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Santa is slimming down this yearor at least his wallet is. Consumers are taking more advantage of sales and the Internet to purchase gifts at the best value they can find.
The flipside of this is that gifts have now become expected beyond just your family and friends. Its always thoughtful to give to meaningful and influential people in your life, such as your boss and assistant or your teacher, but society now dictates giving to everyone in your social network. Crossing guards, bus drivers, librarians, and bank tellers are making out like bandits. They may deserve it, but your wallet takes a beating in the process.
Here are a few creative ways to show you care without forking over your entire savings.
Holiday Cards
Evergreens arent the only trees slaughtered this season. Cut down on the demand for Christmas cards by sending eco-friendly e-cards. Here are some free sites:
+ Evite www.evite.com
+ Hipster Cards www.hipstercards.com
+ 123 Greetings www.123greetings.com
If you want to send out a physical card, simply turn the fronts of old cards into postcards.
Wrapping Paper
Again, recycling is key to saving the earth and your money.
+ If youve received a gift bag and its still in good condition, reuse it to give your gift. (Just make sure to remove any and all former cards and gifts.)
+ Everyone knows to use comics as wrapping paper, but holiday-themed stories and ads for toy stores work nicely too.
Presents
Use what youve got.
+ For the kiddies: Infants dont know what gifts are and toddlers will only end up playing with the box the gifts come in, so dont even bother; instead, offer childcare help to the parents and take lots of cute pictures of their kids. You could even make a Babys First Christmas ornament simply by gluing a photograph onto one of your own ornaments.
+ For the rugrats: Older kids should obviously idolize you so impart your hipsterdom on them by passing down your treasure trove of junk. Theres your collection of retro board games (remember Girl Talk?) and Choose Your Own Adventure books. If youve got a few bucks, you can get funny toys from the dollar store.
+ For the teens: Angsty and hormonal, their tastes are dictated by the whims of their classmates so nothing you get them will be perfect. Save your money and hand down free-gift-with-purchase makeup youve collected and test-driven bottles of nail polish, your dog-eared copy of Dave Eggers A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, and guitar tabs to a cutting-edge indie song played on a WB show. IOUs for driving them to the mall or giving them driving lessons are great too.
+ For a cleanly co-ed: Quarters were gold when I was in college. Take whatever spare change you have and convert it into quarters so your college-student friend can do their laundry. Stick in a zip-lock baggy full of your laundry detergent, and theyll find a way to stay clean the whole semester.
+ For the proud parent: Holidays are a busy time. Give the gift of time. Offer to babysit for parents so they can scour the toy store for the latest hot toys. You could also help with chores like cleaning or grocery shopping, as many new parents are overwhelmed with the prospect of hosting relatives all flocking to see the new baby. To present your gift, wrap up an old clock or watch (or a picture of one) and attach a card that says youre giving them the gift of time.
+ For your parents: Holidays should make you feel like a kid again. Give something to your parents that reminds them of their childhood. It could be a retro snack, a DVD of their favorite show (or better yet of them as a child), an old photograph of the house they grew up in, a newspaper from their hometown or the college they attended, the perfume their mother used to wear, or a board game they always talk about.
+ For that someone special: Anything dripping in sentimentality will do well as long as its sincere. Dont just make a mix-tapemake a mixtape of songs that played on your first date or songs that make you think of that person. For a scrapbook, dont just include photographs, but also ticket stubs and wrappers from the candy bar you shared. Also, create a holiday traditiondecorate a gingerbread house together and kiss under the mistletoe.
+ For your fashionista friend: Check out our tutorials for DIY fashion. The step-by-step directions show you how to use simple supplies you may already have at home to jazz up inexpensive shirts. There are also cute jewelry ideas that you can use to give your friend who wants a one-of-a-kind piece.
+ For the epicurean: Dig through your cabinet and put together a festive holiday jar. Layer rice, beans, and bullion cubes for a jar of soup. Layer hot chocolate, coffee, and crushed candy canes for a peppermint mocha. Stick a few tea bags from each of your boxes of tea in a jar or mug and youve got a tea sampler for a cozy night.
+ For the person who hates cooking: Scrounge up as many take-out menus as possible and make a binder with categories like Best Mushroom Pizza and Kickin Kung Pao.
+ For someone who could use your skills: Create a coupon booklet of services you can provide to people, whether it be shoveling or mowing their lawn, massages, computer help, driving lessons, tax preparation, or cleaning. Put a lot of thought into it to gear it specifically towards that person and make sure to have a creative presentation to show that you really are putting effort into the gift.
+ For the craftster: Put together a kit of materials. Old magazines, safety pins, empty toilet-paper rolls, dried flowers, outdated stamps, bottle caps, and scraps of wallpaper can be repurposed into masterpieces.
+ For the music aficionado: Use the Internet or your local library to find out about the music history of said music lovers hometown. Compile a list of historical points of interest and make a corresponding soundtrack.
+ For your officemates: Instead of individualized gifts, set out a platter of home-baked cookies and hot-chocolate mix.
+ For those less fortunate: Bloodsucking charities guilt trip you hard this time of year. Not having the money is not an excuse to disregard those who are less fortunate. Go to a nursing home and spend time with someone who doesnt have family. Give the gift of life by giving blood. Donate your extra coat to the homeless. Give up your holiday to volunteer at a food pantry so that the regular volunteers can have the day off.
Think these gifts are too tacky? Leave us comments with your ideas for free gifts.
The flipside of this is that gifts have now become expected beyond just your family and friends. Its always thoughtful to give to meaningful and influential people in your life, such as your boss and assistant or your teacher, but society now dictates giving to everyone in your social network. Crossing guards, bus drivers, librarians, and bank tellers are making out like bandits. They may deserve it, but your wallet takes a beating in the process.
Here are a few creative ways to show you care without forking over your entire savings.
Holiday Cards
Evergreens arent the only trees slaughtered this season. Cut down on the demand for Christmas cards by sending eco-friendly e-cards. Here are some free sites:
+ Evite www.evite.com
+ Hipster Cards www.hipstercards.com
+ 123 Greetings www.123greetings.com
If you want to send out a physical card, simply turn the fronts of old cards into postcards.
Wrapping Paper
Again, recycling is key to saving the earth and your money.
+ If youve received a gift bag and its still in good condition, reuse it to give your gift. (Just make sure to remove any and all former cards and gifts.)
+ Everyone knows to use comics as wrapping paper, but holiday-themed stories and ads for toy stores work nicely too.
Presents
Use what youve got.
+ For the kiddies: Infants dont know what gifts are and toddlers will only end up playing with the box the gifts come in, so dont even bother; instead, offer childcare help to the parents and take lots of cute pictures of their kids. You could even make a Babys First Christmas ornament simply by gluing a photograph onto one of your own ornaments.
+ For the rugrats: Older kids should obviously idolize you so impart your hipsterdom on them by passing down your treasure trove of junk. Theres your collection of retro board games (remember Girl Talk?) and Choose Your Own Adventure books. If youve got a few bucks, you can get funny toys from the dollar store.
+ For the teens: Angsty and hormonal, their tastes are dictated by the whims of their classmates so nothing you get them will be perfect. Save your money and hand down free-gift-with-purchase makeup youve collected and test-driven bottles of nail polish, your dog-eared copy of Dave Eggers A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, and guitar tabs to a cutting-edge indie song played on a WB show. IOUs for driving them to the mall or giving them driving lessons are great too.
+ For a cleanly co-ed: Quarters were gold when I was in college. Take whatever spare change you have and convert it into quarters so your college-student friend can do their laundry. Stick in a zip-lock baggy full of your laundry detergent, and theyll find a way to stay clean the whole semester.
+ For the proud parent: Holidays are a busy time. Give the gift of time. Offer to babysit for parents so they can scour the toy store for the latest hot toys. You could also help with chores like cleaning or grocery shopping, as many new parents are overwhelmed with the prospect of hosting relatives all flocking to see the new baby. To present your gift, wrap up an old clock or watch (or a picture of one) and attach a card that says youre giving them the gift of time.
+ For your parents: Holidays should make you feel like a kid again. Give something to your parents that reminds them of their childhood. It could be a retro snack, a DVD of their favorite show (or better yet of them as a child), an old photograph of the house they grew up in, a newspaper from their hometown or the college they attended, the perfume their mother used to wear, or a board game they always talk about.
+ For that someone special: Anything dripping in sentimentality will do well as long as its sincere. Dont just make a mix-tapemake a mixtape of songs that played on your first date or songs that make you think of that person. For a scrapbook, dont just include photographs, but also ticket stubs and wrappers from the candy bar you shared. Also, create a holiday traditiondecorate a gingerbread house together and kiss under the mistletoe.
+ For your fashionista friend: Check out our tutorials for DIY fashion. The step-by-step directions show you how to use simple supplies you may already have at home to jazz up inexpensive shirts. There are also cute jewelry ideas that you can use to give your friend who wants a one-of-a-kind piece.
+ For the epicurean: Dig through your cabinet and put together a festive holiday jar. Layer rice, beans, and bullion cubes for a jar of soup. Layer hot chocolate, coffee, and crushed candy canes for a peppermint mocha. Stick a few tea bags from each of your boxes of tea in a jar or mug and youve got a tea sampler for a cozy night.
+ For the person who hates cooking: Scrounge up as many take-out menus as possible and make a binder with categories like Best Mushroom Pizza and Kickin Kung Pao.
+ For someone who could use your skills: Create a coupon booklet of services you can provide to people, whether it be shoveling or mowing their lawn, massages, computer help, driving lessons, tax preparation, or cleaning. Put a lot of thought into it to gear it specifically towards that person and make sure to have a creative presentation to show that you really are putting effort into the gift.
+ For the craftster: Put together a kit of materials. Old magazines, safety pins, empty toilet-paper rolls, dried flowers, outdated stamps, bottle caps, and scraps of wallpaper can be repurposed into masterpieces.
+ For the music aficionado: Use the Internet or your local library to find out about the music history of said music lovers hometown. Compile a list of historical points of interest and make a corresponding soundtrack.
+ For your officemates: Instead of individualized gifts, set out a platter of home-baked cookies and hot-chocolate mix.
+ For those less fortunate: Bloodsucking charities guilt trip you hard this time of year. Not having the money is not an excuse to disregard those who are less fortunate. Go to a nursing home and spend time with someone who doesnt have family. Give the gift of life by giving blood. Donate your extra coat to the homeless. Give up your holiday to volunteer at a food pantry so that the regular volunteers can have the day off.
Think these gifts are too tacky? Leave us comments with your ideas for free gifts.
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