, and personalize a recipe book for someone who loves cooking or baking.
- Gift Baskets—Buy an inexpensive basket and fill with various themed items—chocolates, baked goods, books, winter scarves and gloves, etc.—and decorate simply with ribbon and cover with shrink wrap.
- “Dessert-of-the-month” or “Dinner-of-the-month” gift certificates to be delivered monthly for recipients are perfect for people who might not get to eat a lot of home cooking.
- Homemade Spa Set—Make your own bath products, add a loofah, and assemble in a basket. For example, you can make bath oil using almond oil, aloe vera, Vitamin E oil, and drops of fragrance oil.
- Calendar for Grandparents—Use a computer program to print out calendar months on 8.5x11 cardstock, decorate with your kids’ artwork and photos, and laminate and bind the pages together at your local copier.
- The Gift of an Experience—Tickets to see an inexpensive concert, play, or movie.
With a little creativity and invention this holiday season, you can save money on gifts while giving something that’s special and personal.
