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Purchasing Great Gifts on a Budget

One of the most difficult parts of the holiday season is all the extra spending that seems to happen. Buying Mother's Day gifts for everyone on your list can start to add up. The good news, though, is that things don’t have to get out of hand. After all, the amount you spend on a gift isn’t a true reflection of your love. You can have a frugal holiday season and still give thoughtful gifts. Here are some gift-giving strategies for the frugal minded.

Homemade Gifts

One tenet of frugal living is to make things yourself. This can include Mother's Day gifts. My husband’s sister is quite artistic, and painted a large sand dollar with a cool picture of a dragon for me. It’s an awesome gift that I enjoy every day. Other homemade gifts can include baked goods, a memory book, decorative picture frames and craft items. Write a note to go with the gift to add an even more personal touch.

Gift Cards

Gift cards are generally a bad idea, since many people don’t like giving low dollar amounts, such as $5. This can mean buying several gift cards worth more than you would like. However, you can get a larger denomination gift card for a couple or family. Another thing you can do is use sites like CityDeals.com and Gift Card Granny to purchase discount gift cards. You can find $25 gift cards for between $10 and $20. It’s a great way to give a great gift while retaining your frugality.

Purchase Plans

It is fairly easy to purchase a gift with a purchase plan such as QVC and HSN's multiple payment options.  QVC tends to have more easy pay options.  They generally have the payments split into five or six payments, whereas, HSN will only offer two or three payments.  Purchase plans are a great way to get your mom an awesome gift on a budget.   You may need to think ahead, and consider some alternative strategies, but there is no reason why you can’t give thoughtful and appreciated gifts and while maintaining a frugal lifestyle.
This post was featured in the Festival of Frugality.

Mother's Day Gifts

My mother is a cooking fanatic.   She loves baking and often cooks large portion for our family.  This mother's day I am investing in some quality containers for her.  She will primarily be using them when she goes to her cooking classes or when she is taking a dish to a potluck.  LocknLock.com has some fabulous deals currently on containers that are BPA free.   There are offering up to 35% off with the coupon code: thxmother.   Give your mother something useful, containers are an awesome gift that can be used daily. 

What is Living Frugally?

Frugal is a state of mind. It is getting better items for less. I utilize many methods so that I am able to shop and buy what I like. Everything that I purchase is for a discount of some sort. For instance, when I eat lunch at work, I make sure that the restaurant I go to gives me a 20% discount or more or I do not patronize. Living frugally is about doing things differently. In the past, I purchased without considering price tags or consequences. However, now I save in anyway that I can. I use employee discounts, Groupon, Half Off Depot and Living Social. I think that all of these combination of discounts make everything better for me. Now, I am learning to coupon. I used to throw coupons away. Today, I am saving coupons and pairing them with what is on sale to get better values. Overall, living frugally is about being conservative.