Tis the Season for Giving (on a budget)

I LOVE to give gifts! I love shopping/making them, wrapping them, and hopefully if I did a good job with all of the above seeing that special someone smile when they open them! This year like many others I’m trying to be as frugal as possible. When you have a BIG family like I do it’s not always easy to do but I’m doing things a little differently and thought I would share how I’m saving this year.

*I normally do not make a Christmas list but this year I did! Kent needs a little guidance in the gift giving department so I thought I would help him out. I asked for a few cook books and made sure I requested USED copies. I would much rather a USED book. Usually they are just as good as new ones and wayyyy cheaper.

This Martha Stewart book made it to my list and can be found at Amazon (used) for $5.00. If it was new it would cost $20.00! I don't mind a few bent pages.

*I’ve also gathered a few coupons for Kent to use should he decide to purchase an item from a certain store. I hang them on our chalkboard in our laundry room so they are there and ready for him if he wants to use them.


*Kent loves to get clothes for Christmas. It works out great for us because I get to pick them out (which I like) and he doesn’t have to go clothes shopping (which he is not too fond of). This year he requested that I buy him clothes from thrift stores. I had a hard time with the idea of wrapping up a used shirt but the more I talked to him about it the more I saw that he would really rather the clothes I bought be from Goodwill. I buy him goodies from Goodwill throughout the year, I just felt a little bad wrapping up something I paid a $1.00 for but I did it anyway and I found some really GREAT things! I washed everything first so they are all clean and wrapped under the tree. How lucky am I to have a guy that loves clothes from Goodwill!!

I bought a fun shirt similar to this one at thrift store. Shirts made by this Italian designer go for $80.00-$100.00. I picked one up for $2.99 what a steal!!!

I also picked up a Banana Republic long sleeve tee that looks a lot like this one for $2.99. It would have cost me $60.00 at the store.

*This year I’m doing a lot of homemade gifts. They do require a bit more time than going out to buy something but they come with a little extra love! I’ve tried to come up with things that are usable and would be something my friends and family can enjoy. I’ll share what I came up with after Christmas since a few family members read my blog. I’ve also notice that you can save if you make the gift multiple times meaning you are able to use any extra supplies to recreate the gift.

*My bud Jennifer and I have agreed to not gift anything NEW to each other this year. It can be something from Goodwill or something we made but nothing brand spanking new! I love this idea and have had fun being creative with it.

*All gift givers should have this book! I picked this little guy up in the clearance section at Half Priced books for $3.00. I’m loving this cookbook!!! It’s full of wonderful ideas for gifts from the kitchen and has some great gift wrapping tips. You can also find this guy on Amazon used for super cheap. It’s $ 15.00 for a new version at Barnes and Nobel.

Now I want to hear from you!What are some things YOU are
doing to save in the gift giving department this year?