Planet Cheapskate

Cheap Gifts

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ou’re trying to spend less money–especially at this time of the year, but how does gift giving fit into the Cheapskate Living Plan? And this isn’t just about loved ones.  Many of us are faced with the obligatory co-worker, teacher, boss, etc.  gift list as well. How does one play Santa on a Scrooge’s budget?

Thinking: the alternative to spending. A meaningful gift need not be expensive — but it must be thoughtful. The key here is to invest a little time asking yourself some questions about the recipient. Don’t give the gift that you want for yourself, but choose something that is

A gift need not be expensive — just thoughtful.

particularly suited to your friend’s interests, needs or tastes. A handmade item, for example, is often thoughtful since the time and planning it requires helps the giver to really focus on the needs and tastes of the recipient. Plan ahead for the extra time involved in a handmade gift, and the process of thinking about your friend’s interests will become half the joy of giving. One of our fave fallbacks is a nicely decorated terra cotta pot containing an ivy topiary that we have fashioned from some well chosen homegrown stock, plus copper wire.  But are you all thumbs? Etsy.com is a great place to explore for items made by hands other than yours — and the prices are very reasonable.

Homemade Topiary: Ready for a bow!

Give the gift of your time or labor. Hey, it worked when you were a kid — and hasn’t your skill set improved since then? Offer to watch someone else’s kids so they can have a night off—what’s that worth to them? (Might be priceless!) Do you have computer technology skills? Offer to de-frag someone’s hard drive. And while you’re at it, organize the 10,000 files they have on their desktop (Try a Google image search of “Cluttered Desktop” for some amazing before-and-after shots that may inspire you!) Moving beyond “virtual” organizing and into the real world: if you’re a neat freak and your friend is a hopeless disaster, you might be itching to get their stuff put together in orderly fashion. While professional organizers charge lots of money for this, for you it will be your time, and three empty boxes. Choose ground zero (their office? pantry? closet?) and give the clutterbug three nicely wrapped, empty boxes (one for stuff to keep, one for stuff to toss, one for stuff to give to charity). When they unwrap the empty containers, explain that the boxes represent the day of de-cluttering you’re going to give them.

Is your pal a do-gooder? Here are some websites that make it easy for you to demonstrate that you’ve been paying attention while your friend talks about their favorite causes. Charityusa.com lets you shop from several different cyber storefronts, arranged by sponsoring charities. At our own

personal favorite, shop.theanimalrescuesite.com, every purchase of low-cost gifts for pets and the people who love them benefits animal shelters. They run specials close to all holidays (like free shipping), including occasions like Mother’s Day. Other causes to “shop for” include hunger, breast cancer awareness, the rainforest, literacy and child health. Another site, Arborday.org, can help you send someone a tree…yes, a tree…starting at $2.00! Hard to think of a better gift, and you’ll be supporting a great cause.

Amazon.com – Used department The hot tip here is: buy used! Find the gift you want to give by searching Amazon’s “store,” and see if there’s a “used” version listed. These are sold by independent vendors who have signed up with Amazon to sell their stock. Often, their items are not actually “used,” they’re just remaindered or overstock. Be careful, however, to select items that are described as “new” or “used—like new.” Anything less could be too shabby for gift giving, though we have yet to be disappointed with any of our “used” purchases. A further word of caution on Amazon shopping: don’t fall for their “free shipping” come-on. It’s a way to get you to spend more. We’ve heard tales of people spending hours looking for ways to bump up their purchase so that they qualify for “free” shipping. Don’t waste your time or money. (And there’s never free shipping on the “used” items anyway.)

The gift that keeps on giving: the re-gift! Tempted to do it? You now officially have permission to pass along something (nice) that you don’t want or need, to someone who does. But be sure to follow basic re-gifting etiquette to avoid potential embarrassing faux pas:

The thoughtful gift (again!): Regifting shouldn’t serve as a shortcut for cleaning out your closet or avoiding buying a “real” present. Always give something the recipient will genuinely appreciate.

Consider the source: Perhaps the ultimate flub—giving the gift back to the original gifter. When your mom in Minneapolis sends you a lovely set of tea towels that you’ll never use, but would be perfect for your husband’s aunt in Florida, voilá: You have the perfect re-gift scenario (as long as mom never visits the aunt in Florida). But wait—maybe these originally came from Aunt Edith!? To help your memory and avoid panic at 2:00 am, just be sure to store the gift until you’re ready to pass it on (with tags intact if possible), with a label to remind you WHO gave it to you in the first place.

If you’ve got close friends who are re-gift savvy, host a pot-luck before the big holiday season: have everyone bring a snack plus their respectable (never used) giftable item. Likely someone in the room will have a friend on their list that would appreciate your “white elephant” and vice versa. You’ll have a lot of fun, and maybe even get some holiday “shopping” accomplished.

Cheapskate Wrapping: Some of the most beautiful, inventive—and thoughtful—gift-wrapping we’ve seen has been accomplished using recycled materials. Use old maps, magazines, cloth, kids’ art…anything you have on hand. If it’s not being shipped, top with a flower from your garden, or a sprig of evergreen during the Holidays. Store-bought wrap and ribbon are expensive, unnecessary, and often not compostable or recyclable. What are your best gift giving tips? Have a re-gifting story. We promise to pass it along to the right people!

(Disclaimer: Amazon.com and Etsy.com are sponsors of Planet Cheapskate. We always advise our readers to support our sponsors… responsibly!)

Bottom Line:
It’s the though that counts. Spend time thinking about the recipient rather than money.
Consider giving the most valuable thing you have: your time.
There should be no shame in re-gifting, if done with care and thought.

—the Editors, on May 4, 2009