Christmas on a tight budget

This year- due to buying a house- DH and I are on an extreme budget for gifts.

I am comitted to 1 secret santa at work, and our cousins are doing one for Christmas eve instead of buying everyone a gift.

What do you do for gifts when you can only spend about $300 on about 15 people????

Any good discount stores I can shop at where the gifts aren't garbage?

Can I make this holiday season work for our loved ones?

Re: Christmas on a tight budget

I think KOHLS would be a good place to start. They have everything there at great prices.

Re: Christmas on a tight budget

I think they will love you even if they don't get gifts. Why not just purchase for the children? Tell the adults the truth if they want to b!tch about. If they do b!tch about they did not deserve a gift anyways. Good Luck!

Re: Christmas on a tight budget

coupon codes and free shipping are your friends! make a list of everyone you need to shop for, and look at it while you shop online. you can be thoughtful without spending a lot of money.

Re: Christmas on a tight budget

I'm confused - are you buying 15 gifts? I only ask because you mentioned 2 secret santas.

If you are spending $300 on 15 gifts, that works out to $20 per person. You could buy

a bottle of wine
a bottle of champagne with toasting flutes

IKEA has glasses for $1 -

Re: Christmas on a tight budget

Re: Christmas on a tight budget

Re: Christmas on a tight budget

You know what I love? One of my cousins has 2 kids and money is a little tight. My bday is also Christmas Eve and one year she said, "We're kinda tight this year...I don't want you to think we're ignoring your birthday, but..." I said, "You know what? You make the best brownies. THAT is what I want!" And for the past few years, she has done this...she puts them in a pretty box and wraps them. Gifts from the kitchen are fabulous! And inexpensive!

Re: Christmas on a tight budget

You woulld average about $20 per person and you could definitely get some nice things.

Like someone mentioned above...coupons and online codes are definitely a huge help and will stretch your $.

I set a budget this year and started with the kids first when I went shopping. I got some amazing deals at The Children's Place, Gap, and Carters and even managed to come in under budget with them. So I used some of that extra money for the adults to get a few things that were a little more than I could originally afford.

I always find great gifts at TJMaxx, Marshalls and Homegoods for the secret santas. I just picked up an All-Clad kitchen set for $9.99 that had an apron, pair of oven mitts and I think one other thing. Great for someone I have that loves to cook.

Also...for a couple you could make a basket of treats. You can get chocolates and goodies to put in and if you combine the amount for the two people you have $40 which makes a generous basket. I found great stuff at Homegoods and even at Target. They recently had Ghiradelli at 3 for $5.


ETA: Also wanted to mention that if you have young kiddies to buy for...Target has the Little People sets on sale for $19.99. These are the big sets...house, farm, airport...etc. Check out their circular often to see what they have.

Message edited 12/7/2007 3:06:01 PM.

Re: Christmas on a tight budget

spending less doesn't mean they have to be meaningless.

we've gotten creative this year.

we are taking all of the youngin's ice skating at Rock Center for Christmas. not buying them much, but spending the day with them, having fun, and enjoying the gifts of the season.

for parents, we are making a "babysitting coupon" and putting that with a bottle of wine...gift certs to the movies...

stuff like that, depending on the couple and their likes.

you are giving them the BEST gift, time with each other. and free babysitting alone is worth it's weight in gold.

movies they love, books they'd like, magazine subscriptions...they are all great gifts and can be found under $20 at this time of year.

even if baking isn't your forte...something IS. volunteer whatever you are good at so someone who is bad at it...

by putting a little extra thought and elbow grease, you can WOW them on a tight budget.

good luck!

Re: Christmas on a tight budget

What if you just buy for the kids?
I'm sure parents and siblings would completely understand that you are tight this year -
If you have a few couples to buy for, you can get gift cards to the movie theater ... - Do you have any Starbucks fanatics ? $20 can buy a nice bottle of wine too .........

Re: Christmas on a tight budget

Check out The Gift Haven. They had some decent gifts under $20

The Gift Haven

Re: Christmas on a tight budget

DH and i have the same problem... because we didn't budget well, i used my CC to pay for the gifts, although i limited myself to how much i spent per person. not smart, i know, but i feel bad b/c we just got married so everyone thinks we have all this $$ but the truth is we don't... i think next year we will have a no presents policy!!

Re: Christmas on a tight budget

I don't know about back home, but Tuesday Morning is one of my fave places out here!!!!!

Re: Christmas on a tight budget

Also try BJ's. They had some really cute gift baskets for good prices. I got a really nice Starbucks gift set for about $18.

Re: Christmas on a tight budget

I agree with going to Kohl's. Michael's also has some cute cheap stuff for kids. I used to love getting craft things when I was a kid.

One good thing that's inexpensive that I always love to get is a GC for a manicure
That, or a magazine subscription, or a cookbook.

Little things that you can get for guys are DVDs. I got DH "The Transformers" and "Batman Begins". I also got him a digital tire pressure gauge reader. It was cheap and gadgety!

Re: Christmas on a tight budget

I agree with the magazine subscription idea, or how about buy a bunch of nice picture frames and frame a picture for each of them...I'm making a collage frame for my brother and just printing out a bunch of old pictures from over the years that I have saved on my computer. I did this one year for mom/MIL/aunt with some of the proofs from my wedding.

Re: Christmas on a tight budget

try kohls and jc penney. they're having great sales

Re: Christmas on a tight budget

DH and I both come from really large families - I'm one of 7 and he is one of 5 add to that spouces and 11 neices/nephews and Christmas gets expensive very quickly.

Lots of time we make some thing for our siblings:

I have made soap (you can buy glycerine/molds/scents at Michaels (watch for the 40% off coupons)

Favorite family recipes ( I just bought the small 3 ring binders, typed out the recipes, printed them on nice paper and made fabric covers for the books - you could buy the binders with the plastic sleeves on the cover and make covers in word or insert a family pic, etc.

Mason jar cookie mix - layer the dry ingredients of a favorite cookie, cake or sweet bread in a mason jar and add the recipe on the outside with a ribbon (you will have to do some math to figure out how to alter the recipe to fit in the jar - you can FM me if need help)

Movie nights - I got a big plastic bowl from Target, added a DVD, microwave popcorn and movie candy

Message edited 12/7/2007 3:38:50 PM.

Re: Christmas on a tight budget

I agree with Kohl's and discount type stores. I just bought cashmere gloves in Daffy's last night for $17. (1 for me, 1 for my boss)

And Home Goods & TJ Max have some nice Christmas plates & things like that (you have to hunt through the junk a little though)

Re: Christmas on a tight budget

Are you crafty?? Can you make something or bake cookies???

Re: Christmas on a tight budget

We're on a tight budget, so for many people we (I) am just quilting Christmas pillows. But I've been working on these since October. If you like to bake, you could either make candy or cookies, and put them in a nice tin for your acquaintances. For people you are closer to, you could give books, or even gift cards.

Re: Christmas on a tight budget

If money is tight, then you don't buy for people like friends, etc. I can't recall the last time I exchanged gifts with my friends -- or siblings or cousins. We grew out of that b/c it just got too expensive. We don't even do a secret santa b/c no one really wants or needs anything - and it got too expensive. We buy for the kids and our parents and that's it.

When we suggested this to DH's sisters, you can't imagine their relief. I'd consider suggesting just not exchanging this year. It's not about the gifts, anyway!

Re: Christmas on a tight budget

Go to www.wow-coupons.com for printable in store coupons.

AC Moore usually has a 40% off coupon every week. I buy kids gifts there all the time. They have Lincoln Logs, craft kits, crayola etc...

Re: Christmas on a tight budget

Places like Kohl's and Target now have designers that have budget friendly lines sold in their stores (like Simply Vera!) It's designer merch at discount price!

Also, discount designer stores that have some great stuff if you take the time to look are Century 21, Marshalls, Daffys and Loehmanns. Check 'em out. I'm sure you'll find great stuff for relatively inexpensive!