My gift shopping strategy, or why small gifts rock
I love shopping — almost as much as I love giving. It’s no wonder then that I can really run up the credit card come the holidays and get off budget after a string of birthdays.
Since I don’t plan to give up on giving, I’ve had to rethink my gift shopping strategy to avoid going broke. For me, the solution has been to focus on buying small gifts. If you’re also trying to save money or make gift shopping easier, read on.
By “small gifts” I mean gifts that are cheap, usually under $20, although they also tend to be small in size. Small gifts make up the majority of my holiday purchases, even for close friends and family. It’s not just to save money though; I can spend just as much on a person by combining small gifts if I want. I just find that focusing on small gifts makes shopping both easier and cheaper than if I focus on giving each person a larger gift.
The problem with large gifts
Now, I’m not saying that you can’t buy your kids the newest video game system, or that guys should avoid giving the wives or girlfriends that other kind of small gift. But if you try to buy a larger gift for most of the people on your Christmas list, it can be both expensive and hard work.
When you pay more for each individual gift there’s more pressure to make it absolutely perfect, which can lead to paying more than you budgeted. Plus, larger items tend to take more research: just look at all the options you have to choose from when buying a digital camera! That’s why I prefer to at least save big gifts for birthdays and not the holidays when I have too much on my mind already.
Why small gifts work so well
Small gifts work whether you give people one each, combine them to make a large gift, or give them with a larger gift.
As individual gifts, small gifts are a great way to save money and/or add more people to your gift list. Thanks to all the great bargains out there, you can buy lots of gifts for under $20 that look like they cost twice that! Unlike with gift cards, the gift recipients don’t have to know how much you paid.
One of the best things about small gifts is that since they’re cheap, you can buy a few extra small gifts to keep on hand in case you need a last minute gift.
There are also many ways to combine small gifts to make a larger gift. I’m a big fan of gift baskets; they have all the feel of one big gift, but all the fun of opening many.
Even if you’re already giving a large gift, adding a small gift or two can be a way to stretch out the gift giving. For Christmas, they’re the perfect stocking stuffers.
Tips for giving small gifts
There’s more to great gift giving than your choice: when giving a small gift, presentation is key. Never give a gift with apologies for how little you paid for it. Treat it will all the respect as a much more expensive gift, including wrapping it up nicely. With great bargain-finding skills, you’ll have no reason to feel guilty about how little you spent.
Also, keep your eyes open for what I like to call “horoscope gifts” — the kind of gift that would seem personal to most people. These kind of gifts are good to stock up on, especially to use last-minute. If you’re looking for some ideas, don’t worry. I’ll be giving you lots of specific ideas for small gifts in upcoming posts.
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I agree wholeheartedly! This has been my strategy for years. I have a gift box in the closet into which I put small gift bargains throughout the year. Then I am ALWAYS set for birthdays, unexpected events & of course, Xmas. (FYI I have also found that eccentric, even weird gifts work really WELL. It’s the thought that counts.
I’m definitely going for the small gift approach this year!
Great points Meg! as long as it isn’t 20 items for $1 each at the dollar store, and $20 it’s a much better idea…
I’m certainly glad to see that others like this strategy : )
Pam,
Having a box for bargain gifts is an excellent idea! And I love eccentric/weird gifts, too! For me, giving a gift isn’t just about the item, it’s about giving smiles — and eccentric gifts often produce the largest smiles.
LJP,
I’m glad to hear that! Please let me know how it goes. So far, I’ve got a few gifts stashed away. I’ve seen a few more expensive gifts that make me go, “Oh, that would be perfect for _____ ” It’s been hard not to get them, but I’ve made a note of them and maybe I’ll give them later for birthday gifts when I don’t have to spend so much on everyone at once.
Fabulously Broke,
No, even I find it just about impossible to give good $1 gifts — especially at the dollar store. I bet some home made gifts could cost less than $1, though, if done in bulk. Mmmmm… home made cookies. Presentation might drive it up to a $2, though.
The trick is to get dollar store bargains - I have gotten nice little cologne sprays for $1 that would be $4-5 in a drug store….And I am thinking about old, peculiar books - and little odd items from a thrift store - old costume jewelry, for ex. - I have some funny historical dolls I got at a church yard sale…If you keep things in the gift box long enuf everyone will forget where they came from, anyway! The beauty of a gift box is that you pick little stuff when the deal is extremely good for giving later and you can also defer your Xmas expenses over a few months. That way, even when I was REALLY broke, I could always manage to gift my friends and family. Ha! One Xmas everyone got Swiffer mops, because I had been doing Swiffer demos - & you know, they liked them, too. (You can also group together packages of samples - especially good for the travellers in your midst. And you can get them FREE, rather than them paying $2-3 dollar for a little toothpaste at the drug store….)It all adds up - or doesn’t…
Actually, the year I made my own apricot brandy actually cost me MORE than my normal outlay. Go figure.
Thanks Pam, those are great ideas!
I bet people really look forward to gifts from you (especially that apricot brandy). I’m such a sucker for old books in particular, and I have a soft spot for old costume jewelry, too.
You’re so right about free samples. I sign up for samples and now I never have to pay outrageous prices for travel sizes. In fact, I hardly ever have to buy toiletries like shampoo, conditioner, or toothpaste at all! I know a lot of the sample sites out there are scams, so I want to mention for our other readers that you should be careful about giving out personal information on sample sites. Personally, I stick to sites like Walmart.com (search “free samples” on their site) or go to the company site for the product I want.