No matter how much we love the person we are buying a gift
for, there are limits to what we can spend on them. We are surrounded by
advertising and perfect TV lives, and this pressures us to give "good" presents
to show we care.
The reality is, people will love and be happiest with a gift from the heart
rather than a gift with a huge price tag. There are ways to cut gift giving
costs without cutting back on the thought and value of the gift given.
Start
Early
By far the best
tip is to start early. Knowing who you need presents for during the year makes
it easier to grab bargains when you see them. It also means you have time to
shop around, think of what to get and not be forced into buying from a boutique
because it's convenient in the last minute rush.
Keep an eye for
specials on wrapping paper, cards, ribbons and other useful items. It is much
easier to have a stock at home ready for any event that comes up during the
year.
Shop outside the
square
Big shopping
centres have drawing power, but they are not the only places to find gifts.
Go to the
discount shops and warehouse outlets for bits and pieces. You may be surprised
at how many gifts you can get at such places, or you may just find lots of items
you can make into wonderful gifts. For example, a glass photo frame can be
painted and have a picture added for under $5 to make a beautiful, personal
gift, or fill a box with pencils, crayons, scrapbook, glue and scissors for a
budding artist.
Don't forget
other shops can provide good gifts too. Hardware and craft shops have tools for
the enthusiast as well as bits and pieces for others, office suppliers have nice
pens and diaries, neighbourhood houses sometimes sell crafts and books whilst
speciality schools may have accessories available.
Instead of one
big gift, consider putting two or three smaller items together and presenting it
as a set. For instance,
* A heat pack
with some massage oil
* Hot Chocolate
powder and a lavender sachet to encourage sleep
* Bath salts and
a lovely candle
* Shower gel, moisturiser and talc of the same scent
* A novel and
some chocolates or biscuits
* A steering
wheel cover and a bottle of car polish
* A sunhat with
sunscreen and insect repellent
Local garage
sales and fetes, as well as
second hand shops,
can be a source
of many wonderful items. People sometimes sell unused items at these sales at a
fraction of the original cost. Other items,
especially toys, look as if they are new and will be
treasured by a young child regardless of its origin.
Old pieces of
china or cutlery can be used creatively, or may even be the latest funky
fashion! Cushions and paintings may be done up with a new cover or new frame
for much
less than an entirely new equivalent would have cost.
Garage sales are
often held as children outgrow their old toys, books and entertainments. Many
videos,
books, board games and puzzles (count the pieces are
there!) are in excellent condition and young children
aren't fussy if the original box is missing.
Baskets, boxes,
bowls and buckets at sales may be useful for presenting gifts. Just wash them in
warm water and leave them to dry before use, and possibly line them with fabric
or paper for effect. Fill a bread basket with jams and tea packets, a mixing bowl with a recipe book
and some fancy ingredients or a handled basket could become Little Red Hiding
Hood's basket of goodies for imaginative play.
Look for old plant
pots and use one as a gardener's gift box, add some seed packets, a pair of
gloves, plant ties and the like before wrapping in green cellophane. Plant
cuttings can also be grown up as a nice gift - herbs are particularly nice and
they can be presented in many different containers for fun!
Other gift ideas
A bit of
creativity
can result in some gifts that will be appreciated by
your friends and family without having to cost you a small fortune. Sometimes, the cheapest gifts are the most treasured.
Make some vouchers
as gifts. Give new parents
a voucher for a night's babysitting, a busy couple may appreciate a day's
housework, isolated people would love half a day of your company to go shopping,
take a child to their favourite park for two hours, mow the lawns or weed the
garden for some relatives, or feed a pet lover's animal for a week.
There are
a multitude of vouchers you can present and people will love them if you have
thought about what they need. If you have particular skills, the voucher can
reflect that � teach them to play piano, tidy their accounts, give a massage,
cook some meals, service a car, paint a mural or organise their junk room.
Use your time and skills to make presents rather than buying them. Don't go overboard though, as
it may end up costing more if you use expensive fabrics or materials. Homemade
biscuits, cakes and sweets are always appreciated, as are home grown flowers and
vegetables.
If you can sew
or paint, consider making items to match a friend's decor, maybe using scraps
from their curtains or couch covers. Make some table centre pieces using florists
foam and various cones, berries, leaves and flowers, many of which you will be
able to find in gardens and parks around you.
Choose a
favourite poem or song, print it in a beautiful font and present it nicely in a
frame or mount it. The paper can be soaked in tea for an aged look if desired. A
photo may be framed with it and you might consider writing a poem yourself if
you are a poet.
Children
Children love
making gifts,
and people who
love them will also be thrilled by the child's efforts. Instead of the children
giving bought gifts, help them to make some useful craft items such as a
photo frame, bath salts, biscuits, magnets and
calendars.
Children are
often showered with presents, even if they have an array of toys already. Given
this, they probably don't need a lot more toys so don't feel obliged to give
them piles of presents or everything they ask for.
Not everything
needs to be fancy, either. Most children would be very happy with a video you
make for them by taping their favourite TV shows or themselves and people they
love.
Make a book or
photo scrapbook about your child during
the year and give it to them on for their birthday - if you do this regularly,
they will have a lovely set of mementoes as an adult.
Stockings do not
have to be saved for Christmas. Make up a stocking of sorts (use a box, library
bag, backpack or whatever comes to mind) and top it up with home made biscuits
(make the child's name or favourite animal shapes) bathers, scrunchies and hair
ties, biscuits cutters for play dough, a new toothbrush, name labels for
belongings, socks, pencils, glitter glue, stickers, pieces of fruit, bubble bath
and many little items you may otherwise get for them anyway.
There really is pleasure to be found in giving, and this is multiplied when you
have really put in effort for the gift. By putting time into the gift, instead of money, you will be
rewarded with satisfaction and a bigger bank balance!
