Most people have a lot of expectations and emotions when it comes to Christmas gifting. Due to fear of offending friends and relatives, people tend to take their spending habits overboard and end up with long gift lists that they regret later. Whether you are on a budget or you are just fed up with the Christmas hype, there are ways that you can leverage on to reduce the number of gifts that you give out without appearing like some skinflint.
1. Consider Gifting only those in need
Gift-giving expectations during Christmas vary depending on the nature of the party. While there will be no gift exchanges in some parties, in others, everybody is expected to at least gift another person. If your budget is stretched thin, you can opt to skip the latter. Instead, you can consider buying items that you deem necessary and giving them (as gifts) to people in need. Gifting the needy during Christmas come with a few benefits:
• Taking your time to help someone in need can make a big difference in their lives, and can go a long way in helping you get into the holiday spirit because you will know that you’ve touched someone’s life.
• Compared to buying items for every member of your family, giving to the needy can save you lots of money while allowing you to do some good at the same time.
2. Consider creative use of Christmas Gift cads
There are tens of people we may like, but don’t necessarily count as friends—co-workers, custodian staff at your son’s school, and the postman among others. Gifting all of them during Christmas can be insanely expensive. However, instead of eliminating them completing, you can move them from the ‘gift’ group to the ‘card’ group.
3. Be Realistic With Those Who Can Understand You
Never be afraid to speak your mind when dealing with close friends and relatives. You can always remind them that things are not good (financially) on your side, and there are things that you may not manage during that particular holiday season. You can also let them know that you have too much staff to attend to, which may limit you from attending the gift exchange and other traditional parties. You can suggest going to a local concert, a night out, watching the latest blockbuster, or any alternative that you can figure out.
Bottom-line
It is no secret that people tend to overspend during Christmas. That’s why you need to appropriately tweak your Christmas list to match your budget. For more tips on how to do this, you can join online Christmas list forums and social groups.
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