February 2nd, 2010 | 
Author: Recession causes holiday stress
This is the time of year for giving, but with the current economy you may be short on cash now. Exchanging gifts can be a fun and exciting part of the holiday season, but can also be a source of stress and worry. Finding out what is a pain in the rear, and the costs aren’t a joy either, especially when the person you’re buying for doesn’t deserve it.
During tougher financial times, stretching the budget to buy stuff for people is a hard thing to do. Fortunately, with a little creativity and exploration, the undertaking can be a lot more enjoyable and pocket friendly.
Get some Inspiration
For those having trouble with finding the right gift, there are a few places to turn. If you’re intending on buying in the store, or online, it’s a good idea to look at gift sites. Two helpful ones are gifts.com, along with findgift.com. These sites offer gift suggestions based on Information you provide about the recipient.
On gifts.com you can take a quiz that will help narrow down gifts by gender, age, and by personality. Additionally, you can choose from pre-sorted groupings of gifts to browse through. Findgift.com offers a similar questionnaire, but also takes the occasion and person’s relationship to you into account. These sites both offer the option of purchasing the gifts through online, but they are also great sources of ideas for present shopping in general.
Now how about a Great Deal
If you already have an idea of what to buy and do not mind shopping online, eBay can be a great resource. Accounts are free to sign up for, and joining can net you an awesome discount on stuff. Besides, you do not have to spend hours sifting through products that you do not want. EBay allows you to narrow your search by several different factors, giving you the ability to eliminate items that do not meet your specifications.
When searching for gifts, it is often a good idea to remove the used items from the search, unless you are looking for antique or vintage piece. If you are short on time, it can help to keep the search to results within your own country so that the mailing time will be shorter, and if you are extra low on cash now, sort your results from low cost to high and start looking at the top of the list.
Gifts from the Heart that Go Straight to the Thighs
Getting in touch with your crafty side can be another option for those looking to save some cash now over the holidays. Indulging in decadent sweets is a regular part of the season. Baking several types of cookies for one is old hat (everyone does it, and it’s boring), so why not do ONE better than everyone, including those hacks at the office?
You can BE the fudge or toffee maker, and if it’s some of the more troublesome of relatives, you can add laxatives. Create to-die-for truffles or caramel corn. Whatever your choice, find a fantastic recipe and concentrate on making it well. Package it in bags or boxes, and tie it with a festive ribbon – and those are cool gifts. The best part is that the packages need not be very big because of the richness of the treats.
You could also try creating your own liqueur. You can find recipes online, and they’re easy to make. Bottle your creation, and add ribbons and tags, and you have gifts ready to go. On the other hand, if your recipient is artsy, but you are woefully uncreative you can check out a wide array of inspired items at a great price on Etsy.com.
Posted in Product Reviews | 
Tags: budget, cash now, christmas, finances, gift buying tips, gift giving, gift ideas, gifts, holiday, holidays, ideas, presents