Photo courtesy of Alice J-T

Sure, Christmas is still more than two months away, but since budgets are tight this year planning is even more important. Gift giving can get extremely expensive. However, with some preparation you’ll know exactly how much you have to spend on each person on your list.

Make a List

No, this is not a list of what you want for Christmas. It’s a list of who you plan to buy gifts for. Include everybody– whether the gift is small or large.

Get Ideas

Generate a few ideas for each person on your list. Would they like an iPod? A sweater? A magazine subscription? Come up with some gift possibilities for each person.

Estimate Cost

Now that you’ve got an idea of what a good gift might be, estimate how much that will cost. Do a little online research to find out what you could be spending to buy that gift.

Make a Budget

Add up those estimated costs for all of the gifts you want to buy. Does the number scare you? Then try brainstorming lower cost gifts. Come up with homemade ideas for some of the people on your list. Get that number down to something you can afford.

Save, Save, Save

You’ve got a budget so now is the time to start saving. Planning ahead means you won’t face unexpected gift expenses. The important part is setting aside some extra money each week or month so that you’ll be able to Christmas shop without the stress.

Start Shopping

Carry that gift list with you from now until Christmas. Keep an eye out for sales or bargains that include the items you’re looking for. Since you’re not waiting until the last minute you can keep your eye out for the best deal possible.

Looking for gifts? Browse our GIFT STORE! Also, check out the COUPONS page for savings at the best online gift stores!

There’s only one season that rivals Christmas when it comes to gift-giving and that time of year has arrived: it’s wedding season. Before the bride takes that walk down the aisle and the couple says “I do,” it’s a good time to start thinking about gifts. There are definitely rules for wedding gift-giving etiquette. So to make sure I was displaying good manners I turned to the one and only Emily Post. Here are some of the biggest wedding gift-giving questions answered.

1. When should I send my gift?

I’ve been told several times that you have a year to give a couple a wedding gift, but according to Emily Post, get it done within three months. The best time to do it is right before or right after the wedding. It is ok to bring the gift to the reception if you prefer, but that just means more work for someone taking on the task of gift wrangler.

2. Does the gift have to come off of the registry?

Emily says no. A registry is just a guide, but it’s a good way to make sure the couple gets exactly what they want.

3. How much do I have to spend?

It depends on a couple of things: your budget and how much you like the couple. If the bride is your twin sister, you may want to spend a little more than you would if the bride is a co-worker in accounting that you barely talk to.

4. Can I give cash?

Yes! Cash is good. Emily says if this makes you a little uneasy, try giving a gift certificate.

Photo Courtesy of Alison Storm and Denny Shortt Photography.

Looking for gifts? Browse our GIFT STORE! Also, check out the COUPONS page for savings at the best online gift stores!

How many times have you received gifts that you didn’t really like? I bet there were quite a few…

 Almost three weeks ago I started a discussion on BlogCatalog on this subject. The question I asked was quite simple: what do you do with gifts you don’t like?

Some of the answers I was kind of expecting, some others took me by surprise. Here are a few suggestions that I received (in no order whatsoever):

• - regift ( wait till someone’s birthday comes up and give it to them)
• - “white elephant” gift exchange ( which is a party game played during Christmas season; the participants are supposed to bring one gift that they received but they don’t like and they all leave with another one. An approximate value or type of gift is usually decided ahead: “under $10” or “Christmas ornaments under $15” or something like that)
• - Sell them on Ebay (have you noticed how many gifts are on Ebay after Christmas?!)
• - Church rummage sale
• - Garage sale
• - Neighborhood sale
• - Donate them (as a tax write-off or just for a good cause: Goodwill)
• - potluck clothes swap parties
• - return them to the store (if you have the receipt, that is)
• - just keep them in the closet and try to find a use of them…
• - give them to a Toy drive on National AIDS Day (this was an interesting one!)
• - keep them for sentimental value…

Do you have any other ideas? Leave us a comment!

Note: I would like to say THANK YOU to all those who participated to my discussion on BlogCatalog.

Image by: mmagallan

Looking for gifts? Browse our GIFT STORE! Also, check out the COUPONS page for savings at the best online gift stores!