1. Give what you've got
As
in, give away your belongings. Your cherished possessions. This is how
we gave gifts last year and it was incredibly satisfying. We went
through our belongings to find items that we thought the people in our
lives might appreciate even more than us. Little things. Things that we
love but weren't necessarily using.
For example, my stepmom is
a wonderful knitter and I happened to have a basket full of yarn that I
hadn't touched in over two years. Rather than allow that yarn to
continue to mock me for never having knit it into a scarf, I chose to
give it to Silvia so that she could have the pleasure of turning it
into something beautiful. Along with the yarn, I gave her a knitting
book that I knew I'd never actually use. Verdict? She
loved it.
Another
example. I gave my brother Tommy one of my favorite t-shirts that he
had been wanting for a long time. In fact, he'd asked me for it several
times before.... but I hadn't been willing to part with it. Until last
Christmas. I finally realized that giving him the shirt would make me
happier than keeping it.
This is my favorite way to give
gifts. It made last Christmas so meaningful and not at all about the
commercialism of Christmas. Every single thing had meaning.
2. Green wrapping
Wrapping
can often end up being way more expensive and time consuming than ever
intended. I love beautifully wrapped gifts, but can't afford to go all
out. Last year I used the holiday-themed Trader Joe's shopping bags as
wrapping. This not only saves money, but also offers a 'green' solution.
Other ideas for wrapping:
Magazines
Advertisements
Junk mail
3. Make your own gifts
I
know, who has time, right? It's true. It's often more challenging to
find the time to make gifts than to find the money to buy them. But if
you have the time and the energy, it's a no-brainer solution to saving
money.
Let's be clear, I AM NO MARTHA STEWART! In fact, I've
never actually been successful at this. I've made attempts, but nothing
that's really satisfied me. This year, though, I hope to succeed. There
is so much driftwood on this island and I'm attempting to make
driftwood candle holders. I love the look. And driftwood is so light
it's easy to ship. Using natural materials for gifts is yet another way
to save money!
The key to making your own gifts is harnessing
your own talent and what you have at your disposal. If you're a
wonderful baker, then bake! If you're a singer, make a CD, if you love
music and are always discovering new music, give a mix CD. This may
seem cliche, but I always love getting mix CDs from my brother Tommy
and sister Alexa because they are always discovering new music and I
usually love the music they introduce to me.
Check out some unique suggestions for alternative gift-giving from
Buy Nothing Christmas4. Give yourself
Find
a way to contribute to someone in your life by cooking them a meal or
offering to watch their kids or cleaning their car. You know the people
in your life. What would make a difference for them this holiday
season? More often this kind of gesture means way more than any store
bought gift.
5. Draw names
Talk
your family into pulling names from a hat so that each person only has
to shop for one family member. We did this last year and everyone was
so relieved. It was actually really nice to be able to focus on just
one person.
6. Shop garage sales
I
once found a brand new unopened gift set of luxury scented candles for
only $3. It was the kind with the really pretty packaging and the
candles themselves were in glass. Classy. And only $3.
The
only problem with shopping garage sales this late in the year is that
you're pressured to find something. The garage sale shopping tactic
works better throughout the year. When the pressure is off.
To help with finding the best thrift and garage sales - if you're in the Chicago area- visit the
Garage Sale Warrior. Diana (the warrior) is genius at sharing all the best sales in the area and saving you time!
7. Stay away from shopping malls
If
your goal this holiday is to spend less on gifts, then staying away
from the mall just makes sense. To me, at least. However, you might
have better willpower. I have nothing against malls, it's just that I
usually overspend when I go there. I get carried away. It's too easy to
get sucked in. So if you're anything like me,
I highly suggest shopping Etsy as an alternative to the shopping mall. Unique, beautiful and handmade gifts and a personalized shopping experience. You can't go wrong.
What suggestions do you have for better giving for less?
3 Comments
Ron said:
Picked up a little rechargeable flashlight from Wal-Mart for about $5 that plugs into the wall outlet and automatically comes on if the power goes out. Eliminates fumbling in the dark for candles and matches.
Also got two small LED lanterns that I have put in different rooms. Safer than candles and easier to read by.
As you know we have a wood stove so heat is not a problem but it's not really great for cooking so we have a small propane camp stove so we can make instant coffee and soup. (You are not supposed to use it in the house so I guess we will have to put it out on the deck. Brr!) We also have a gas grill.
We are on a well so there is a possibility that the water will run out. We always have several gallons of drinking water since we don't like the taste of the well water but if you don't it's something to consider. (That was also a concern when we lived in Florida as after a hurricane the water plant could be without power or underwater.)
Keep your fridge full (Use some of the gallons of water if nothing else) and don't open the door much and food will last much longer. (More a FL tip than something you need up here where you can just put it outside in the big icebox.)
Lots of spare batteries. I have a UPS that I bought for the PC but after the first power outage I moved it to the phone and DSL router. Hard to call to complain about the power not being on if you just have a cordless. I did find an old AT&T desk phone out in the garage and it works without power. We found out after the hurricane that cell phones are not trustworthy. Too many people trying to use them at the same time. Course your local phone company system is on batteries too and they will eventually give out. I have a small netbook with 8 hr capacity so if the DSL is working I can check for news but a battery powered radio is nice to have so you won't be completely cut off from the world.
Lots of books you haven't read.
Ron
Stephanie Walker said:
Hey Ron,
All great ideas! I especially like the idea of the flashlight that plugs into the wall and automatically goes on when the power goes out.
Are you staying warm? We're freezing. Not used to the cold. At all. Toughening up, I suppose.
Steph
Ron said:
I got the flashlight at the Super Wal-Mart in Mount Vernon. (Take 20 to I-5 then go south two exits. Get off and turn right twice and it will be on your left. Much cheaper than Fred Meyers or Safeway.)
I'm doing fine but my wife who just got back from Florida where it was over 80 degrees (and has never lived anywhere else) probably feels otherwise. I keep thinking you are from Chicago because of your blog and forget that you came from California. Guess it is a bit of a change for you. I lived in Germany for 11 years and spent the winter before last in northern NJ so I have lots of warm clothes and it doesn't bother me.
Enjoy the sunny weather even if it's cold. You may not see the sun again until March or April according to the locals. I'm sure you have heard they are predicting snow for Friday and Saturday. I'll have to try putting on my chains tomorrow to see if I can get them on - otherwise we will probably be stuck on the mountain for a few days.
We just got a gift of a ton of firewood so we are assured of staying toasty warm. (Probably more like 2 cords but when you have to carry it from the basement to the car and from the car to the deck it feels like a ton.) A new friend as of Thanksgiving had converted from wood to propane and had a whole basement full that they didn't need any more. We filled up two carloads today (10 wheelbarrows full) and barely made a dent in the pile. Had to quit for today. The ground was starting to thaw and we didn't want to get stuck plus my back said it had had enough. We'll go back again tomorrow (if I can get out of bed!). It amazing how warm you get when you are toting heavy logs. I started off in my heavy down jacket and after 10 minutes I was down to a single light jacket and that was unzipped.
Ron
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