Monday, December 07, 2009
Tightening the Financial Belt!
With the tightening of the financial belt this year, the thought of buying presents is pretty stressful. You sit down with a glass of Chardonnay to write out your list and feel flabbergasted by its length. It includes ten extended family members, four or five neighbors, about five close friends, three teachers, and then your own immediate family.
That doesn't include the charity gift for the upcoming Boy's Scout's party or the one for your daughter's dance instructor. Then, there are cards, snacks for the festivities, and you really do need some new shoes for your kids' church performance next Sunday. So, how can you do it on a thinner budget? Here are five suggestions to save a little dough this holiday season.
First, go electronic when possible. This might seem kind of impersonal, but it could actually save some money. Many online gift purchases include free or minimal shipping charges. If you have a Costco card, check out their amazing online gift baskets starting at just $19.99. Most of them include free shipping and handling, so what you see is what you get. Also, if you haven't tried Overstock.com for a variety of items, now's the time to check out their website. With their less than $3 shipping no matter what you buy, you're bound to save some green.
If you're looking for great deals on photo gifts, check out Snapfish.com. Their homepage offers at least one current coupon-code, but you can find others by googling "Snapfish coupon code." I recently saved 35% on one photo-book order and then found a coupon code for free shipping for my next order. For the family member who has everything, give her a book of adorable family pictures that will remain a coffee-table favorite for years to come.
Another electronic way to save money and the environment is to send e-cards. While people love posting your adorable pic to their fridge each year, it's not like they can't print it out themselves if they want to. You can even make a quick family website that includes a plethora of photos along with individual updates. You can actually include even more pics this way and people can browse it from their smart-phones while waiting in hectic holiday shopping lines. To design your own website for free, look at Webs.com and Bappy.com. If you're not techy enough to design your own website, check out a simpler option by posting pics for free on Picasa.com or Flickr.com.
Second, when you buy those $5-$10 gifts for acquaintances and neighbors, go for the chocolates from the health-food stores. Look at some of the goodies from Fresh & Easy, Sprouts, and Trader Joe's. Fresh & Easy has organic chocolate bars and a nicely decorated box of chocolate mints for only $1.99. Their chocolate covered almonds and raisins are less than $3.50. Sprouts sells bulk item chocolates and nuts for a reasonable price, so if you need to fill that vintage green jar or the festive snowman tin, this is a great option. For a steal of a deal, check out Trader Joe's for their 14 oz. classic cookie collection for only $3.99 in a beautiful red box.
Ranging from $5-$10, you can get a nice assortment of gourmet chocolates packaged with plenty of holiday spirit. Slap on a nice ribbon with a card, and you are good to go. You could even throw in a reasonably priced bottle of wine and voila, you're done. If you love Merlot, go for the $2.99 bottle of Recoleta from Argentina. It's flavorful and tastes fancier than you'd think.
Third, if you're hosting an event where you're including everyone from A to Z, then opt for a white elephant gift exchange. Instead of feeling personally obligated to buy a gift for everyone who enters your front door, just tell guests to bring a gently used wrapped gift. That used coconut candle might not have been your favorite last Christmas, but that doesn't mean your best friend's sister wouldn't love it.
If you've got less of a fiscal cap, you could opt for a regular gift exchange; just make sure to put a price range on it, like $10-$15. You should also make an age-appropriateness to its description, like "for the big kids and adults," or "just for adults." That way your ten-year-old nephew doesn't get that fantastic bottle of Pinot Noir (though his mom might try to bribe him for it).
Fourth, decide that you're not going to charge things this year. No matter how hard that is, try to stick to a budget. If you're eating out on Christmas Eve, opt for something middle range like Mimi's Cafe rather than a fancy Ritz Carlton type of restaurant. You can create fantastic memories while spending $50-$75 for four people, rather than $200-$300. Mimi's is offering a Holiday Feast To-Go that serves six to eight people for just $79.99. It includes a whole cooked turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cornbread stuffing, a vegetable medley, turkey gravy, cranberry relish, carrot raisin nut bread, a pumpkin pie, and whipped cream. Check out MimisCafe.com for more tasty details.
Also, as you list out people's wish-lists, target two or three of the best items, rather than feeling like you have to buy everything they want. Your kids are the tricky ones of course because if they're anything like mine, their lists are longer than last month's grocery receipts. But with a little bit of self-control, you can narrow down the list to find the most significant treasures.
Fifth, you can donate services to your loved ones. If you're a great pet-groomer or hair-cutter, you can create home-made coupons offering your service. Maybe you're awesome at a foreign language and your sister's son needs some help in espanol this year. She'll love you for it, and as long as you include candy with it as well, he'll love it too.
What about your own artistic skills? You could offer to paint a small mural for your niece, who loves flowers and butterflies. Perhaps your hubby is an awesome techy-man like mine. Why not offer one hour of his help to your father-in-law who has been driving Mom crazy with his newest electronic gadget? This wouldn't have to be their whole present, but it makes a great stocking stuffer and shows thought and creativity as well.
While these tricks won't fill your Christmas tree with money, they will help you to save a little bit and maybe even a lot depending on your enthusiasm. Share other money-saving tips here. We'd love to hear from you!
That doesn't include the charity gift for the upcoming Boy's Scout's party or the one for your daughter's dance instructor. Then, there are cards, snacks for the festivities, and you really do need some new shoes for your kids' church performance next Sunday. So, how can you do it on a thinner budget? Here are five suggestions to save a little dough this holiday season.
First, go electronic when possible. This might seem kind of impersonal, but it could actually save some money. Many online gift purchases include free or minimal shipping charges. If you have a Costco card, check out their amazing online gift baskets starting at just $19.99. Most of them include free shipping and handling, so what you see is what you get. Also, if you haven't tried Overstock.com for a variety of items, now's the time to check out their website. With their less than $3 shipping no matter what you buy, you're bound to save some green.
If you're looking for great deals on photo gifts, check out Snapfish.com. Their homepage offers at least one current coupon-code, but you can find others by googling "Snapfish coupon code." I recently saved 35% on one photo-book order and then found a coupon code for free shipping for my next order. For the family member who has everything, give her a book of adorable family pictures that will remain a coffee-table favorite for years to come.
Another electronic way to save money and the environment is to send e-cards. While people love posting your adorable pic to their fridge each year, it's not like they can't print it out themselves if they want to. You can even make a quick family website that includes a plethora of photos along with individual updates. You can actually include even more pics this way and people can browse it from their smart-phones while waiting in hectic holiday shopping lines. To design your own website for free, look at Webs.com and Bappy.com. If you're not techy enough to design your own website, check out a simpler option by posting pics for free on Picasa.com or Flickr.com.
Second, when you buy those $5-$10 gifts for acquaintances and neighbors, go for the chocolates from the health-food stores. Look at some of the goodies from Fresh & Easy, Sprouts, and Trader Joe's. Fresh & Easy has organic chocolate bars and a nicely decorated box of chocolate mints for only $1.99. Their chocolate covered almonds and raisins are less than $3.50. Sprouts sells bulk item chocolates and nuts for a reasonable price, so if you need to fill that vintage green jar or the festive snowman tin, this is a great option. For a steal of a deal, check out Trader Joe's for their 14 oz. classic cookie collection for only $3.99 in a beautiful red box.
Ranging from $5-$10, you can get a nice assortment of gourmet chocolates packaged with plenty of holiday spirit. Slap on a nice ribbon with a card, and you are good to go. You could even throw in a reasonably priced bottle of wine and voila, you're done. If you love Merlot, go for the $2.99 bottle of Recoleta from Argentina. It's flavorful and tastes fancier than you'd think.
Third, if you're hosting an event where you're including everyone from A to Z, then opt for a white elephant gift exchange. Instead of feeling personally obligated to buy a gift for everyone who enters your front door, just tell guests to bring a gently used wrapped gift. That used coconut candle might not have been your favorite last Christmas, but that doesn't mean your best friend's sister wouldn't love it.
If you've got less of a fiscal cap, you could opt for a regular gift exchange; just make sure to put a price range on it, like $10-$15. You should also make an age-appropriateness to its description, like "for the big kids and adults," or "just for adults." That way your ten-year-old nephew doesn't get that fantastic bottle of Pinot Noir (though his mom might try to bribe him for it).
Fourth, decide that you're not going to charge things this year. No matter how hard that is, try to stick to a budget. If you're eating out on Christmas Eve, opt for something middle range like Mimi's Cafe rather than a fancy Ritz Carlton type of restaurant. You can create fantastic memories while spending $50-$75 for four people, rather than $200-$300. Mimi's is offering a Holiday Feast To-Go that serves six to eight people for just $79.99. It includes a whole cooked turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cornbread stuffing, a vegetable medley, turkey gravy, cranberry relish, carrot raisin nut bread, a pumpkin pie, and whipped cream. Check out MimisCafe.com for more tasty details.
Also, as you list out people's wish-lists, target two or three of the best items, rather than feeling like you have to buy everything they want. Your kids are the tricky ones of course because if they're anything like mine, their lists are longer than last month's grocery receipts. But with a little bit of self-control, you can narrow down the list to find the most significant treasures.
Fifth, you can donate services to your loved ones. If you're a great pet-groomer or hair-cutter, you can create home-made coupons offering your service. Maybe you're awesome at a foreign language and your sister's son needs some help in espanol this year. She'll love you for it, and as long as you include candy with it as well, he'll love it too.
What about your own artistic skills? You could offer to paint a small mural for your niece, who loves flowers and butterflies. Perhaps your hubby is an awesome techy-man like mine. Why not offer one hour of his help to your father-in-law who has been driving Mom crazy with his newest electronic gadget? This wouldn't have to be their whole present, but it makes a great stocking stuffer and shows thought and creativity as well.
While these tricks won't fill your Christmas tree with money, they will help you to save a little bit and maybe even a lot depending on your enthusiasm. Share other money-saving tips here. We'd love to hear from you!
Labels: exchange, family, friends, gifts
