Many of us love giving gifts, but have a hard time finding the money for them. Here are some great Christmas gift-giving ideas that won’t leave you broke.
If You Have a Big Family, Draw Names
The easiest way to cut back on Christmas spending is to reduce the number of people on your shopping list. Buying gifts for your mother, father, brothers and sisters as well as aunts, uncles and cousins is probably unrealistic on a tight budget. Propose a gift exchange if you have a large family, where each person draws a name and purchases a gift for that person only. This will save everyone a tremendous amount of money and stress – they’ll thank you for it later! As an added bonus, you’ll have more time and/or money to spend on gifts for friends and co-workers. Isn’t that the spirit of Christmas, spreading the joy to as many as possible?
Bake Something Delicious
Who doesn’t love a nice batch of fresh homemade cookies? With so many recipes available online, you can go crazy experimenting with muffins, cookies, scones and brownies. 
Find a recipe you like and make an extra large batch to give as gifts. If you need inspiration, try these lovely Christmas Sugar and Butter Cookies. Be sure you package them properly so they stay soft and moist, and wrap it all nicely with bright and festive colors. Presentation counts for a lot with homemade gifts.
Watch For Sales And Coupons
However much you plan, some last-minute need for a gift always seems to pop up in the days or weeks before Christmas. Be prepared by watching for circulars and promotions offered in you neighborhood. For instance, department stores like Macy’s are famous for seasonal sales, and with our Macy’s coupon codes, savings can be increased significantly. Use online, print or clip these out when you see them, just to be prepared.
DIY Craft Ideas
If you can’t find that one great item, you can easily put a nice package of several smaller items together for $10-$15. Know someone who loves to cook? Grab a basket and toss a few kitchen items in there with whatever food items you find interesting. Or maybe you know a special lady who likes to pamper herself – you can easily put a basket of sweet-smelling lotions, washes and scrubs together for a fraction of spa package prices.
Whether you have the magical craft thumb or not, your friends and family will definitely enjoy a personalized gift that you made yourself — and really, it’s the thought that counts. Plenty of great Christmas DIY ideas can be found on Pinterest (the popular smartphone app) or even on craft sites such as The 36th Avenue, where you can find loads of tutorials for Handmade Christmas gifts.
Try The Local Dollar Store, Really!
If you’ve never visited one of these stores, you’ll be shocked at what you can find for a buck or two. Everything from hand tools and other household items to makeup and books can be found here, brand new and ready to be wrapped.
Give Yourself Away, For Free
Not literally of course – we’re talking about services here. You can make special handmade coupons that your friends and loved ones can redeem in the future. Know someone with kids? Offer to babysit one night for them, free of charge. Or you can offer to cook a nice meal for someone who is too busy to do it for him or herself. The most important thing here is to be creative, and offer something thoughtful or unusual that they wouldn’t otherwise get. And if you think it’s okay to give your girlfriend a coupon for a massage, think again!
This article was written by Jeff a friend of Vouchercodes.ca who has a real talent on watching the pennies. Don’t hesitate to submit to us any article that might be helpful to the community! Thanks.
If you end up not having to buy that extra gift, why not reward yourself with a little something?
This post was getting more traffic recently, so I thought it might be appropriate to repost it to the top of the pile in our tips section. Have a read and learn some tips on how to keep those Christmas presents within budget.
Have any more tips? Share them!