The Christmas season is one of the best times of the year for families to spend time together and enjoy each other’s company. It’s a time where the majority of the nation comes together to celebrate, spread joy, and decorate their homes inside and out.
Christmas is especially important to our kids. They enjoy the lights, the food, the decorations, and of course, the presents. However, buying presents for all of your friends and family can be a cause of financial anxiety.
Follow along with our gift giving guide to avoid as much stress as possible as we light the way toward unique gift ideas as well as some sound advice on saving money.
Your Frugal Gift Giving Guide
Sadly, the vast majority of Americans have a lot less money in the bank than they’d like. In fact, 80% of us are living paycheck to paycheck. Therefore, as much as everyone loves the Christmas season, it can sometimes come with a nagging feeling of lack over financial woes.
Fortunately, you don’t have to spend tons of money on someone to make them feel special during the holidays or even on Christmas morning. Additionally, there are plenty of ways to get all of your shopping in without blowing the bank.
1. Shop Out of Season
First, it’s always a good idea to start your Christmas shopping long before the season begins. Retail stores know how to make a killing during the holidays with tricks to get consumers to spend more money.
By shopping throughout the year rather than during the Christmas season, you can avoid higher prices and tricky store tactics that motivate holiday shoppers to spend more. Additionally, spreading your holiday shopping out, you can avoid taking large chunks of money out of your budget at once.
2. Take Advantage of Black Friday Sales
No gift-giving guide for the holidays would be complete without Black Friday shopping advice. Black Friday is one of the few exceptions to not doing your shopping during the holiday season. It can be a huge money-saver.
However, while most stores do offer great deals during this sale event, many consumers end up spending more money than they would without Black Friday deals. They get overwhelmed by the low prices and end up buying things, not on their list.
The key is to only buy what’s on your prewritten shopping list. Stick to the list!
3. Print and Frame Memorable Pictures
Framed photos are a fantastic idea for those looking to save money and give something meaningful. It’s also a budget-friendly way to take care of most of the people on your gift list.
You can either find pictures of you and the recipient together or stalk their social media page for some that seem worthy of framing. Either way, it will serve as a meaningful gift that doesn’t break the bank.
4. Family-Time Oriented Gifts
For kids, this gift-giving guide points you in the direction of family fun. Not only will it provide an easy way to keep costs down while hunting for presents, but it will also create an excuse for everyone to set down the electronics and do something interactive together.
For example, you can look for board games, puzzles, arts, and crafts.
5. Encourage New Hobbies
Speaking of arts and crafts, this might be a good time to start encouraging your children to pick up some new activities. The average child spends more than seven hours a day looking at a screen. Use budget-friendly Christmas gifts to encourage them to adopt some new hobbies.
You can buy them a sketchbook and some art supplies or some simple cookware to get them into baking. Alternatively, you could introduce them to origami or knitting.
6. Shop Online Deals
Another great tip for our gift-giving guide includes shopping for online deals. There are plenty of tips and tricks for shopping on places like Amazon or eBay to find the best deals.
The key is keeping an eye throughout the year on desired items waiting for the price to drop. You can also use coupons and special credit cards designed to give you the best rewards and save you the most money.
7. Knit Warm Winter Clothes
Most places in the US have cold winters. Therefore, one of the best budget-friendly Christmas gifts you can give nearly everyone on your list is homemade winter apparel.
If you’re handy with a knitting needle, you can make gloves, socks, hats, and scarves.
8. Homemade Goodies
Another option on our economically-friendly gift-giving guide includes sweets and goodies. Everybody loves Christmas cookies, no-bake/stove-top cookies, and homemade candy.
Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on everyone on your gift list, spend a day making giant batches of goodies you can share with them. Just make sure you pay special attention to peoples’ allergies!
9. Pajamas and Hot Cocoa
One of the best Christmas Eve gifts you can let your kids open the night before Christmas is a pajama and hot cocoa combo. It’ll give them some nice warm pj’s to sleep in and open presents the next morning.
Pair it up with a Christmas themed mug and some hot cocoa for a warm drink in the morning.
10. An “Evening with Mom” Coupon Book
Finally, if you really feel like getting creative, you can create an “evening with Mom” coupon book for your kids to spend however they please. Feel free to customize it based on what your kids like to do.
You could have a coupon for movie nights in and outside of the home, a restaurant night of their choice, or a family game night. Alternatively, you could even slip in some coupons they can use if they want you to do one of their chores.
More Mom Secrets
There’s an old quote that says it takes a village to raise a child. Just because we don’t live in villages anymore, it doesn’t mean we still can’t work together. Share this gift giving guide with other moms you know who are looking to save money during the holidays.
And for more valuable parenting advice and mom secrets, be sure to check out the rest of our articles!