Here is what I am getting people for Christmas this year. I wanted to share with you what I got people and how I budget for gifts.
How I budget my money
I don’t have a specific amount of money that I spend on each person. Instead I include gifts under my discretionary money category when I budget money. I set aside money every single month for discretionary expenses and this needs to cover everything that is not bills, college expenses, or groceries. This allows me to buy gifts year round and save money for the holidays through out the year.
Other people might use a cash envelope system or have a separate bank account for holiday expenses. What matters is choosing a system that works best for you.
If you are expecting or getting a gift from me please skip this blog post. Unless I already gave you your gift.
Family
Mom
My mom is really hard to shop for because she doesn’t always tell me if there is something she was hoping to receive at Christmas. So every year I like to focus on consumable or practical gifts for her. I know practical sounds boring but when I explain what I bought to my mom it makes sense.
Mickey Mouse Canvas Tote Bag: I bought this tote bag at Savers for 4.99 a few months ago thinking of my mom. So I cleaned it and kept it in my gift closet. Since she enjoys going to the beach and Mickey Mouse.
Vintage Mickey Mouse Glass Mug: My mom has this glass mickey mouse mug that she uses every single day. A friend of hers gave it to her a long time ago when she came back from a Disney vacation. This mug has received a lot of love and the design is starting to fade. So I went online and I found a similar mug on eBay.
I might get her something else if she asks for anything else. Since she did not give me a lot of gift ideas this year.
Stocking stuffers: Every year myself and my sister fill my mom’s stocking. This year I got my mom
- Travel size hand lotion
- Deodorant packaged in cardboard
- Toothpaste
- Pens that I got for free because I saw a box with a sign saying free pens at my college.
- Two Sodoku books
My sister also gets items for my mom’s stocking. Then closer to Christmas, we will get some fruit and food to put inside the stocking. We like to get consumable items as stocking stuffers. In the past, we have done items such as
- Her favorite brand of granola bars
- Jams and jellies
- Baking mixes
- Tape
- Chapstick
- Toothbrush and floss
and more
Total: 42
Sister
Cake decorating kit: I bought my sister a cake decorating set that had been wanting for a while.
Mug: My sister was talking about herself and her husband needing more mugs for their apartment. So I got her a Winnie the Pooh Mug from HomeGoods.
Frying Pan: My sister asked for a nonstick 10 or 12 in a frying pan to replace one in her kitchen. So I bought a Greenspan skillet because I have been using them for the past few months. I also like how they do not have chemicals such as PTFE and PFOA. I got the Greenpan recommendation from a sustainability influencer @shelbizlee.
Book: I found a book about the history of tea with recipes during my community’s free book day. It was in good condition so I decided to give it to her as a gift.
Total: 59
Brother in Law
For my brother-in-law, I got him so many books that he has been wanting for a while from thriftbooks.com. Since he loves to read and goes through books really fast. I got him secondhand books because he said that he is okay with used books. It also means I can buy more books he wants and it’s eco-friendly.
Total: 12
Uncle
My mom makes a Christmas care package every year for my uncle. This year I decided to get him some dog biscuits from the New England Dog Biscuit Company (nedogbiscuit.com).
Total: 14
Friends
Friend B
I got this friend two axolotl squishmallows that she has been wanting for awhile. I got Irina from Poshmark and Miss Vi from Hallmark.
Total: 33
Friend H
I got this friend a dinosaur necklace that I had personalized with their initial and birthstone. I thought this necklace was perfect because they like jewelery and dinosaurs.
Dinosaur Necklace for Women & Kids Personalized Dinosaur | Etsy
Total: 17 because I got this necklace on sale
Friend M
This friend got tea from Jolie Tea Company, Salem, MA – Jolie Tea Company (istheteainyou.com). I also got them stickers from StickyRiceCo – Cute Stickers and Stationery! – StickyRiceCompany. I chose these gifts because they love tea from this small business. Then I got them stickers because they like stationary.
Total: 16
Friend Gift Exchange
I do a gift exchange with my friends every single year. This year I got one of my friends who love animals. So I decided to create an animal-themed gift basket. We set a 20 dollar gift limit every year.
What I put inside the gift basket
- Turtle figurine that I bought over the summer when I went to the cape. I bought this with this person in mind.
- Beaded coin purse from Etsy with a panda on it
- DIY Lion Crochet Kit I got this for free because my college was giving craft kits away. That is how I stayed under the 20 dollar limit. I thought about the value a person would get from the gift instead of the price.
- Candy from a local candy store and hellosweetscandy.com
Total: 20
Other
Reddit Secret Santa
I got my Reddit Secret Santa some of their favorite tea and something animal crossing related.
Total: 40
Office Yankee Gift Swap
I am going to a holiday office party for work and we are doing a optional Yankee Gift Swap. The budget is 10-15 dollars.
My grand total for gifts this year was 226 dollars
Before I end this blog post I wanted to answer some questions you might have
Do you prefer to shop online or in person?
I like shopping both in person and online.
Liz when do you do your holiday shopping?
I do my holiday shopping year-round. I keep a memo on my phone and google Docs with my family and friends’ interests. Then when I see something I know they will enjoy and use I might buy it. Then I store it until it is their birthday or Christmas.
Do you give people experiences?
Yes, I do enjoy giving people experience gifts. This year for a close friend’s birthday I bought them a ticket to King Richard’s Faire so we could go together. However, it depends on the person if I give them experience gifts or not based on their interests.
Do you really give gifts to people that are used?
Yes and no because I do buy gifts from thrift stores. But I only buy items that are brand new or are in the packaging as gifts. I also only give gifts that are from thrift stores if I know the gift receiver is okay with it. Since I like to focus on the value of the gift, not the price. For example, I was at a thrift store and I found a new spice rack in the box for only 10 dollars. I thought about how my sister has been wanting a spice rack for a few years. So I bought it and gave it to her as a Christmas gift.
But what about getting a gift for Insert Person?
It is up to you and your budget to decide who you give gifts to. There are some family members where we don’t exchange gifts because we do not feel the need to.
When do you do your holiday shopping?
