DIY

6 Easy Tips for Giving Christmas Gifts on a Tight Budget

Christmas is a wonderful time of the year to spend with loved ones, but it has been a bit too commercialized. Everyone wants extravagant gifts and kids set out to collect the most toys and gadgets of all their friends. With so many expectations, how can you give gifts this holiday without draining your wallet? Find out how below with these 6 Easy Tips for Giving Christmas Gifts on a Tight Budget

Start with a well-detailed budget.

Before you buy your first holiday gift, make sure you have a budget. And not just an estimated figure in your mind that can change with each shopping trip…

You need an actual budget that is written down or saved in a spreadsheet. This budget should have everyone on your gift list included with a separate budget for each recipient as well as the total you cannot go over. Update your budget each time you purchase a gift to ensure you don’t exceed your total.

Research Christmas gifts before spending money.

With the Internet at your fingertips, there’s really no excuse to paying more than you should for each gift you give this Christmas. Often times, there will be websites that offer lower prices that you could snag in a store. Comparison shopping is a must to stay within your holiday budget.

Use coupons and snag deals whenever possible.

Always make sure you are getting the lowest price by searching online and in store ads for coupons. Also, take advantage of “buy one, get one free” or “2 for $XX” deals. There are likely two people on your list who can benefit from similar gifts. Make sure you are maximizing your savings! Check out new coupons on our site here: Coupons. Plus, see current holiday deals on our site here: Holiday Deals

Shop for Christmas throughout the year.

This one may not work as well this year, since we are already close to the holiday season. However, start your Christmas gift shopping early for next year – as early as the week after this year’s holiday! Clearance is VERY easy to find around New Year’s Day, so take advantage and save 50% or more off gifts that you can store until next year.

Give handmade Christmas gifts.

If you are already crafty, use your imagination to create handmade items that can be given as gifts. Even if you don’t have the craftiest abilities, you can still bake holiday cookies or pies that can be given to neighbors or teachers.

Be sure to check out our 12 Days of Handmade Christmas gifts series for some great handmade Christmas gift ideas!

Plan a fun gift giving exchange.

Rather than buying for everyone on your list, suggest doing a holiday gift exchange instead. You can have your family members draw names out of a hat to determine who they will buy for, or do something more fun like White Elephant. Just don’t forget to agree on the budget!

Hopefully these tips will help you give holiday gifts without breaking your budget this year. The trick is planning ahead and shopping wisely in order to get the best deal and still find items that your loved ones will enjoy!

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We do a lot of shopping at our local Whole Foods market and we end up coming home with tons of paper bags. We much prefer these over the more common plastic bags, but are always looking for How To Reuse Paper Bags in our home. Here are some of our favorite uses that you too can enjoy when you have a surplus of paper bags. And here’s another quick tip: I like to buy paper bags online at Amazon for sack lunches for the kids. Check out the current deals at Amazon here: Paper bags

HOW TO REUSE PAPER BAGS

Book Covers. This is by far the most popular and classic use for how to reuse paper bags. Cut them down and wrap and tape around school books to protect covers. They are tons of fun to decorate with markers, stickers and even glitter.

Wrap presents with them. There are many presents that are easily wrapped by slipping them into a paper bag. You can either put the present in the bag, decorate and use it as a gift bag, or you can cut it down and use as plain wrapping paper you can also decorate accordingly.

Shred and use in packaging. This is a great Eco-friendly way to pack breakables for shipping. Let your kids have fun ripping apart the bags, cutting and shredding them to use as packing material. This is also a great way to add bulk to gift baskets.

Line trashcans with them. This is a great use for your paper bags. They are perfect for using as trash can liners. You can even use them specifically for compost items, because the paper bags are can be used in your compost as well as the food scraps.

Use in your crafts. Not only are paper bags great for a base to make things like puppets, posters and wrapping paper, they are perfect for going under tables or projects to catch paint drips and spills. Adding these to your craft closet is a great idea.

Recycling is so important for our environment, but mostly the frugal nature will help keep you in budget. Knowing how to reuse paper bags will help you to save money and create fun new things in our home.

Have you ever had to throw away your kids shoes, because they were totally worn out? Did you ever wonder what to do with the shoe laces that were in good shape? Here are some fun ways to Reuse Old Shoe Laces! Not only will you be recycling something useful, you’ll be teaching your kids all about how to take care of the environment. Any time you can re-purpose or reuse something in your home instead of throwing it away you are saving money and helping prevent further pollution. Need to replace some old and worn out shoelaces? One of the cheapest places to buy new shoelaces is on Amazon! Check out their current deals here: Shoelaces

REUSE OLD SHOE LACES

Dye vibrant colors and use in other shoes. Grabbing a packet or two of brightly colored fabric dye is a great idea for making some hot colors for your kids shoes. Colored laces that are mismatched are often popular with kids. Instead of throwing them away, simply dye them a fun new color and use them in other shoes!

Upcycle for sewing projects. Shoe laces make great drawstrings in waists of homemade skirts or pants. Typically the shorter ones are great for younger kids or doll clothing, but you may find longer ones work well for adult clothing as well.

Use as a bow on a gift. Use some of the brightly dyed shoe laces to tie around special gifts and make a fun colorful bow.

Use in garden to tie branches to trellis. When you have a small garden you know that items like tomatoes and beans often need to be tied to a stake, cage or trellis to keep from falling over. You can easily reuse old shoe laces in your garden every year. This is a fun no fuss and free way to keep your garden in check.

Use in sensory crafts and manipulatives. If your kids are working on lacing projects when they are younger, or even stringing buttons or beads onto something out of their sensory bin old shoe laces are perfect. You can create your own fun bin of items to string for them to sort by shapes or colors and use shoe laces as the free string.

For every little item in your home you might usually throw away, there is a fun free solution that will help you to recycle them to be budget friendly. Reuse old shoe laces for all kinds of fun and needed projects in your home.

I always keep a box of corn starch in my pantry, but sometimes I forget how many Uses For Corn Starch there really are. While it is usually used to thicken soups or sauces, it has many purposes outside of cooking. This list is just a beginning of the many common uses for corn starch that we have come across. Not only will this simple inexpensive pantry staple stretch your budget in the kitchen, it can throughout your home as well. A great way to save money on corn starch is snagging deals online. Check out current deals on corn starch at Amazon here: Corn Starch

USES FOR CORN STARCH

• Apply to diaper rash. Sprinkle on little bottoms to help prevent diaper rash, or mix as a paste with water to apply to existing rash.

• Apply to sunburn. Create a paste using water to apply to sunburn areas. Can also mix with aloe vera for another soothing paste.

• Use to absorb oil spills on fabric or clothing. Sprinkle and rub into oil spots on leather, fabrics and even clothing.

• Use as dry shampoo. Comb through hair on mornings you are too rushed to shampoo. Works best on lighter colored hair, but can easily be used for any hair type or texture. This helps absorb oil at the root.

• Alternative Underarm Deodorant. Apply alcohol to underarms then lightly brush with corn starch to eliminate and help prevent odor.

• Polish Silver or jewelry. Make a paste of corn starch and water and rub into silver or any jewelry to remove dirt and grime. Dip a toothbrush into it to scrub jewelry like rings, pendants or bracelets that have intricate parts.

• Hair detangler. Apply a small amount to damp hair for easier combing. The corn starch lubricates the hair shaft and makes it easier to glide the brush or comb through.

Corn starch can be found in every room of your house from the kitchen to your bathroom or cleaning supplies. These are just a few of the many uses for corn starch you can enjoy using in your own home.

And don’t forget to check out the online deals for corn starch at Amazon here: Corn Starch

For years I have kept a box of powdered milk in my pantry with the intentions of using it in more than just the occasional recipe. These Uses For Powdered Milk are great places to begin and definitely things that you’ll love knowing about. Powdered milk is not only a shelf stable option you can keep in your pantry at all times, it is often much less expensive overall than traditional milk. These ideas are great for saving you money and keeping items on hand that would otherwise go bad before you could use them all. Plus, you can save money buying powered milk online too. Check out the deals on powdered milk at Amazon: Powdered milk

USES FOR POWDERED MILK

Sweetened Condensed Milk: Everyone loves this for use in recipes but it can be costly Instead mix together 1/3 cup powdered milk with ½ cup water. Microwave it until hot then add ½ cup sugar and refrigerate for 4-6 hours. This is equivalent to a 13oz can of sweetened condensed milk.

Replace creamer in coffee: Use 1 tablespoon milk powder and 2 teaspoons sugar in black coffee for a yummy flavor that is shelf stable and easy to keep on hand.

Sour Cream: When making recipes that call for sour cream, you can mix together 1/3 cup powdered milk with ¾ cup plain yogurt and 1 teaspoon corn starch to replace the sour cream. This is a great way to lower fat content and make a substitute for something you might not keep on hand.

Use in any recipe that calls for milk. Mix powdered milk as directed on box for recipes like cakes, breads and even puddings. Milk powder is a great way to always have milk on hand when you are cooking.

Dry milk powder is a staple item that should be found in every kitchen. These uses for powdered milk go far beyond the traditional mixture for drinking. For those who want to use it to drink, you may find it helpful to add a bit of flavoring so it is easier on the taste buds. A drop of vanilla, or some chocolate syrup can make it much easier to drink.

Remember, a great way to save money is by buying powered milk online and watching for online deals. Check out the deals on powdered milk at Amazon: Powdered milk