Wanting to give the perfect gift this holiday season can be a challenge, especially if you are on a tight budget. This can really put a strain on the entire gift-giving season. However, knowing where to shop and what to get your family is the first step to the ultimate in gift giving this holiday season.
To begin, if you have children, start asking them what they would like to have for Christmas; this will give you an idea of what the costs may be. However, if you know you won’t be able to afford the gift your child is asking for, that is all right–there are many great alternatives on the market similar enough to keep your child happy this holiday season.
Set yourself up with a budget that you want to spend just on the immediate family, your spouse and your children, after all they are the ones that you will be spending this special day with. For our experiment here we are going to use a budget of $200.00 for everyone. Set a total number of gifts for each person under the tree. A good number is 3. Don’t forget there are also stocking stuffers that will come around and gifts from other relatives that may show up. So keeping it at a minimum will help you in the long run.
Many children have been asking for the latest and greatest in gaming systems. Let’s face it–the price tags for these are totally outrageous and waiting for them to "go on sale"–well, it isn’t a true sale. If there is only a limited number of games that your child will be able to play on the units, then it really isn’t the best bargain for your dollar. However, there are some great alternatives that you can now find at many of the large discount stores. They are called plug-and-play games. In many cases these games run around $20.00, and they can be taken any where you want to go and store easily inside a cabinet out of the way. There are some that now have similar games to the "big brands" and get your kids up and moving just as well, however in most case they are usually only a quarter of the cost of the high-enders. You can find these smaller systems for under $50.00. If you tend to shop when there are a lot of sales going on, you may be able to get an even better deal on these great games for your children. You can make this the "big present" for all of the kids in your family. Make it’s something they would be willing to share. Now onto the single gifts.
Clothes are always a safe way to go and all kids can always use an extra shirt or something. Remember they have grandparents. Let their grandparents buy the latest and greatest toy for them. If you feel bad about not getting them toys for under the tree, there are great finds at your neareast dollar store that will work out great. You can find puzzles, games, cars, dolls, stuffed toys and so much more to create an ultimate gift for even under $10.00 per child.
Giving to your spouse could wind up to be the biggest challenge, however, try and keep it simple for each other. By giving each other clothing as well, this eliminates the problem of getting the most expensive gift around. Remember that there are other times during the year when you might be able to get that expensive gift at a better price.
Another great way to save, if you have a large family, draw names, each person gets one gift for the name that they draw. The gift should not be required to be store-bought either. The gift can even be homemade. For kids this is a great way for them to express their creativity for the gift giving season.
About chulce Has published over 400 articles and continues to write on a daily basis.
