Spend your gift buying dollars wisely girl!
It doesn't take 3 wise men to come up with good affordable gifts!
By Cinse Bonino
How much should you spend on that gift?
It doesn't matter. You heard me. It doesn't matter. It really isn't how much the gift costs; it's how much they will like and appreciate the gift! If someone wants you to spend more on them than you can really afford, why are you even buying them a gift?!!! They don't sound like a good enough friend to deserve one, at least not to me!
DO be thoughtful.
DO get something for them that they will like.
DO spend what you can comfortably afford.
DON'T spend money to impress anyone.
DON'T spend more than you can afford.
DON'T feel that you have to match how much they spend on you!
When we were little kids, my mom always spent exactly the same amount of money on my sister's presents as she did on mine.
It didn't work. We still always thought that one of us did better than the other. It wasn't about money, it was about how much we liked what we got. If my sister got two so-called big things that she liked and four little things that she also really liked, and I got three big things and six little things that I didn't like as much, I'd still think she had a better Christmas than I did! (Even if my mom spent the same amount on both of us.)
There are always people who act like your gift is a rotten-piece-of-fruit if they don't think that you spent enough on them. I say -- give them a note that says: I am giving you my friendship in lieu of a gift this year, because I don't have enough money to buy anything that matches your amazingly sophisticated taste. Wonder what they'd say to that!?
So when you are ready to shop for a gift for someone, think what would that person really like that I can afford to buy? Better yet, make yourself a holiday gift budget. AND stick with it! Write down in a list on the left-hand side of the page everyone you want to give a gift to. Put how much you can spend for ALL your gifts (the total) at the top of the page.
Now next to each person's name put what you'd like to get them for a gift. Think creatively of something that they'd like that would be special coming from you. (Also think inexpensive or even free!) Then put how much you think each gift will cost.on the far right side of each line.
Add 'em up!
If the total you get at the bottom of the page is more than the amount you wrote at the top, change some of your gift ideas so that you don't spend more than you are planning on spending. Remember that many wonderful gifts are free or very inexpensive. Keep working with your list until your totals match. Good luck and happy shopping!
Take our handling gift-grief-from-geeks quiz and see how well you handle ungrateful receivers!
