Merry, Bright & Affordable Holiday Gift Ideas

Shopping Savings
on December 19, 2012

Christmas is the part of the year where people spend the most money. They spend small fortunes on gifts for their loved ones. The problem is that not everyone can afford to buy a brand new television or car for those that they care about, which is why it’s important to think of something thoughtful. To come up with something merry and bright while saving money during the holiday season, consider these gift ideas.

The first word of warning is to try to stay away from traditional things like fruitcake or clothing. There’s very few people who are crazy about the first and most people probably already have their own favorite pair of socks.

The second is to think of something that you would enjoy. The longer that you would keep it around or the more fun you can have with a gift, then the more the person you’re giving it to would probably enjoy it. That’s also the trick to coming up with affordable gift ideas.

The easiest and simplest gifts are often the best. For example, a bright potted plant that blooms for the majority of the year is an excellent idea that people will keep around them for the entire duration of the year. The key with making potted plants work is to choose something fun to look at instead of the traditional “office ferns” that are boring and uneventful.

If the person you’re trying to give a gift to doesn’t like plants, then you can try gift cards or even movie tickets. A $10 gift card is more than sufficient to buy songs on iTunes, a $20 gift card will purchase at least one item at Wal-Mart or a department store, and a $20 gift card is more than enough to purchase lunch for two people at most eating establishments. You do need to be careful with gift cards, however, because they can end up being mundane if you’re not careful. Put some thought into it and think of a place that the person you’re buying for would really like to visit.

Another set of wonderful Christmas gift ideas that ends up saving money are playing cards and board games. This is one of the most used ideas, however, and this means that you need to get creative about it. Purchase an in-expensive set of playing cards that have a unique set of designs or a board game that’s lesser known. If you really want to go the extra mile, try looking into games outside of your own country. For example, Go sets made for traveling can be a cheap gift idea for less than $30.

If you still can’t come up with something inexpensive but have access to a stove, then try your hand at baking. You don’t have to create a recipe from scratch, you just need to be able to add some spices and other flavors to make your batch of cookies unique. All it takes is an hour of work and less than $10 to make an entire batch of mostly homemade cookies that are delicious and easy to make.

Provided that you can avoid cliché Christmas gifts or put your own spin on gifts that have been done a thousand times already, you’re guaranteed to come up with a great gift for that special someone this Christmas. The point is that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to show someone that you care.

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