Thoughtful Gifts that Don’t Break the Bank (by Bethany)

Happy September, the first of the “ber” months! When I was an LDS missionary in the Philippines, the beginning of the ber months (SeptemBER, OctoBER, NovemBER, DecemBER) meant the beginning of the Christmas season. (I guess that’s what happens when you don’t have Halloween or Thanksgiving!) So, to all you Filipinos out there, Maligayang Pasko! 

Me in front of the bangus (milkfish) Christmas tree in Dagupan, Pangasinan, Philippines.

And for those of us who want to put more time, thought, meaning, and (let’s face it!) less money into our Christmas gifts, let’s make like Filipinos and start considering Christmas gift ideas NOW!

This isn’t an exhaustive list, but here are a few tips that have worked for us:

-         Shop ahead - The top of my closet is a mess. It’s always got gifts that I buy throughout the year when I find good deals. (Please think ahead when buying clothes so the size makes sense!) But then, when Christmas comes, I empty the top of my closet onto the bed, and am pleasantly surprised to find that I have a bunch of gifts already for the people I need to shop for! And it feels like they’re free, because I spent the money in the past! (Of course they aren’t free, but I did get them on deep discount.)

-          Credit card rewards - For the past few years, we’ve saved up all our credit card rewards for the year (Chase Freedom! – They didn’t pay me to mention themJ) and that’s what we use for our Christmas budget. Period. It isn’t a lot when you split it between all the people you need to buy gifts for, but it’s a good start.

-          Do away with the stocking stuffers. You spend all this money on all these cute little things, but they don’t really “count” as gifts. You still have to fill up that space under the tree. Kids like candy, and candy is cheapJ

-          Pare down the gift-giving holidays - I’m focusing on Christmas gifts here, but with how many holidays and occasions we celebrate in general, the cost of gifts can get out of control. My husband and I came to an agreement on which occasions warrant which kinds of gifts. We make a nice dinner together on Valentine’s Day, we write love letters to each other for our anniversary, and we do brunch and cards for Mother’s/Father’s Day. We pretty much only do gifts on birthdays and Christmas.

-          Don’t get caught in the trap of thinking that homemade=inexpensive. A store-bought quilt is often so much cheaper than a homemade one! I’m not saying don’t do homemade gifts (especially quilts!), but if you’re doing it to save money, think it through first and make sure you really are.

-            Service - We weeded my mother-in-law’s garden one year for Mother’s Day.

-           Photos  - Cheap and meaningful, and the grandparents need new ones all the time.

-           Buy used – In some circumstances (if the people you’re buying for wouldn’t mind), you can buy things used on amazon or craigslist. A cheap old VHS Paul got me is a workout video I still use today!

-          Buy things they need, or that you would have bought anyway. Then wrap them! My 6-year-old daughter thought it was great to get detangler for Christmas. It was a thoughtful gift, since she hates getting her hair brushed when it’s tangled, but cheap and practical.

-          One word: regift. Don’t be tacky about it, but if someone gave you something nice and new that you just can’t use or have a duplicate of or don’t want, I think it’s okay. Use your own discretion, of course. 

-          Use your resources.

          Computer – My husband, Paul made me an artistic Photoshop image of my favorite flowers and put it in an old frame. Another time he made me a powerpoint of nice compliments, memories, and birthday wishes from my family and friends. I later made a powerpoint for him of 100 things I love about him, complete with photos.

          Paper - I had always wanted a piano, but we couldn’t afford one, so Paul made me a 3-D piano out of paper! (A few years later, we went to an outdoor flea market in the freezing cold and found a real one for cheap!) I once put together all of our emails and any saved IM conversations from when we were dating, and printed them out for Paul as a gift. Then Paul took our missionary nametags and put them in old frames with “Called to Serve” and “Having Been Commissioned of Jesus Christ” (in Tagalog) written on construction paper.

           Pencils/Pens - Paul does pencil sketches of each of our kids using pictures of them as a baby. They now hang on their bedroom wall. He also wrote out my favorite scripture for me all pretty on nice paper. (The ink smudged, but it was still a nice thought!)

          Binders – Paul decorated a binder for me to put all my loose recipes into. Another time, he put together a binder of all my family history group records.

          Time – When I had just quit work after having our first baby, Paul was working two jobs to support us. Paul was given a book that he really wanted to read, but he didn’t have the time. I spent a few dollars on some blank tapes (yes, he still had an old walkman and I had a tape recorder), and spent hours reading the book onto the tapes. He was so surprised!

          Things you already have around the house - I made Paul a tie out of the leftover fabric from the dress I made my daughter – they were so cute as a matching set! 

Another time, Paul took my favorite pair of pajama pants and ironed on the school name since I couldn’t find anything I liked well enough to spend money on at the college bookstore. And once, Paul had a fancy antique frame gathering dust under the bed, so I surprised him by cleaning it up, and installing the hardware, glass, and a picture.

    As you can see, my husband is super thoughtful, so I try to follow suit. We are able to really show how much we love each other and other people we give gifts to, even without spending a lot of money. Put the thought and planning into it now, and you can have a great Christmas for less!

P.S. Don’t forget to hit up the after-Christmas sales – we got our 6-foot tree for 5 bucks!