Lauren Cobello » Budgeting » Frugal Living » Tips for Evaluating Who is on your Gift List
This is Day 14 of the 30 Days to a Debt Free Christmas Challenge
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Today’s tip is key – How to Evaluate Who is on Your Gift List
The holidays are rapidly approaching and for most people it is one of the most stressful times of the year due to finances. I want to talk about something that might be a bit of a sensitive topic… at least, I know it can be for me! Holiday gifts. Specifically, how many we’re buying and who are we buying them for.
It has never been a secret that I enjoy helping people simplify their lives and save money. I think one of the biggest problems we face during the holidays is the pressure to ‘go big or go home’ in terms of gifts. Let’s face it, where do most of our holiday expenses go? Travel and gifts.
It’s not something we like to think about, but sometimes we need to evaluate who is on our gift list and fight some of these habits we’ve fallen into. Now I’m not telling you NOT to give gifts and I’m not telling you WHO to give gifts to. However, I do think that we can do a better job of examining our gift list.
Here are some of the biggest issues we face with our gift lists:
The point is, I think we tend to lose focus. Even I do. We get caught up in the excitement, we don’t want people to be disappointed. So, above are some of the big issues with our gift lists… but here comes the real tough part. We need to evaluate who is on our gift list. Keep in mind, these are tips and NOT rules. You know where you need to reconsider your gift-giving. Do what works for your situation.
Evaluating who is on your gift list:
This is tough. Remember, many people may feel similar pressure to spend outside their means. A lot of times people get stuck in cycles of gift giving and no one wants to be the one to stop.
Here are some methods you can use to evaluate who is on your gift list:
Don’t forget – there are plenty of alternative gift ideas that don’t come with a big price tag. Some of those people who aren’t on your gift list may appreciate acts of kindness or service. For example, consider giving the gift of baby sitting your friend’s children so she and her husband can enjoy a date night. Or offer to help someone clean out their attic, something they’ve wanted to do for years. You can give experiences and not gifts. Acts of service can even be more meaningful than a purchased present.
Unfortunately there is no quick fix or best solution for solving your gift giving woes. But hopefully this gives you some food for thought and reasonable solutions to keeping your holiday spending under budget! How do you determine who is on your gift list?
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