Let’s face it, Christmas gifts can get expensive, but giving gifts doesn’t have to break the bank. With a little pre-planning and some helpful tips, it is possible to shop for Christmas gifts on a budget!
It’s also possible to give thoughtful gifts that the receiver will be sure to love this holiday season. Christmas is a joyous gift-giving season that you don’t want to miss out on due to stress.
Pre-Planning
Life is busy, but some careful planning can save a lot of time, money, and stress when it comes to the holiday season. Here are some practical tips that will keep you ahead of the game.
Budget
First things first, set a reasonable budget. This is going to look different for everyone. Remember to give yourself a little wiggle room for those last minute gifts or impulse buys. Keep in mind the number of gifts you are needing to buy and be honest with yourself. Make a gift list, go through the list and decide what you want to gift or make. Pre-planning will alleviate some of the financial strain later.
Practical Ideas
Purchase one $20 gift card each month of the year. By Christmas you will have twelve, $20 gift cards to give!
Shop sales throughout the year. Does one of your children love Legos? Watch for a sale on a large Lego set and put it away for Christmas.
Do you enjoy making photo books or custom photo albums for your immediate family? There are plenty of sales before Christmas on photo gifts that will save money and will allow you to add a personal touch.
Homemade Gifts
Do you want to show appreciation to neighbors, teachers, and other people in your life? A great option for these friends is homemade gifts. Some of the best gifts are not the most expensive gifts, but thoughtful presents that are homemade. For me, it’s all about the packaging. You can make anything look beautiful by spending a little time and effort on packaging. Here are a few ideas.
Create a basket gift. Thrift pretty baskets throughout the year or stock up on them at stores like TJMaxx or Ross. Purchase new dish towels, include a Christmas picture and choose one of the following:
- Homemade bread with jam.
- Homemade caramels
- Homemade fudge
- Homemade cinnamon rolls
- A Homemade Christmas Wreath
- A Homemade ornament
Experience Gifts
Gift an experience. There are plenty of places that have Black-Friday deals on experiences. Examples include a pass to a trampoline park, a local museum, a magazine subscription, or an app like Adventures in Odyssey or ABC Mouse for the kids.
Amazon Holiday Shopping List
Start making a gift list on Amazon. When black Friday or cyber Monday rolls around the items in your cart may be on sale with free shipping. Online shopping can make not only your life easier, but you can also get a great price.
Gift of Your Time
Yep, you read that right. You can gift your time. This can go hand-in-hand with an experience gift. Instead of getting your parents a traditional gift this year, get them a pair of concert tickets to enjoy with you. Or give the gift of a gift card to a favorite restaurant and let them know it’s for all of you to go and enjoy together. Taking a little bit of time and creating meaningful experiences can be a gift of great value.
Thrift Stores
One tradition my family loves to do is a secret Santa. The kids draw names for each other and then my husband and I buy for each other. After drawing names, we make a special afternoon of shopping together as a family. We enjoy going to our favorite thrift store and finding fun and unique gifts for one another. Shopping at the second hand store is not only a great way to save money, but honestly some of our favorite gifts have come from those special Christmas shopping days. Afterwords, we head to a coffee shop and enjoy coffee, hot cocoa and quality time together. On Christmas Eve, the kids are thrilled to gift their one-of-a-kind thrifted finds.
Stocking Stuffers
Do you enjoy giving stockings full of stocking stuffers? Try shopping at the dollar store. Stock up on favorite candy, crafts, hair accessories, cozy socks, and small toys that will bring a bit of joy without a large price tag.
Extra Money
You may have some items at home that you can sell for extra holiday money. Go through your closet and your kids closet and consign clothing or sell it online. The fall is a great time of year to sell or consign winter gear. For places that get a lot of snow, people are always looking for the next size up for their kids boots and coats. Another idea is to thrift these items and drop them off at a consignment store like Once Upon a Child. If you are interested in selling on Poshmark, learn how by getting my beginners guide to selling on Poshmark here.
The Best Time of The Year
Remember to not get bogged down in the financial stress of gifts. Start shopping early and shop smart. Set a date for when you want all of your Christmas shopping done and wrapped so you can savor the Christmas season a little more this year. If you enjoyed this post and need more inspiration, read my debt free holiday shopping guide here. Merry Christmas!
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LOVED the idea of purchasing a $20 gift card each month! Such great ideas for Christmas gifts!🤩
We always do baskets of homemade candy and cookies for family and friends and all of Santa’s gifts are thrifted.
When we put up our Christmas tree we put a Santa bag under it. Our kiddo has to put a certain number of toys he no longer plays with in the Santa bag to be donated. Santa then takes that bag on Christmas Eve back to the North Pole to have the elves fix those toys up for other little boys and girls for next Christmas. As such, all gifts from Santa that our kiddo gets are second hand. I buy them on Facebook marketplace and fix them up. Last year Santa brought a second hand wood Radio Flyer Wagon that had been refurbished with new hardware, sanded, painted, and with a personalized decal added with his name.
YOU have some great ideas! Thank you so much for taking the time to share.
Love the idea of time! Every father’s day/mother’s day I always take my mom or dad out for a nice meal, and it’s been the perfect gift – now that I am so busy with my own kids and don’t live in the same state as them, one-on-one time is hard to come by! They love it and I do too.
I love that idea for Father’s/Mother’s Day! Thank you for sharing.
Love your tips and ideas!
This is a great list! Brilliant idea to buy gift cards throughout the year. Saving these tips!!
I love the wisdom of preplanning & budgeting. As well as the personal touch of handmade & experience gifts!
Love the ideas! Thank you for sharing!