By: Christie
Christmas shopping can be a nightmare for both your sanity and your budget! We reached out to some of our fellow personal finance bloggers for advice.
Here’s some advice on dealing with mom guilt (<—a very real thing,) staying on budget and giving frugal gifts.
Dealing with Mom Guilt:
I went massively over budget when I was pregnant with my fourth child. Exhausted and overwhelmed, I can directly attribute the overspending to the fact that I ended up shopping last minute for all of the gifts. Lesson learned: make a list & shop early! ~ Janeen, www.lovinglittles.com
My worst holiday budget screw up is feeling like my children do not have enough after I have completed my shopping list and making additional impulsive and expensive purchases that I usually place on a credit card without shopping around for the best price AND shopping for convenience which usually results in the worst deals. ~ Shirria, www.Goaldiggingtohappiness.com
I know it is hard as a mom not to compare, whether it is what you grew up with or what you see other people giving their kids. I always give a gift that we can use or do together for my kiddo. It is way more important to me to make a memory with him than it is to give an expensive gift. I usually try to give one or two things that he wants, some fun gifts like a magazine and candy that he likes, plus a game and/or project that we can do as a family. That way he has 5 or 6 gifts for Christmas, we make some memories together, and I don’t spend a fortune. ~ Julie, www.Frugallyblonde.com
Only buy for children in your family. By children, I mean age 16 or younger. After that age, they can work for what they want, and what they probably would prefer is cash. Too much money is spent at Christmas on gifts that either don’t mean much to the recipient, or aren’t given much thought by the giver and thus don’t show much love/thought behind the gifts.
Christmas is for children, so surprise them with a unique gift that they probably didn’t think they wanted. Be creative.
You’ll easily blow your holiday budget by buying gifts for everyone in your extended family. The gifts will likely be forgotten within months. ~Aaron, www.Add-Vodka.com
Staying on Budget:
Have a plan for your holiday shopping. Set a spending limit and overall budget. Writing out a list of everyone you need to buy gifts and spending limits. Do your homework online to find best deals. Don’t walk into the mall without a plan. You will over spend ! Organization is the key! ~ Brian, www.DebtDiscipline.com
I always keep a Christmas present list with me when I’m out shopping. This helps me prevent getting overwhelmed during the holidays and stick to my budget. I also cash in all my reward points right before the holidays to help cut down spending! ~ Kristin, www.Believeinabudget.com
My #1 tip for staying on budget during the holidays is simple – limit what you buy and only buy it if you can afford it now. Retailers tempt us with deals, which are great to have on one hand, but if you weren’t planning on buying it prior then you need the money to come from somewhere. In our family we have a set dollar amount per person and we shop to find what the recipient will enjoy the most within that. That might even include buying something that’s secondhand as it should come down to enjoyment level, not the amount spent. ~ John, www.BestDiscountBrokerages.com and www.frugalrules.com
Over the years, I’ve learned that less is more when it comes to gift giving. Give people practical gifts and things that they truly need instead of buying expensive over-sized items in an attempt to be impressive. You can even get creative and make a gift. ~ Chonce, www.Mydebtepiphany.com
Favorite Frugal Gifts:
Our favorite frugal gift is the Entertainment book full of coupons and fun date ideas.
Veronica ~ www.SecondHandMillionaires.com
My most frugal gift would be knitted items, such as knitted scarves and socks. While they are not cheap to make (yarn is definitely expensive), it’s a great gift to give if you already have the yarn. ~ Michelle, www.Makingsenseofcents.com
The best frugal gift I’ve ever given was a website coding course to a friend who had interest. I got the course during a Black Friday sale for only $9 (originally $200). My friend took the course, learned how to do basic coding, and started using his skills to develop sites for people and businesses. He turned that into a nice side hustle that he still runs today. That $9 course was frugal for me, but potentially life-changing for him. I consider that a win-win and a really good gift idea. ~ Greyson, www.debtroundup.com
Thanks to everyone who contributed. It’s nice to know we’re not alone in feeling the dreaded mom guilt and that it’s possible to keep the Christmas budget in check with a little planning!
I hope my boyfriend doesn’t read this because my favourite frugal gift this year was a photo album with pictures of our life together so far (going on 4 years). It seems peoples photos stay on their phones/laptops. I didn’t scrapbook (no time). Just pictures in order in a nice album. I think it will mean more than the $50 electric flosser I was going to get (seriously it was in my cart until I came across the photo albums).
I love that idea! I think it’s a wonderful gift. I would love to get all of my photos of my computer and into an actual album that can be kept and looked at often. Very thoughtful!