I know what you’re thinking, a Christmas article in October, really?? We just got back to school and we haven’t even hit Halloween! But keep reading to see why you should start thinking about Christmas now and start shopping early for a holiday season you can afford.
Many people feel pressure to spend a certain dollar amount on family and friends during the holiday season. But what is the correct amount? What if you have a large family? What about extended family? Are you required to buy presents for every single relative? How am I going to afford all these presents? If thoughts like these are keeping you up at night, I’d say it’s time to institute the $25 Christmas.
Not only is it a way of controlling your spending, but it also tells that special someone you were thinking of them with a unique gift that you personally chose. Think it can’t be done? That’s understandable. Just look at our society today. Most families are so “wrapped up” in how much they are spending on presents that they forget to look at what they are buying.
What the $25 Christmas is supposed to do is to put the “thought” back into Christmas. Put the reason in the season, if you will. Let’s say your mom is a great cook. During your Thanksgiving visit to your parent’s house, you notice how much your mother is struggling using that old rusty potato peeler that she’s had for the past twenty years. A great gift for her might be a new vegetable peeler and potato masher, wrapped in a bow. Sounds easy enough, right? However, when you only have $25 to spend on someone you’re used to spending $200 on, it’s a bit more challenging. More thought is required in choosing the perfect gift for that perfect person. When all is said and done, that $25 gift will mean so much more to that special person than an expensive gift will. Still think it can’t be done? Think your entire family will laugh and smirk at the idea of only spending $25 per person?
Here are some suggestions for making the “ideal” $25 Christmas work for your family.
- Everyone has to agree to spend only $25. Do not “one-up” people and spend just a little more than allowed. If someone breaks the rule and spends more than allotted, people’s feelings will be hurt. This is not what the holidays and gift-giving are all about. Friends and family will feel guilty about receiving a more expensive gift and regret not getting you something more expensive. Please stick to the budget!
- Put some REAL thought into this gift. Don’t just go out and purchase something with no meaning for that person. The message behind the gift should be, “I know what you like and I know what your interests are”. Don’t simply buy a gardening book for $19.95 at Costco, when your mother’s real passion is cooking. Spend some time on the internet and find out what fun new gadgets are out there for your special person.
- Let this gift reflect how much you know about this person and how much you care. Take mental notes the next time you’re with someone. Recognize their interests and style; remember those “little things” that they say.
- When dealing with extremely large families, decide as a family how you will handle gift giving. Look at buying a family gift instead of individual gifts. Drawing names may be another option for gift giving with larger families. This can save a lot of money, especially when buying for a family of four or more.
- Choose your own family limit. You do not have to use $25 as your limit. You can even drop it down to $10 or raise it up to $100, depending on how many people you are buying for and your financial situation.
- While you may choose to spend more money on your own children, you can still use these guidelines in purchasing gifts for aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, grandparents, girl/boyfriends and even a spouse. As for grandparents, some tend to go overboard with the grandkids during the holidays so they may or may not choose to adhere to the $25 limit. And that’s okay; it’s their decision when it comes to their precious grandkiddos.
- Shipping and handling are not included in the $25 limit. If you are shipping gifts to someone, that comes out of your own pocket, sorry! If you do have to ship gifts, think thin and light, perhaps magazine subscriptions or gift cards.
The key is to talk about Christmas gift giving with your family members several months before holiday shopping begins. (That’s why I’m posting this now!) This way everyone is on board from the beginning and no one can claim they didn’t know how much to spend (or not to spend). Here are some gift suggestions for those persons looking for some quick and easy ideas this holiday season.
- For the Cook – A great gift might be a new cookbook and tie on a set of wooden spoons with a bow.
- For the Sports Obsessed – Check out magazine subscriptions, sports biography books, or a gift card to a sporting goods store.
- For the Book Worm – Try a book light and a new paperback book, or a hardback book with a fun new bookmark.
- For the Woman in your Life – You can’t go wrong with a great pair of earrings, a gift card to her favorite store, or lotions and bath soaps.
- For the Grandparents – I haven’t heard of a grandparent yet that doesn’t want photos of their grandkids. Take a cute snapshot; have it printed as a 5×7 or 8×10 from Costco or Snapfish. Find an affordable frame, and have the kids sign and date the matting or back of the frame with a silver Sharpie. It will more than likely become the grandparent’s favorite family heirloom.
- For the Caffeine Addicted – Dress up a colorful coffee mug with tissue paper and place a Starbuck’s gift card inside.
- For the Large Family – Movie passes are always a sure hit and are perfect for large families who rarely get to go see movies in theatres.
- For the Wine Lover – A bottle of nice wine with a decorative cork or wine opener tied on the neck of the bottle. Perfect as a hostess gift during the holidays as well!
Think you’re ready to tackle the $25 Christmas now?? The key is to start shopping early and put some meaning in your gifts. Discount stores such as TJ Maxx, Ross, and Home Goods are ideal for finding low cost gifts. If online shopping is more your speed, try to take advantage of free shipping and ship directly to your out-of-town family members.
The $25 Christmas may not work for all families but I promise it will work for some, and hopefully keep some of you out of debt while enjoying the holidays this year. So print this out, forward or share with family members, and spread the word that Christmas no longer has to break the bank. Happy $25 Christmas to one and all!
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This post is sponsored by:
The Brett Saks Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, hopes to make our Arizona communities safer for bicyclists by teaching adults and children about road safety and mutual respect between drivers and cyclists in fun and engaging ways. We are “Shifting Gears to Saves Lives,” as more than 600 cyclists are lost each year to car-bike accidents. Learn more at gearupaz.org.
