Frugal's Christmas gift ideas
So you are so broke that you cannot even afford to breathe oxygen. Maybe you don’t want
to spend your entire life savings (which is about R 14.50, or about $ 1) on gifts for others. But this is the
season to be generous, giving and sharing.
I want to use this blog post to tell you that you do not need to spend a small fortune
to please everyone. Remember – money does not equal happiness, but the lack of it does cause for stress, anxiety
and the random need of wanting to die.
Advice
Here’s some questions you can ask yourself before buying gifts:
- How does monetary and non-monetary gifts compare in
impact?- I had a friend who gave me a beautiful
handmade card – which I treasured more than the other big gifts I received.
- I had a friend who gave me a beautiful
- Does the size of the gift really matter? Why does it
matter? - Why am I giving gifts? Is it for recognition or just
because I want to be generous? - Do I really care, or am I trying to show off with
what I buy?
Frugal tips for your gifts
Here’s some tips for your gifts habits:
- Keep your kidney inside your body – Don’t spend more
than you can afford - Get them something people want – sometimes this can
be non-monetary. - If you are unsure, it’s okay to ask!
- Make custom gifts – Make something with your hands
and give small gifts to many people, not just the normal people. - If you need to buy something and it’s sort of large,
check and compare prices – there’s many online sites, even store sites that you can check. Otherwise, walk
around in the stores in a mall to compare
So, here’s the section everyone is waiting for…. What to buy someone
Coffee! Coffee Coffee!
Coffee is always a winner - you can pick one up for less than R100 - or you could even buy a pack and package it in a home made box!
Make Xmas cards
Make Christmas cards - don't buy these insanely expensive cards from the shop. Remember it's your playing field, so even if you use newspaper to make them, it's yours to decorate
Bake some cookies
Baking cookies - giving something small like a few cookies is really special - it's just a reminder that you were thinking about them.
Tshirts of coffee mugs
How about an awesome mug or TShirt? There's really some beautiful things out there
Bottled preserves
Why not bottle some jalapenos or veggies (such as onions, carrots and/or okra)? It's an awesome foodie gift 🙂
Buy herbs and spice seeds
For the semi broke people - buy the seeds and grow some herbs - you could package the seeds and the sand in a bottle, ready for watering.
Make a journal
A journal - why not buy a drawing or note taking book - this is ideal for housewives, people with busy schedules and artists.
Socks
Socks can be one of those perfect small gift for a man who has everything. And the cost can vary from the cost of a coffee to wanting to die by necklacing.
Paint a spoon
Kitchen goodies - why not paint a hout lepel? You can buy the spoon for quite cheap at the R5 shop.
Sweets / Candy
Sweets - why not make small bags or boxes with something sweet inside? As a budget gift, this is a winner
Conclusion
You don’t have to spend a fortune to give someone something that they would appreciate.
Even something small like a kitchen utensil or a journal can really show someone that you thought of them
Happy investing!
Frugal Local runs his own company (Effectify). He does software development and helps small businesses and startups with digital solutions. He enjoys writing articles and simplifying complex things – such as the article you’re reading!
