Dreaming of a Thrifty Christmas!

I'm always looking for creative ways to give gifts at the holidays that won't make my bank account suffer later. Add to that the fact that my family and friends have gotten harder and harder to buy for, and Christmas (and birthdays for that matter) can quickly become a headache! Which is sad, because that's not what it's supposed to be about.

Karen at Thriftymommy has posted a great list - a "Top 10" list of Clutter Free Gifts. Not only do these live up to their title of being clutter-free (yet another great thing to consider when buying someone a gift), but many of them are easy, and some of them can even be free to the giver - at least monetarily. Now, if you don't have time to spare, some of these won't work for you, but the concept is something you can build on. Here are just a few of her suggestions.

1. Homemade sweets or gifts. If you're a baker, bake something. If you're a crafter, make something. You get the picture.

2. Gift cards. An easy out, but how many times have you received a gift and thought, "oh, what am I going to do with this?" Or how about "what were they thinking?" It's better than giving cash, but covers the same principle.

3. Acts of service - such as kids cleaning the house for mom, or offering free babysitting for a friend so they can have an adults night out.

4. Make a donation in their name. Karen notes that this is a gift that is best given to someone you feel confident will appreciate it. Some people aren't too keen on the idea of their gift being a gift to someone else...

5. Take them on an outing. This is one I'm personally familiar with. My mom takes three of her nieces out for their Christmas gift every year to dinner and a movie. Usually it's just a pizza buffet or a fast food resturant, and she always limits the movie selections to age appropriate and parent approved choices, but it's something I think they've come to look forward to every year.

Anyway, Karen has a few more ideas to check out if none of these suit your needs, but these are some of my favorites. I especially like the make you own idea. I try to adopt this gift-giving trend each year, sometimes with more success than others! I love giving gifts, and these ideas make it a little easier. Enjoy your creative gift-giving, and if you have any more suggestions, let us know!

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Dreaming of a Thrifty Christmas!

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