The countdown to Christmas 2009 has begun. Retailers have their Christmas garb displayed in prominent places reminding us that it's time to get down to the business of holiday shopping. For many families in today's economy, Christmas shopping can create an overwhelming sense of dread and despair. Incomes are down, jobs are scarce, and budgets are strained. Isles lined with tinsel, ornaments and holiday wrapping hit an emotional cord when money is tight and 'tis the season for gift giving.
Most families are more aware of their spending habits today than ever before, and gifts that pack a punch under $10 can help to relieve holiday stress and financial concerns. A little creativity and some extra effort can go a long way in staving off Christmas debt and keep you in the gift giving game this season.
Store Bought:
Buying a gift from a retailer doesn't mean it has to be expensive. Inexpensive doesn't mean it has to be a lame. There are tons of gifts available on the shelves that allow you to give a gift with a little zing.
- A bottle of wine is a great gift for friends and co-workers. This may sound a tad boring, but with a little embellishment you can make your bottle of wine a very unique gift. World Market carries a brand called Electric Reindeer during the holiday season and it comes in several different blends ranging from $6 - $8 per bottle. The bottle adorns a sassy little reindeer that embodies the Christmas spirit. Once you've landed on a bottle of wine, you can easily add a little zest. The dollar store carries wine bags for a buck. They come in a variety of different designs ranging from a replica of a stocking to a bag decorated with snowmen. You can find wine bags in just about any retailer, but they can be very pricey. A trip to the dollar store and an inexpensive, tasteful bottle of wine serves as a budget friendly gift for someone that is special to you.
- Serving ware that centers around a Christmas theme is a great gift idea and one that will continue to be used for years to come by your friends and loved ones. Scan the isles of your local retailers for sales on serving ware. Wal-Mart always has cute little plates that are generally under $3 and Kohl's offers a wide a variety of serving pieces that are deeply discounted in the weeks before Christmas. Couple a small plate with a cheese knife that looks like a reindeer or Santa to make for a useful and unique gift. An important part of staying within budget is the wrapping. Christmas bags can be expensive and eat into your budget if you are not careful. Use a solid color bag with tissue paper in green, red and gold to give it some seasonal flare.
Homemade Gifts:
Homemade gifts are thoughtful, fun to make and can be very budget friendly. You can customize them to make them fit the receiver of the gift or even mass produce them for your friends and family. In a recent trip to a craft fair, the creative juices began to flow and the idea of Christmas gifts went from fearful to fun.
- Embellish a clipboard. All you need is a few sheets of scrapbook paper, a little ribbon, decoupage glue, a craft knife and a little ribbon to make a truly one of a kind gift for your loved one. Chicks really dig this kind of stuff so you can have a lot of fun with it knowing that your girlfriends will love their adorned by you clipboard. Google your way to a creative design if you find you are creatively challenged. Google Images provides a host of clipboards that can help get your creative juices flowing. Clipboards can be found online and in retailers for one dollar or less. Scrapbook paper can be found for as little as twenty five cents per page. You can add a notepad to the clipboard and embellish the binding with ribbon. A few other ideas to give it a little pizzazz include adding a wooden embellishment, rhinestones or rub-on lettering to the clip.
- Clothespins can be turned into a precious treasure with a little creativity. Like the clipboard, you will need some scrapbook paper and decoupage glue. Get funky and fun by adding small wooden letters, like JOY, to the clothespin after you've embellished it with your scrapbook paper. Place a magnet on the back and it can be hung on the refrigerator or file cabinet to display important papers. Stand them up and they make great holders for pictures. If you don't embellish them too much, they can also make great chip clips year round. Package three or four of them together in a cute gift bag, and you will have created a truly one of a kind gift.
Photo Gifts:
When it comes to family, especially grandparents, photos make for gifts that induce a special pride that only grandparents understand. However, like you, there is only so much space on their walls for framed photos of your little ones, particularly if they are the grandparents of many.
- Photo books are fun to make and receive. There are countless programs online where you can design and print your own photo book with professional quality. No scrapbook materials or crafty genes required. Mixbook.com offers a mini-book for just $6.99. The mini-books are great for the grandparents that want to travel with pictures of their grandkids. It fits easily into grandma's purse. You can move up in style and size by sharing the cost with a family member who wants to go in with you on a photo book. Mixbook.com makes it easy by allowing you to invite people to contribute to your book online.
- Calendars and photo mugs almost seem old school now, but they make great gifts. Use your pictures throughout the year to incorporate with the month and season. You can also find desk calendars in retail stores and simply insert your picture into the appropriate slot. No technical skills required. Husbands take note; you can easily impress your wife with a thoughtful desk calendar filled with fun family memories from the year.
- If you have given the gift of pictures dozens of times and want to change directions a bit, why not create a memory book for a loved one using pictures of them dating back to their own childhood? Scan them in to order online or decoupage them into a solid black book. We did this for my father-in-law a few years ago. We used pictures ranging from his youth to when his three boys were young. It was so much fun to see him wander down memory lane as he recalled his youth and a time before his boys had developed their manly voices and hairy legs. This one was budget friendly, thoughtful and priceless for all of us. We rarely spend time in the past of our loved ones, and it is fun to share their history with them. Let them tell you stories about the pictures and you'll learn so much about them that the gift returns to you in the knowledge and understanding of their past.
Why not involve your kids in your homemade projects and begin a tradition with them in making gifts together and helping them to understand the value of being frugal? They won't remember what action figure you gave them when they were eight or what Barbie they received when they were six, but they will remember spending time with you. Priceless.
Next time you walk into the store and begin to feel the overwhelming suffocation of Christmas verses finances, remember that budget friendly gifts do not have to be void of meaning or embarrassing to give. Start planning now so you don't find yourself rushing for last minute gifts which can lead to overspending. Plan ahead, do a little bit at a time, and enjoy the holiday season with gift giving for under $10.