Anyone who has a large family or a big circle of friends knows how challenging it is to buy gifts for everyone on occasions that seem to pop up every other day! From birthdays to anniversaries to special holidays such as Christmas, you need to keep buying gifts and spend all your money on it. While you cannot always avoid giving the presents to your loved ones, you can plan ahead and save money on these gifts. Take a look at this article to know how exactly you can implement some proper planning into the process and make it economical for yourself.
- Buy gifts in advance – Some occasions such as the birthdays and the anniversaries of your closest friends and family remain constant throughout the year. The same goes for holidays such as Christmas and Diwali. You will need to buy gifts for these occasions, so why not stock up ahead of time? Many stores offer their products at discounted rates at different times of the year. From apparel to household items, from accessories to decorative ornaments, everything goes on sale. Stock up on these items and keep them as gifts to give later in the year. You will make huge savings in the process.
- Stock up on clearance stationery items – You may think that wrapping papers, tapes, ribbons, etc are miscellaneous items that barely cost you any money. But when you use them in large amounts throughout the year, you unknowingly end up spending a lot of these stationery items. It would thus be a good idea for you to stock up on stationery items during clearance sales well., buy wrapping papers, tapes, ribbons, etc in bulk if you see a sale at any time of the year. You will be surprised at the amount of money you end up saving while doing so.
- Look to make a contribution – If a colleague is getting married or your cousin is turning 21, you will need to give them a significant present. Such gifts cost a lot of money. You could consider creating a fund along with your co-workers or other family members. Each can contribute a smaller amount and with the combined money, a substantial gift can be purchased. This will be of great use to the receiver and will also be less burdensome for you. However, this requires proper planning enough time to ensure all the contribution is made properly so you can’t possibly leave it for the last minute.
- Shop online – It is common knowledge that things cost less online than they do at a store. You should therefore look to get a majority of the gifts online. However, items bought online need time to get delivered to you, so you need to plan and purchase well in advance. This helps you to save money as you get the gift of your choice at a lower price.
- Prepare homemade gifts – There is nothing more special than gifting a homemade present to your dear ones. While it is extremely special for the recipient, it is also very economically viable for you. When you personally make a gift, you save a huge amount of money as buying something would perhaps cost more. You could consider knitting, baking, painting, etc and incorporate these into your gifts. Keep the likes and hobbies of your recipient in mind before you start the project and you will be able to make the perfect gift for them. Here too you need to note that handmade or personalised gifts require a significant amount of time to get prepared, so advance planning is absolutely vital.
None of these tips would work if you leave them for the last moment! You cannot buy a gift online and have it delivered on time five minutes before a party. You cannot knit a sweater for your mom on the day of her birthday or you cannot organise a contribution gift for a colleague at lunchtime on one single day. The key is to plan ahead. As you can see, these tips are very practical, and you can indeed save huge amounts of money if you simply plan ahead. Take advantage of the time you have in hand and plan your gifts in advance to make an intelligent choice.
