After many months of anticipation, we’ve finally entered the season of joy, eggnog, and gift-giving! However, the act of giving can be a bit nerve-wracking when it comes to how expensive it can be. So, here’s a few tricks and stops to in order to keep your spending on the cheaper side:
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First, set a great budget.
You’ve got to set a budget when it comes to each person that you want to buy a gift for. It’s very, very easy to go overboard. Speaking from experience. It is much easier to stick to a specific price amount or even a price range than it is to pick and choose on who will get the most expensive gift or the cheapest. That guessing game will only result in spending more money than needed to impress everybody.
Make a gift list and stay true to that.
My issue is Target. If anyone else understands how alluring Target is then you’ll understand exactly what I mean. When in the midst of shopping, it’s easy to get off track and buy more things than you originally intended to purchase, so making a list about who gets what is highly beneficial because it keeps you from going overboard on your spending.
Try your hand at homemade gifts, but don’t make it too difficult.
If you can make anything from soaps to scrapbooks, to personalized jewelry, go for it! But the key to giving gifts that are homemade is the simplicity of it. Keep it simple by making what you know how to make, or if what you want to create is on the complex side, avoid stress by starting well ahead of time.
Gift cards are wonderful!
I understand how it can seem a bit lazy to get someone you care about a gift card since it comes off as lazy; but getting someone a thirty-dollar gift card to their favorite place or one for general use will have more effect on the recipient than getting them thirty dollars’ worth of something that they didn’t want or necessarily need.
Start shopping pronto!
Right now is the best time to buy presents. It gives you time to focus on what you want your friends or family to have and alleviates last minute jitters. Coming up with gifts that are meaningful and thoughtful already requires a good amount of attention, so, buying gifts sooner rather than later will keep you from stressing yourself out in the long run.
Sweat the small stuff.
Not everything requires a grandiose presentation. Therefore, gift exchanges fall in that same category. Remembering something that someone mentioned that they wanted and giving it to them. There will be instances when the recipient you’re buying for deserves the world, but settling for a candle that harbors their favorite scent is just as great. There are times when going all out is necessary, but not every gift needs to be that way.
Not everyone needs a present.
Lastly, it’s easy to fall into the joys of gift-giving and trading gifts with everyone that comes your way. It’s easy to give everyone you know and love a present, but doing so will burn a pretty big hole in your pocket. Keep in mind who you intend to buy something for ands stick to it. Giving presents can be fulfilling, but you also don’t want it to mount a wedge between you and paying your bills on time.