Frugal gifts

[purplefdu]

The bargain section of Target is a dream come true. We got clothes for the puppy there for $2.50 each for when it was cold and he still didn't have all his coat grown in.

I definitely am a year-round shopper for bagains. I have a running list in my planner of people who need gifts and ideas and buy as I see them. Then I can mark them off to remember they don't need anything else. We like to embroidery plain clothes for the nieces. The gift basket sounds like a great idea for next year since I am building up some fun things.

[boba1212]

Homemade baked goodies or mixes work for almost every adult! I also really like asking people to burn me a CD of their own choice of music. It exposes me to lots of genres of music that I would never explore on my own.

For kids, you'd be amazed by how delighted they are in $1 store stuff. My nephew who is 5 came to visit and I took him into the $1 store and let him loose. He was in heaven grabbing plastic toy soldiers, dinosaur toys, stickers, bouncy balls- and incredibly it was about $5 total. He even went home to brag and now my other nephews and nieces want "in" on the fantastic "toy store."

[RedZinnia]

I like to give champagne to friends/family who drink. There are some very tasty bottles out there for reasonable prices, and it's always festive & appreciated. I make soaps and candles and give those as gifts frequently too.

[shayob]

I know that a lot of people think this sort of thing is crazy but for me I'd rather have someone's time than their money. My fiance's birthday and Valentines day are in the same week, leaving me with needing to come up with gift ideas. Then my mom calls and asks what she should get him for his bday - I told her she didn't have to get him anything but that wasn't acceptable so I gave her the only thing I could come up with, leaving me with no ideas. We both have the things we need and want and so gifts can be a challenge. So I sat down at my computer and made up coupons, I know, cheesey, but I put things in there that I knew he would like, help with yardwork, a homemade batch of cookies, a golf outing together. When he got my card and the coupons he was overjoyed, and said it was his best birthday present. (He's already used one of the yard work coupons). That might not work for some people, but I think if you think about the things they would appreciate and maybe not real high on your list (I'm not a lover of yardwork or golf for that matter) but it meant something to him and we had fun spending the time together even though we were cutting tree branches. Then if you have any real skills (I don't really have any other than cooking) you can make things for people. My finance crochets (and he's good) and my neice is having a baby and he's been making booties (that took a few trys) and blankets and little caps and he's enjoying it and I'm sure my neice will be thrilled. I just think that the thought and time that goes into a personal gift means a lot more to me than if someone went out and spent tons of money (a girlfriend of mine got a flyfishing rod from her husband for xmas, not a cheap gift but he certainly didn't have her truly in mind when he bought it). think of the person and what is meaningful to them and you're boung to come up with a great gift without needing to spend a lot of money.

[Solinvicta]

Some great ideas floating around here! One thing that I'd suggest for people who are shopping FOR frugal friends...try to find something in particular that they enjoy and that is practical, but that is slightly too expensive or hard to get for them to justify getting for themselves.

The reason I was thinking of this is that my girlfriend recently bought my a few bars of soap for Valentine's Day. Not Fancy Designer Soap, but bayberry-smelling soap, which I first found in Williamsburg, VA when we were on a vacation. It's very difficult to find around here, and, being "cheap" I probably wouldn't spend a lot of time to find soap, since "Ivory does the job" etc etc. I doubt that it cost her $10, even with shipping, but it was a really great present since it was something I wouldn't have done for myself, but enjoy.

(side note: don't employ this strategy if your frugal person is a hoarder! Years ago, I had this problem, and I'dve probably stuck the soap in a drawer for years, because it was "too nice to use") ;-)

[gt0163c]

Originally Posted by Solinvicta

Some great ideas floating around here! One thing that I'd suggest for people who are shopping FOR frugal friends...try to find something in particular that they enjoy and that is practical, but that is slightly too expensive or hard to get for them to justify getting for themselves.

I think this is a great idea.
Around Christmas this year, I kept seeing the ads for the little remote control mini-helicopters. And I wanted one, but there was no way I could justify spending the money (okay, not that much, generally around $25-$30 once you paid for shipping) on another toy for myself, especially one that I knew I wouldn't play with all that much. So, I resisted ordering one. Then, a friend got me one for Christmas. I was so thrilled. He knew I would enjoy playing with one (knows me way too well) but probably wouldn't buy one for myself. So, yeah, good idea.

[khorrell]

I have been leaning towards donations as gifts. Two groups I really like are Heifer International, whose primary work involves helping people develop sustainable agriculture businesses and feed their families (and communities), and Donors Choose, which matches donors with teachers in need of supplies. You do not need to disclose the amount of your donation and it doesn't clutter peoples' homes.

[Solinvicta]

In the donation vein...I've heard that Kiva has gift cards now. They're basically an organization that makes microloans to businesses in underdeveloped countries. The neat thing is that it's a loan...so it's sorta of like giving a person cash that they receive later, after it's done some charitable work. Then, if they're feeling generous they can make another loan with it...or if they need the money, they can withdraw it.

[mbhunter]

Hear-hear on Heifer International. My parents want for nothing and we donate in their name as a gift.

Thrift stores are decent for gifts as long as the recipient won't turn their nose at something that isn't NIB.

A few packages of Play-Doh went a long way with my three-year-old this Christmas.

[penny pinscher]

Something my kids and friends love that's absolutely free -

Whenever it's their birthday I call up their favorite radio station and ask that they announce the birthday when I know they'll be listening. They love it - especially the kids. As a bonus, a lot of radio stations have a birthday drawing of all names from that morning. They usually give away cakes, free meals, etc.

For teens, stop by the radio station and see what they'll give you. I picked up bumper stickers and magnets one time for all the kids I take to school and back. They were thrilled, and you'd think I spent $50 on each of them the way they were acting. That station was happy to pass out the free advertising.