Get More For Bank For Your Buck!
Get ready beforehand
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One way to give gifts that are not expensive is to watch sales and
thrift stores all year long. We do this and stock up on both children's
and adult gifts. Then when the parties arrive, we have something on
hand.
Make your own gifts
With a little creativity, gifts can also be made instead of purchased.
For younger children, we stock up on roller pin/baking sets when they
are on sale at "dollar days" sales and wrap it with some homemade "gak"
and playdough. For adults, we buy baskets when they are on clearance,
and fill them with a theme. Some of our favorites are italian cooking
(pasta, sauce, herbs, and a wooden slotted pasta spoon), or bath time
(sample sized shampoos, bubble bath, and a loofa sponge), or coffee (a
mug, some coffee beans or homemade instant cappuccino, and a flavored
syrup).
Drawing names and DIY
Another way to reduce the cost of the adult gifts is to draw names at
holidays so there are fewer people to buy for. Also, send cards instead
of gifts wherever possible. People are usually very understanding if you
explain that gifts are just not possible that year.
For your children's party, do as much of it yourself as you can. Bake
the cake from a mix. Have the kids make simple crafts that they can take home instead
of giving expensive party favors. Play some simple games that require
little expense.
Plan ahead for next year
And to make next year's expenses a little easier to handle, plan ahead.
Write down how many gifts you expect to buy next year, adding a dollar
maximum you want to spend for each. Add up all of those gifts and divide
by 12. This is the amount you need to set aside each month to be
prepared.