How to Save Money on Presents

Holidays and birthdays may become stressful occasions as money becomes tight during the holiday seasons. There are many ways to save on presents for those costly occasions. Keep an eye out and follow a few money saving tips to help stay within your budget.

  1. Shop all year. Check out clearance and other sales for items that would make a great gift. You may be able to find the perfect gift at a discounted cost.
  2. Add a gifts section into your money budget to reduce big, costly surprises when something unexpected comes up. If you don’t use it one month, put it aside in your saving account. You’ll have it when you need it or when the perfect gift appears, you will have money in hand.
  3. Get creative! Make homemade gifts with your hidden talent. Love to sew, cook or scrapbook? Make a baby blanket instead of purchasing one or bake a treat to give as a present instead of buying something. Learning a new talent can be as easy as taking a local class at your community college or from a reading a book borrowed from the library. Use that talent to reduce the amount of money spent on gifts.
  4. Think outside the box! Have an Uncle who seems to have everything and never know what to get him? Make a donation under his name to his favorite charity or support a cause he’s passionate about. He’ll receive word from the charity and appreciate the thought and consideration that was put into his present.
  5. Re-gift. Still have that sweater your mom gave you that just didn’t fit right or that dining set that your grandmother thought would be perfect, but isn’t really your taste? Re-gift it. Do it thoughtfully to make it successful.
  6. Buy a joint present. Everyone understands that with the state of the economy, lavish present are not in order. Instead of finding a gift for ten dollars, put your money with another person going to the party and you can get a more expensive gift without spending more than your budget will allow.
  7. Shop online! A few presents can be found for cheaper at an online source.  Websites like amazon, ebay or etsy always have good deals and can make a really good present on your list. You might even be able to get it personalized with a special message or saying.