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CTC Readers' Poll:
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"I too like to live simply and
receiving gifts is not what Christmas should be about. I
love shopping for kids and grandkids and start in January,
but prefer not to receive anything for myself.
"I am a frugal person by nature and do not like a lot of clutter around my house. I would personally be happy with not exchanging gifts at all during the holidays. Spending time with family and having a good meal together is gift enough for me! However, since most of my family does not feel that way, I am always asked to come up with lists of things I want. I am most happy to get things which are consumable: gourmet foods, chocolates, or coffee, or nice smelling shower gels and lotion are all nice to receive. I also like the gift of experiences, such as gift cards to places like movie theaters and restaurants, tickets to a show, or a night at a bed and breakfast. Gift cards to gourmet type grocery stores such as Whole Foods are also great -- places where I love to shop but it isn’t it my budget to do so very often!" ~ Rachel
"One
thing I find that is a great gift that can be frugal or clutter
free is subscriptions or memberships to local museums or parks. A
family membership to the local zoo usually is paid for after
bringing you family to the zoo just one time. This is a gift
that keeps giving all year. It's also
an educational gift and a family get-together. What more can you
ask?" ~ Amy
"The gifts I have most enjoyed were memberships to the
local Zoo and Botanic Gardens. Several folks went in on the Zoo
membership together, and it's something my family really enjoys.
I also appreciate cards/stationary (sometimes with stamps!),
candles and tea -- the little luxuries in my day that make me
feel like a queen, but don't fill my home with clutter." ~
Annie
"This year for my birthday, I
asked that in lieu of gifts people would make a donation to
their favorite charity in my honor. I took such delight in
hearing what charities people chose and why. People seemed
to really get behind this idea. This year we'll be making
donations to charities in honor of loved ones and sending a
card to that effect as a 'gift.' We think that this will be
especially good for those people on our list that absolutely
have everything they already need or want. Everyone
gets something out of the gift -- the giver, receiver, and
charitable organization!
Another idea that I'd like to include
came from my friend Susie. She knows that I'm the self
proclaimed coupon queen, so one year for Christmas she
purchased a coupon book for me (one of those
entertainment/restaurant books that includes buy one, get
one deals). While this is something that I probably wouldn't
have splurged on for myself, I really enjoyed getting it and
feeling like my husband and I got more bang for our buck
when going out to movies or restaurants." ~ Gabrielle,
Knoxville, TN
"Why not pick
a charity that you support? Last year my mother-in-law gave
each of us in the family 25.00 to donate to a charity of our
choice, My 2 girls (ages 11 & 4 ) picked the
local SPCA. My husband and I picked the local food
pantry. I swear we had more fun buying for these charities and
then we delivered to both charities on the same day, then went
to lunch. The girls cannot wait to do it again this year. Our
12 year old will be donating hats & mittens to the local
church, and our 4 year old is donating to Toys For Tots. As
for hubby and me, we are donating to the special needs
children's home where our nephew lives. Try this; it is great
fun." ~ Deb
"Frugal gifts
I've found are generally to people who live alone. I live
alone and work at home, and what I like are things that I
need on a daily basis. That is gift certificates to: Office
Max, Circuit City, Walgreens (I'm in here about 3 times a
week, now you can get your ink cartridges filled),
restaurants, gas cards, how can I forget Starbucks(?), Bed
Bath and Beyond, GNC." ~ Ray
"Any of these would be great: * We have a local bump and dent grocery near us (closeouts, overruns, buyouts from out of business places). I'd love a gift certificate for that store. * A couple hours of babysitting, so my sweetie and I could have a date. * Some gas for the car, so we could go where the leaves are changing color. * An envelope of coupons (already neatly trimmed) for items we use * CD cases for our music (the little hinges always seem to be breaking off) * Replacement linens for the worn out ones. * Piano lessons. * Quilting (not piecing) lessons" ~ Anonymous
"* Missionaries - remember to pray for them with me and if
you have to spend, please send them a love offering for me.
www.mwbm.org
* Sponsor an orphan - https://www.compassion.com/sponsordonor/default.htm
* Give gifts that keep on giving - some of the websites like
Compassion or Christian Children's Fund have opportunities to
give a goat or water pump for an entire village.
* Family gifts - Christian DVDs from www.answersingenesis.org
* Family tickets to a gospel concert.
* Gospel CDs - Buddy Davis from AiG (above) has a great
CHRISTmas cd.
* The Old Schoolhouse magazine subscription
* Answers magazine subscription (www.answersgenesis.org)
TIME:
We like to go shopping for and donate to local church
food pantries and have a craft day with the children in our
family with ready-made pies and spiced cider after lunch. We
choose useful crafts for their grandparents - both sets. They
make them, eat, make their cards, wrap them, and take them home.
We love to eat, talk, sing, and play board games together."
~ Mrs. White
"I
have one friend who flat-out told us two years ago that she
doesn't want any gifts at all. She is
tired of having to find space for everything,
etc. I have several older family members that don't need anymore tchotchkies to dust around. I myself
have tried (largely unsuccessfully) to
get people to give us less. So I give a special blend
of spiced, mixed nuts to those who like spicy foods and sweet nuts to those who don't. I found a recipe
on-line for homemade bath powder that I
give to one friend who loves her baths, especially in winter!
I give books on tape to the children (I read the books myself so they have my voice later on - my children
still love the one Grandma did for them
three years ago!) Sometimes I do songs on tape too."
~ Melissa in MD
"I
like to make consumable gifts. Some years I make stationary
with my cardstock, patterned paper, and
rubber stamps that I already have. A nice
gift for an older person is a set of greeting cards
with postage stamps. This
year my focus is on food gifts. I went to a spice
store that sells spices at a low price and
stocked up on what I needed. (I spent $30 total on spices for the gifts, plus some that I
needed personally...the gifts will be used
for 4 couples and one single person's
gifts.) I spent a couple of hours the other
night making mixes: taco seasoning, cajun
seasoning, onion soup mix, bacon-flavored dip mix,
etc. I bought little bags for treats in the
cake decorating aisle at Wal-Mart to put the correct serving size in each bag, folded it
over twice and stapled it.
I will then attach the directions to it, either on
a label to affix to the bag or with some
cardstock. I will also add some jam, salsa,
or pickled green beans that I canned for the
first time this summer...and I am
adding 1-3 (depending on the couple) bar, quick bread,
or cookie mixes to the gift. I
made the spice mixes a couple of years ago, and my brother
would call me and give me his reviews. :) He
really liked the dip mixes especially. I have saved shoe boxes that I painted to put the
gifts in." ~ Leslie
"I'm pushing 50 and am now downsizing all the acquisitions I have collected over the years. I've asked my circle of relatives and friends about making donations in each others' names. That went over well w/some, but not all of those w/whom I exchange presents. For those who were willing, I've purchased toys for a toy drive, donated food to food banks, donated a turkey to a shelter, baked pies for Thanksgiving food baskets sponsored by a church, and worked at a clothing exchange with my friend. For those who preferred to swap gifts, we did try white elephant giving, so it was easy for me to donate to a thrift store afterwards. However, these folks really prefer to give some thought to the recipients wants, needs, and likes, so this year we're trying to purchase consumables. If there is a craft or hobby that one of my recipients enjoys, I've been able to purchase components, on sale, throughout the year. Since I love to read more than I like to eat, I've asked for paperback books, which can be used, so that I can enjoy a portable gift and pass it along afterwards." ~ Sean "I love it when I get a magazine subscription (especially quilting, gardening or cooking ones). Gift certificates to the grocery store, gas station, restaurants or a department store are always a hit. My daughters and daughter-in-law love to scrapbook so I am making up baskets with stickers, papers, embellishments from the $1 section of stores. We always gave my in-laws gift cards to the grocery store and they loved it. They didn't need anything for the house but Jan was always tight for her money. She always knew that they could budget less for groceries in January because they would get the gift card from us. I would also love a gift certificate from my grandchildren to just spend a day together -- no one else just us." ~ Sandy "I am also trying to live within my means and to make wiser purchases with my money, especially during the holiday season. I love to work in my yard, and when asked me what I would like for Christmas or birthday (which is also in Dec.), I suggest a bag of spring blooming bulbs (about $4) or gift cards for a pedicure/manicure, home improvement store, coffee shop, etc. I also try to think of consumable gifts my family and friends would enjoy that won't clutter up their homes." ~ Faye "I know what you mean. I hate getting what I call foo-foo gifts. I have always been a practical person, but being on a tight budget makes it more important than ever. Therefore I usually ask for things that are outside of my frugal budget that I would never buy for myself. For instance, scented candles, or fancy Health and Beauty products (lotions, shower gels, etc). Aside from that, gift cards are the greatest! You can get a gift card for anything--gas, groceries, pet supplies, fast food, car washes--the list is endless. So I just tell people to get me something I can use and I am usually not disappointed. If I don't like what I get, I usually pass it on to a charity, too!" ~ Paula "As a frugal person I always enjoy receiving gift cards to stores that sell personal items like fancy soaps, shampoos, lotions and the like. These are 'special' and I usually don't indulge in them. I also appreciate gift cards to restaurants in my town. Frugal people rarely eat out and this is something I can use whenever I want." ~ Janice "Some of the treats I like to receive as gifts include my favorite tea, maple syrup, dark chocolates, facial tissue in boxes that match my decor, seasonal napkins, and paper crafting consumables like invitation envelopes and colorful cardstock." ~ Alexandra "Gift cards are always welcome (we’ve even given gift cards for gas, long distance telephone and grocery stores). I also enjoy giving and getting gifts that will be used up (rather than another knickknack for the shelf). With this in mind, gourmet foods are a nice treat (including fancy chocolates), homemade baking (cookies, quick breads, fudge, etc.) to those who don’t make their own. Other useable gifts include scented lotions, candles, etc. Otherwise, I like to buy nice sheets or towels or other household item(s) that they expressly said they needed/wanted for relatives. And, of course, for those birds of a feather truly thrifties: just agree to not exchange gifts (freeing us to focus on the real meaning of the season!)." ~ Jen "My BEST gift ever was to have Bibles given to others in my name. No clutter, just the Living Word making a difference around the world! I also enjoy the less altruistic Starbucks cards. It is truly the gift that keeps on giving as each time I am able to splurge on my favorite beverage, I think of my sons and am grateful for them and their gift!" ~ Anonymous "As someone who strives to be frugal (and I'm trying to help out my sisters whose budgets are especially tight right now) I have asked for coupons from them for babysitting and especially house cleaning. During the year when I don't feel like doing a particular chore or when my husband and I would like to have some much needed alone time, I'll use one of my coupons. My sisters thought it was kind of corny when I first brought it up but they warmed up to the idea quickly. The coupons will not only help me but them as well." ~ Kristie "Coupons, pre-paid envelopes." ~ Anonymous "Since I've been a frugal person most of my life, it's very easy for me to come up with a Gift Wish List. Anything that will save me money throughout the year is a good gift. Fortunately my family and friends know me well enough that they no longer try to 'clutter up my house.' Other than gift cards, some of the best frugal gifts I have received have been:
New laundry basket
Largest box available of my brand of laundry
soap
Handmade quilt
Handmade scarf
Handmade picture frame
Simple gold post earrings (they go with
everything)
Tea light, votive, and pillar candles
Packages of AA batteries
Cans of pineapple (my mom always wanted cans of
spinach, my brother wants cans of asparagus)
Postage stamps
My name added to a prayer ring (people all over
the world praying for me at one time was a very
powerful and emotional gift)" ~ Shawn
Editor's Note: Thanks to all these readers who took time to write! |
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