5 Creative Ways to Save Money on Gifts During the Holidays

The holidays are a time to come together with your closest friends and family. Gift exchanging is a wonderful tradition that allows you to give your loved ones gifts that you know will bring them joy. However, the holidays can also be quite expensive when it comes to gift giving. Here are 5 creative ways to give your friends and family members gifts they will love while still saving money during the holiday season.

1. Give a meaningful photo gift. Since a majority of our personal pictures are online because of technology, many people don’t have physical, hard copy pictures or photographs anymore. Photos can inexpensively be incorporated into a variety of gift options that will be sure to impress. Your friend or family member will be very touched and grateful to have photos that remind them of special memories and times spent together. Consider creating or buying a photo frame for a printed photo. In addition you may choose to use your craftiness and make a photo album or a scrapbook. These gifts are special, personalized, and cannot be bought in a store. Plus, they will be looked at and appreciated for years to come.
2. Baking is a great way to celebrate the holidays and baked goods can make an ideal gift. Many individuals bake large quantities of cookies during the holidays and decoratively wrap them up in tins or paper to give to loved ones. This is a great way to ensure you don’t forget anyone on your gift list during the holidays including co-workers, family friends, and even neighbors. For more personal approach, you may even choose to incorporate a recipe for the baked goods you’ve given so that the recipient of your gift can make them for themselves in the future! Another way to do this is to provide the cookie or baked good mix in a decorated mason jar. This will provide all necessary ingredients and the recipe. All the recipient has to do is mix, bake and enjoy!
3. Consider your friend or family member’s favorite hobbies. Instead of spending money on a gift card or silly sweater they may never use, think about what would be truly useful or interesting to him or her. Consider buying them a magazine subscription on knitting or buy them a book about improving their golf game. If they enjoy making crafts, give them a cute set of crafting tools and essentials to help them stock their inventory! Showing you care and notice their interests and passions will ensure your loved one knows you but a lot of thought into your gift.
4. Be sure to utilize and take advantage of holiday sales. This doesn’t mean you need to brave the crowds on Black Friday after Thanksgiving. Most sales will last all day so you can choose non-peak times to go. Also, many department stores will hold their own sales from time to time leading up to big holidays in store as well as online. Online shopping can be especially successful if you wait until Cyber Monday. You’ll get bargain deals without having to leave the comfort of your home or desk! In addition, look out for coupons in catalogs, or online like CouponLoco, CouponLoco has many discount options and deals.
5. Instead of just cutting back on gift expenses, you can also save on the wrapping! Wrapping paper, bows, nametags, cards, and gift bags can become super expensive and can really damage your budget during the holidays. If you can save money on wrapping, you may even be able to spend a bit more on the gifts you give. Consider wrapping your presents in newspaper. This is also good for the environment since you are recycling instead of just using fancy paper once and then sending it to the garbage can! Newspaper can actually look really unique and beautiful, and will be sure to stand out at gift giving time.

Gift giving isn’t about who can spend the most money, it’s about giving something your loved one will appreciate and cherish. Instead of simply buying the most popular and expensive gift, make sure to give something that is meaningful and useful so that any money you do spend is well spent and worth it. All in all, remember that the holidays are not about presents, they are about showing the people you love how much you care and enjoying quality time with them.