Holiday Gift Giving

This tip is especially helpful for large families. Although it is fun buying for and receiving from everyone, it can be very expensive. Make an agreement with your family that you will continue to buy for the children but that the adults will go with a name exchange. This way the children are not disappointed and you can spend a little more on one or two people rather than spreading your money thin. For the members that you did not pick to exchange with, bake a loaf of their favorite homemade bread or cookies.

Don't forget your pets or your friends pets at Christmas. Homemade pet treats are inexpensive, unique gifts, and good for the pets too. Find easy recipes here Special Ways to Care for Your Pet

Here’s another way to give gifts to everyone for less then
$1.00 each…

Do you own a computer?

If so the chances are you will have all the equipment you need to implement the following money saving gift strategy. You will need to already own a computer, scanner or digital camera and CD burner.

The idea is to take photos… either with your digital camera or scan in photo’s from your existing album of your family. Create a slide show and burn both the individual photos and slide show onto the CD. This will cost you less then $1.00 for each CD and your family members will love it.

By having the individual photos on the CD your family members can print out there own images afterwords. This is especially great if you have photos of major family events throughout the year such as reunions, gatherings and birthdays. You could also create calendars and even video shows with the same content and burn them on the CD as well.

Another idea that costs virtually nothing is to create a slide show on youtube.com Creating an account is free and then use the link to upload your own video or slide show. For my family I created slide shows on youtube that were a collection of pictures I found on the Internet about their favorite thing. For example, my granddaughter loves animals so I created this video for her. Animals in All Their Glory or this one for my daughter who love hummingbirds Hummingbird Photos Follow the upload instructions on youtube and then add their music with just a click. Instant video, instant gift!

Clearance

Always head straight for the clearance rack where you can find amazing bargains. Sometimes you may have to dig a little to find the right item but the savings will be well-worth your time. Most clearance racks offer variety, current trends, and great value. For example, Bed, Bath & Beyond has a clearance section where you can find all kinds of wonderful household items for a fraction of the original cost.

Another great way to save money is to shop on the Internet. There are big savings to be had from online auctions especially eBay. Auctions like biz.com have in the fine print a minimum amount is necessary for every order no matter what your bid ended up being. It may look at first like an amazing deal but watch the shipping and minimum costs involved before you commit.

So, be careful to take into account the cost of shipping before buying a product this way. There are a lot of amazing deals online. Know your products. Other huge savings can be made from online stores because in most cases you are purchasing direct from the wholesaler.

As it gets closer to any holiday, most online stores will offer great deals with shipping costs as an incentive to buy from them. This means a big savings in your pocket. The only problem is the post office factor around holidays. Usually it takes longer to get a package than normally so you will need to take this into consideration.

Christmas time is a great time for 'homemade' treats. My friend and family always love something from the 'oven'. I have found that websites like Bisquick, Better Homes and Gardens, Cooking shows, all have wonderful videos and ideas for making gifts and unique recipes that are tasty and different. Its free to wander the Internet. I have been a crocheter for years and found several free patterns online. Search engines are wonderful tools. Be specific as possible and it will save you time finding just what you need. If you do crochet you might consider making ornament covers as gifts. If found clear acrylic ornaments with holes at the top for potpourri and then followed a youtube video to create a special vintage cover. The potpourri smells wonderful and the tree lights shine through the clear bulb making it sparkle. You can find my favorite pattern at How to Crochet Thread Christmas Balls

Thrift / Surplus Stores

Unfortunately, thrift and surplus stores have been given a bad rap. Many of these stores are filled with hundreds of top quality items. Stores like Big Lots, or Dollar Mart especially.

Name brand merchandise is easy to find but just like clearance racks, it takes some time to find. Find a thrift or surplus store close to where you live and then plan spending some time to find
those outstanding bargains.

One woman in Kansas City, Missouri located such a store about 20 minutes from her home. After shopping through every isle over the period of two hours, she walked out of the store with
eight huge garbage bags filled to the brim with designer clothes for her and her children, many with the original tags still attached. She even found a couple of Liz Claiborne suits for herself at $5.99 each and a Dooney Burke purse normally valued at $225 for $19.95. Her children had an entire season of school clothes and best of all, she paid less than $200. You just never know what you will find.