5 Ways to Save Money On Holiday Shopping

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Considering the current state of the economy we have started to think very seriously about the best way to save money on Holiday shopping this Holiday season.  Here are five ways to help your family keep on budget for gifts this year.  We’d love to hear your ideas too!

Use Your Points

With the airlines cutting back on miles seat availability and increasing the number of black-out dates most of us find it almost impossible to use our credit card points for flights these days.  Why not use them for your Holiday shopping?  Most miles/points clubs offer gift cards to major department stores in exchange for points - some even offer actual products.  You can use the cards to go Holiday shopping or just give the cards as gifts.  My point program also offers magazine subscriptions and movie tickets - both of which make great gifts.

Pollyanna

Well we call it a Pollyanna but you may have another name for it.  I’m one of four children.  Three of us have spouses, not to mention 6 children between us.  Holiday shopping can get crazy.  When we reached adulthood we made a Holiday deal.  We would all put our names in a hat and pick one name each.  The rules are that you only buy for the person you select and the gift must be $35 or less.  Of course this means all the girls are crossing our fingers that we get picked by my brother who manages a jewelry store :-).

Let Your Creativity Blossom

Don’t deny that your favorite gifts of all time are those given to you by your children when they were young.  I know you have all those hand-prints and glitter laden handmade cards stashed away for safe-keeping in a closet somewhere.  These are our favorite gifts because of the obvious love and sincerity that went in to making them.  Why not use your creativity to create gifts for family that they will want to keep forever?  Are you a writer?  Write a poem for your Mom or Dad and use beautiful calligraphy and a photo frame from Target to make it in to a keeper.  Have a fun photo session with the kids and Photoshop some fun and funky photos for relatives.  Create a special scrapbook for a loved one with the commitment to complete a page a month for the following year.  Who needs another “thing’ after all - gifts of love like these will be remembered.

Give the Gift of Time

In today’s busy world the most precious commodity of all is time.  A gift of your time will be appreciated by anyone on your list.  How about presenting a “personal chef” coupon to your friend who is a working Mom?  You will come over once a month to cook a meal for her family.  How about a gift of one-on-one time per child for your horde of nieces and nephews?  You could present your Aunt with a “gardening company” coupon.  Do you have special skills?  How about giving computer lessons to your Grandma, or sewing lessons to your sister.  Even better - declare this Holiday a “time gift” only Holiday and challenge your whole family to create special gifts of time.

Give on a Deferred Payment Plan

Do you want to give a more traditional gift of flowers or books?  Many companies out there offer a “Book of the Month”, “Flower of the Month”, “Fruit of the Month”, “Wine of the Month”, etc…  With most of these types of gifts you can choose to pay on a monthly basis rather than all at once.  We have our own “Gift of the Month” program with our Collector’s Club.  You could send an outfit a month to your favorite doll lover and only pay on shipment.  Give a year-long gift or only 3 months it’s up to you.