Budget-minded Christmas ideas for myself?

[KarenAylwood]

Our household is getting ready to take a big hit in income. We've done well at saving but will be living at a deficit for an unknown period of time. I've started to coupon but am just getting into it. I was an old regular on this board years ago but it's certainly been a while! We have a 17 month old little one as well. I've never been big on gifts for myself so I have been trying to think of budget minded gifts for my family to give me/us. I was thinking of a food saver (we shop at Costco for some things and I've avoided many perishables because of size), maybe a book to organize my coupons (no idea what to ask for), Target gift cards (I find the best deals on diapers there)... Any other ideas?? Baby is growing like a weed so I was going to push clothes for him rather than toys.

 

[Bete]

I would take inventory of what you need at the moment and that becomes your Christmas wish list.

 

[barkley]

Our household is getting ready to take a big hit in income. We've done well at saving but will be living at a deficit for an unknown period of time. I've started to coupon but am just getting into it. I was an old regular on this board years ago but it's certainly been a while! We have a 17 month old little one as well. I've never been big on gifts for myself so I have been trying to think of budget minded gifts for my family to give me/us. I was thinking of a food saver (we shop at Costco for some things and I've avoided many perishables because of size), maybe a book to organize my coupons (no idea what to ask for), Target gift cards (I find the best deals on diapers there)... Any other ideas?? Baby is growing like a weed so I was going to push clothes for him rather than toys.

I think the food saver is a great idea-ours saves us quite a bit. I would add to that wish a package of the refills (rolls) and additional bags that Costco sells (the initial unit comes with a small supply-but that way you'll have the refill kit when needed).

I would look to my "new budget"-the one you create to work as best you can with your current income, and figure out items that might pop up and sporadically challenge you. with food this could be items that are infrequently purchased, necessary to cooking, and when money is tighter can throw off your numbers-for us that would be things like spices (kills me to buy them, even on sale), olive oil, some condiments like soy sauce, certain salad dressings, hot oil... maybe make a kitchen "wish list" and someone could have the option of gifting you a gift basket of these types of things.

one of the things that hits our budget is when we get a flood of prescriptions in one month (or otc meds needed). if you have to pay for scrips or have a co-pay, add to your wish list gift cards for the store that houses your pharmacy (or if you shop for them at Costco-a Costco gift card). if Costco sells your child's brand of diapers or wipes a gift card would work well for that too.

dd is living on her own now so we've been planning her Christmas gifts to help stretch her budgeted monthly monies-got some canned goods I know she likes but is unlikely to purchase, will likely get her gift cards (smaller increments so she isn't likely to spend all in one trip) to the grocery store she frequents, may give her a "gift certificate" that pays for her next oil change, and another that says we will cover a parking permit for school (or a portion of it-depending on how expensive the lot she picks is).

the only issue I have w/baby clothes is what is available now to purchase will only work for the short term-I think a gift card for some place to purchase as needed is better for the long run (and if you have them available-outlets or used children's clothing stores are an awesome way to save).

 

[APiratesLifeForMe2]

Last year we told a few family members that we needed to forgo gifts since our budget was too tight (I had just lost my job). It saved us money by not having to buy gifts for a few people and told them not to give us anything in return since we didn't need anything.

If you know they will insist on getting you something you could ask for necessities for the baby (diapers, winter weather clothes etc). If you have a handy man in the family it could be a great time for them to help with a leaky pipe or help insulate doors and windows to save money on heating costs this winter. Grocery or Gas gift cards will go a long way too.

Our biggest problem with having a giant dent in our income was the unexpected expenses. We knew our monthly budget of bills and took into account gas and groceries but the oil changes, car registration, doctor copays etc. sneak up on you!

 

[HM]

Why do they even have to give you something? Or at least something that costs something?

I'd ask them to make me something or give me a coupon book of things that they can do for me.

This holiday should be all about not spending money, but spending time to show the ones you love that you love them.

I've had a Christmas like that before. I made Christmas bread for extended family members and sent out cards to everyone else (bought the year before on sale). My DH and I didn't get each other anything. It was still a very nice Christmas holiday.

 

[LJSquishy]

I like my Foodsaver but it takes a long time to recoup the cost of the unit itself in savings so I wouldn't ask for one for now until your financial situation improves a bit. The rolls are cheaper than the premade bags but they are still expensive. Someone once posted the name of a website to get MUCH cheaper rolls of a different brand that work as well or better than the Foodsaver brand rolls but the name escapes me right now...maybe someone will chime in! Like I said, I like my Foodsaver, but I try to only use it for longer-term freezer storage and not for meats I will be using within 1-2 months. I freeze extra portions of meals I've made that I will try to save in our deep freezer for 3+ months and use in a pinch. My parents buy bulk chicken breasts and use the Foodsaver bags but it defeats their savings on the bulk price because they aren't freezing longer-term. I'm almost positive it's much cheaper to buy freezer Ziplocks (Costco) or Great Value brand at Walmart.

I'm a very frugal person so I always ask for practical items when someone insists on giving me gifts. I rarely ask for anything "for myself", so I get it! This year I really want lots of Bormioli Rocco Fido storage jars for storing things like trail mix I mix up for my husband, nuts, seeds, etc. I also really want to get rid of all of my plastic storage containers and get more glass.

I like the idea of asking people to just buy things for your child instead, or a grocery gift card, etc. I even love Amazon gift cards because you can buy so many practical things there.

 

[KarenAylwood]

Why do they even have to give you something? Or at least something that costs something?

I'd ask them to make me something or give me a coupon book of things that they can do for me.

This holiday should be all about not spending money, but spending time to show the ones you love that you love them.

I've had a Christmas like that before. I made Christmas bread for extended family members and sent out cards to everyone else (bought the year before on sale). My DH and I didn't get each other anything. It was still a very nice Christmas holiday.

We have already decided no gifts with DH's brother and our SIL (agreed with them last year, it was just too much). We will shop for the kids but I've already worked on that. The thing is that our parents won't take the "no gifts please" as an option. If we get them nothing they will still buy for us. Mine will gladly give gift cards but DHs refuse. Last year we tried the "less gifts" thing and it didn't work. MIL bought me random things I didn't need or want or would ever use. I was able to return some but not all. I was going to try to channel her in the "useful" direction this year with more ideas. For our parents I'm focusing on less expensive gifts (shutterfly books using free 8x8 book codes and ornaments "made by" the baby). Both sets of parents live far away so there aren't many options in terms of things they can do for us. DH and I are going partially that route when it comes to gifts for each other though!

I love the responses so far! I have literally nothing I want and am racking my brain for "needs."

 

[MomToOne]

Do you need any clothing items for yourself, or will you need any in the near future? Those are good for Christmas lists.

And how about a few small luxury items - they may help you in the long run to save money by allowing you to indulge a little at home when all the daily scrimping and saving gets to be too much. Things like a nice bottle of wine, maybe a special coffee you like, some really nice chocolates, a nice bottle of bubble bath, a new movie on DVD that you could watch on an at-home date night, etc.

 

[Bektasmic]

We've been there. It's hard when ppl insist on exchanging. Creates a pressure to reciprocate as well as come up with ideas that ppl will think are fun to buy. I have family members who will only buy "fun" gifts, nothing practical and no gift cards. They want to feel like they're giving us something we will keep for awhile or something they can personally choose that is unique. Some things I've listed on our shared family wish list in the past that they actually bought:

1. The gift of time and creativity with meals-I mentioned how I would love fresh dinner ideas and the dry goods ingredients (plus grocery certificate for non-perishables), and the time saved for not having to shop for the groceries. I got a cute little bundle if groceries with a recipe card "wrapped"in a Sam's Club reusable freezer bag

2. A diaper changing "kit" with diapers, wipes, and a cute fabric wipes case-practical but I think ppl didn't object as much b/c there was a personal choice bit with finding a wipes case

3. An hour of house cleaning from Merry Maids

4. Gourmet coffee-honestly I didn't care that it was gourmet, but I don't think anyone would have picked out 3 bags of Market Pantry coffee to get me. It felt like a treat to have the fancy stuff, and then that was 3 bags if coffee saved off my grocery budget

5. Memberships-zoo or museum, etc. when budget was tighter, we would pick one membership and that was our main entertainment for the year.

6. Socks of the month club-I love crazy socks so one year I asked for them and someone got me 12 pairs all wrapped up with "do not open until (month)". Socks are one of those need-to-buy things, and I didn't need to buy any for myself for awhile . Plus it was fun to have a gift that keeps on giving!

 

[TipsyTraveler]

We have already decided no gifts with DH's brother and our SIL (agreed with them last year, it was just too much). We will shop for the kids but I've already worked on that. The thing is that our parents won't take the "no gifts please" as an option. If we get them nothing they will still buy for us. Mine will gladly give gift cards but DHs refuse. Last year we tried the "less gifts" thing and it didn't work. MIL bought me random things I didn't need or want or would ever use. I was able to return some but not all. I was going to try to channel her in the "useful" direction this year with more ideas. For our parents I'm focusing on less expensive gifts (shutterfly books using free 8x8 book codes and ornaments "made by" the baby). Both sets of parents live far away so there aren't many options in terms of things they can do for us. DH and I are going partially that route when it comes to gifts for each other though!

I love the responses so far! I have literally nothing I want and am racking my brain for "needs."

Oh man, does that sound familiar. My parents refuse to stop the gift exchange even though I have been flat-out insisting on it for about 15 years now. Nor will they give gifts cards because they think it's crass, so instead, I keep getting more crap I have no use for that just takes up space. It's become a real sore spot with me, in case you couldn't tell. There have been years where I've given them nothing (after plenty of warning that was going to be the case) to try to force the issue. Didn't help. They still gave us gifts. At this point we just give them a basket of homemade goodies (bread, cookies, candy, etc.) and call it a day.

If you have someone willing to go the gift card route, gas cards and grocery cards are always useful.

One year when money was tight I gave my boyfriend a list of pet supplies as my wish list. Fish food, cat litter, you name it. I figured if he was going to spend the money, at least spend it on things that saved me from having to spend. He said he felt ridiculous wrapping a bag of terrarium dirt, yet I remember it as one of the best Christmases ever because I was no-joke-broke and I was really happy to get those things.

The best housewarming gift I ever received, which is now my go-to for others, was a bucket full of cleaning supplies. Something that I'll actually use and saves me money? Perfect. Start thinking in terms of the consumables you have to buy every month or two and ask for those kinds of things.

FWIW, you and your husband don't HAVE to exchange gifts. My boyfriend and I stopped exchanging gifts many years ago and have never looked back. At this point we could afford to do it no problem, but it's so freeing not having to come up with ideas, do the shopping, spend on something that will be forgotten by March, worry that it won't ship in time, etc.

 

[kuhltiffany]

If people will give you money, try to pre-pay expenses such as car/house insurance, taxes etc. for the coming months/year.

DH and I stopped exchanging gifts and instead take a day off together and go hiking/geo-caching, etc. and maybe out to lunch if we have a coupon or gift card.

We have been trying to cut back since we had kids, it seemed so silly for the adults to exchange gift cards, so we concentrate on kids only now…

Don't get me started on the stupid stuff my MIL buys for everyone though…it tends to go straight into the donate/garage sale pile . I hate to see the money wasted but I give up trying to change it!

 

[Disneybuckeye]

As a parent I would have to be flat out broke before I would not buy my children Christmas presents and they are all out of college and working. I could care less if I received something in return. Let your parents give you a gift and don't worry about reciprocating.


I would ask DH to talk to his parents and see if they will accept a list due to your new circumstances.

We have been where you are and survived. Know you wil too!

 

[TipsyTraveler]

As a parent I would have to be flat out broke before I would not buy my children Christmas presents and they are all out of college and working. I could care less if I received something in return. Let your parents give you a gift and don't worry about reciprocating.


I would ask DH to talk to his parents and see if they will accept a list due to your new circumstances.

We have been where you are and survived. Know you wil too!

Would it make a difference if your kids said "I know you say you want to give me gifts but I really don't want them. I know you say I don't have to reciprocate but I'm not comfortable with that. So long as you continue to give me gifts I'm going to feel obligated to do the same in return. We've been having this same discussion, over and over, for years. At this point I feel like you're being disrespectful of my feelings and wishes. This is a huge source of contention for me. It's having a negative effect on our relationship and is breeding resentment. Can't you just stop with the #$@! presents already?"

I'm not trying to pick a fight with you, I'm just curious how you would handle it with your own children if it got to this point. This is where I am with my parents. It drives me crazy.

 

[Disneybuckeye]

Would it make a difference if your kids said "I know you say you want to give me gifts but I really don't want them. I know you say I don't have to reciprocate but I'm not comfortable with that. So long as you continue to give me gifts I'm going to feel obligated to do the same in return. We've been having this same discussion, over and over, for years. At this point I feel like you're being disrespectful of my feelings and wishes. This is a huge source of contention for me. It's having a negative effect on our relationship and is breeding resentment. Can't you just stop with the #$@! presents already?"

I'm not trying to pick a fight with you, I'm just curious how you would handle it with your own children if it got to this point. This is where I am with my parents. It drives me crazy.

I throughly enjoy buying my children gifts and would be heart broken if they made me feel I should stop. I honestly do not want or care about receiving anything in return. For the past few years I told them I would pick up gifts for DH and me from them and they could then just wrap. When they tried to pay me back I just would not take the money.

My kids are in their early to mid twenties, out of college, have no debt, and are saving decent amounts of money. All work for employers who will pay for their grad school which they all plan to pursue. None the less, I don't want them spending their money on me or DH. They wanted to buy us a new TV for Christmas this year, but I told them absolutely not. I told them not more than $40 total each for both DH and I combined. Less would be better. If I really felt money was an issue I would work with them to find gifts for us that were really cheap or nearly free. Coupons for helping around the house, cooking us dinner, or even just a picture in an inexpensive frame to put in my office would make me extremely happy, but really is not necessary.

Spending time with us is the best gift they could ever give me. We are in the process of buying a lake house as they love to spend weekends there. That means we would get to see them more often as two live out of town. Just helping us mow the grass there would be a phenomenol Christmas present and much better than anything they could ever buy.

Why do you really not want your parents to buy you gifts? Do you have too much stuff? Then suggest some entertainment gift cards for things you like to do. This is a Disney board. Can they buy you Disney giftcards? Do you worry about them spending the money? How about free stuff from them such as helping around your house with leaves or spring cleaning. Is it because you hate having to find something for them in return? Then don't. You are the one who is not comfortable with not reciporcating. If your parents tell you not to then it is just as much on you for not following their wishes. Or, buy them a gift card to a restaurant and go with them. IMHO spending time with DH and me is the greatest gift we could ever receive. I would be happy at McDonald's if it meant spending time with my children.

I am not sure if you are a parent or not, but I truly love being able to buy Christmas presents for my children. As long as I am able to do it physically and financially I plan on continuing.

 

[pittsburghmom]

Gift cards to your local grocery store?

 

[TipsyTraveler]

Hey, Disneybuckeye, I just now noticed you edited your post to include some questions. My answers are in red:

Why do you really not want your parents to buy you gifts? Because I don't like my parents and nothing they give me is going to mean anything to me, which is the point of a gift in the first place. Thanks to an extremely dysfunctional and abusive childhood, that's the relationship we have.

Do you have too much stuff? To some extent. I don't have a ton of extra space in my house and I try my best not to accumulate things I don't want or need. My parents have an amazing knack for giving me things I don't want or need, and LOTS of it. Mountains of clothing that isn't my taste and is six sizes too big. Gaudy knickknacks that just create clutter and are one more thing for me to dust. Random kitchen appliances (Quesadilla maker anybody?) that I don't have space for and, if lucky, will get used once. A leaf blower when I don't have a single tree on my property. Every couple of years I go through my house purging it of things have no use for, and I feel bad seeing how much of it is going out the door still new with tags or never taken out of the original box. It's so wasteful.

Then suggest some entertainment gift cards for things you like to do. This is a Disney board. Can they buy you Disney giftcards? As mentioned in one of my earlier posts, they refuse to give gift cards. To them, it's not a gift unless it's something tangible.

Do you worry about them spending the money? Nope, they've got plenty of it. Even still, I don't like seeing money wasted, no matter whose money it is.

How about free stuff from them such as helping around your house with leaves or spring cleaning. I'd rather stab my eyes out than have to spend anymore time with them than I already do.

Is it because you hate having to find something for them in return? Then don't. You are the one who is not comfortable with not reciporcating. If your parents tell you not to then it is just as much on you for not following their wishes. I do hate having to find something for them in return. I don't even exchange gifts with the people I like, so I really resent being obligated to buy for the two people in my life that I like the least. When they say "You don't have to reciprocate" they don't really mean it, as evidenced by the tears and hurt feelings that have occurred the few times I have taken them up on their offer. If I want to avoid the drama, I have to get them something.

Or, buy them a gift card to a restaurant and go with them. See the 'stabbing my eyes out part' above.

IMHO spending time with DH and me is the greatest gift we could ever receive. I would be happy at McDonald's if it meant spending time with my children.

Other reasons that play into my feelings about this:
**I'm turned off by the excess of consumerism associated with Christmas and I think it's unfortunate that so much emphasis is placed on acquiring material things
**I think it's a waste of money
**I think Christmas shopping is a waste of time and an unnecessary stress
**I never have an answer to the question "What do you want for Christmas?" because A) There's not many things I want, and B) Anything I do want, I've already bought for myself when I first decided I wanted it
**I believe gifts should be given freely, any time of the year, because you want to do something nice for someone. Not because you had to find something, anything, to get them before the deadline of an arbitrary date
**I have always been very uncomfortable opening gifts in front of people
**I'm not even a Christian so it's obnoxious that I'm expected to participate in Christian traditions that are devoid of meaning to me and outside my beliefs

I am not sure if you are a parent or not, but I truly love being able to buy Christmas presents for my children. As long as I am able to do it physically and financially I plan on continuing. Not a parent yet, but probably soon, and we've already had lengthy discussions trying to weigh the pros and cons to decide if we're going to start the gift-giving thing with our kids at all. We're leaning towards "no". One thing I won't do, though, is be completely dismissive of my children's feelings and turn an otherwise insignificant issue into a major one.

.

 

[DaughteroftheKing]

Budget minded gifts:

Subscription to All You magazine (this comes with TONS of coupons in it and you said you are starting to coupon)

Binder with baseball card sleeve inserts (this is what many people use to organize their coupons)

Prepaid newspaper subscription (again if someone can gift you the Sunday paper, it will have your coupons)

Movie theater/rental gift card---for date nights.

Books of stamps (a real bummer to have to shell out around $8 for these when they aren't something you expected to have to buy that week)

Games (again, for stay at home date nights). Scrabble, Yahtzee, Jenga, Uno, etc

New set of sheets or bath towels if you don't have many.

Lawncare items you may not have (blower, weed eater)

Socks (we NEVER have enough! Everyone gets socks at Christmas!)

Cookbooks

Slow cooker if you don't already have one (anything to help you cook at home vs. eating out will save money!)