» Save Money on Christmas Presents

Maybe something really good can come from the economic downturn.

We all know the phrase ‘it’s better to give than to receive’, but at Christmas most givers do expect to receive, and it can be embarrassing when gifts are only passed in one direction.

But the recent economic problems are the ideal opportunity to jump off the Christmas consumerism bandwagon, and return to a more sensible approach to Christmas that doesn’t break the bank. Very few people have been unaffected by the increased prices and credit squeeze, and even where the effects haven’t been as bad, anyone who hasn’t been on the moon for the last few months knows things aren’t good.

So being the one to suggesting economizing by only buying presents for the children, or taking the ‘Secret Santa’ approach and just buying one present each, won’t make you seem like a skinflint. In fact you might achieve the opposite effect entirely – not only are you showing a responsible approach, you’re also giving other people the chance to get themselves off the spending treadmill as well.

But if you still want to give individual shop bought presents, there are still lots of ways to save money…

Use vouchers to get discounts from major online retailers. Vouchercodes.com lists well known UK based retailers who offer online discounts, while Myretailcodes.com and Couponcodes4u.com are similar US sites. There can be conditions or closing dates attached to the discounts, so remember to check for these.

Cut down on the amount of presents you buy. Children are often bought things that they don’t really get much use out of, which can be an expensive waste of money. Keep the excitement going by giving lots of small, inexpensive presents individually wrapped in a stocking, then just one main present.

If you’re buying for someone else’s child, cram a variety of small presents into a stocking for them.

Cut down on the number of people you buy for. Buy a ‘family’ present for people who are less close to you, or a joint present for a couple rather than individual items.

If you won’t to be seeing people until after Christmas, take advantage of the sales to pick up presents more cheaply. The recipient won’t know if you bought it before or after 25th December.

Save on incidentals such as wrapping paper, gift tags and cards. Use crepe paper or silver kitchen foil for wrapping gifts. Buy large rolls of synthetic ribbon to dress parcels up if you want to. Make your own gift tags, or better still don’t use them. Make a game out of not labeling presents, then getting people to guess who they belong to (remember to identify them in some way so you don’t get it wrong!).

Don’t give Christmas cards to people you see regularly; save them for people you won’t be seeing. Alternatively send e-cards. I like the selection at 123greetings.com and they offer e-invitation cards too . Or make your own on-line greetings card using family pictures.

Use BOGOF and other bulk offers. For most of the year these type of offers can induce you to buy things you don’t really want, so they’re not that economical. But at Christmas you can take advantage of offers where you either get multiples of the same item, or can choose 3 different items and get the cheapest one free. Look for offers that will make suitable present from supermarkets and other major retailers.

I love Hawkins Bazaar for lots of inexpensive, fun, and educational gift ideas for everyone. Try Russian Roulette chocolates (who will get the chilli flavored one?), a puzzle photo frame (you supply the photo), Sun Print light sensitive photographic paper that produces white on blue images using bright light (learn the basic science behind photographs), or Super Snot (a working model of a nose to demonstrate what it’s like when you have a cold).

Try Grabitnow for unusual gift offers every day – but be quick, each offer lasts for just that day!

But if you want to take it even further and give home made gifts, JD on GRS has lots of ideas, and lots of links to even more ideas. Some of them are quick and simple to do so it’s not too late to get started.