Holiday Gift Ideas
By celticeagle
@celticeagle (168256)
Boise, Idaho
October 17, 2015 12:44pm CST
I love to save money. I also enjoy buying just the right gift for family members. The holidays are coming and we will probably want to have some gifts bought and ready for them. Birthdays, Christmas- You name it. There is always an occasion where you want to find just the right gift. Here's some ideas:
1. Get alerts and newsletters- If I know that I have a person I need to buy for I keep this in mind when checking out the sales. Sometimes you get alerts sent to you from your favorite stores. When they have a sale or a price cut on a certain item they will send you an alert. Check the online site and item you are honing in on and request an alert be sent when the price drops. You can do this at Walmart and I am sure other stores are doing it now too.
2. Buy off season- If you know that a birthday is coming or you are wanting to be sure to have a present for an aunt who will be coming to visit for Christmas check the going out of season sales. Summer clothes in the fall, winter clothes in the spring. That sort of thing. Keep an eye out for great bargains during these sales.
3. In List a Shopper- If you are working long hours during the holidays sometimes it pays to in list a person shopper. You can find people on craigslist or other community sites who are looking for odd jobs during the holidays. Find a picture of what you are looking for and let them know the ball park figure you are willing to pay for this item. If they find it you will pay them a certain mount for doing it. College age people, some seniors too may be looking for extra money during the holidays.
18 people like this
17 responses
@celticeagle (168256)
• Boise, Idaho
17 Oct 15
@cynthiann ... Home made is nice.
1 person likes this
@Rosekitty (19368)
• San Marcos, Texas
17 Oct 15
Good advise and will have to get some alerts going for my bunch
2 people like this
@celticeagle (168256)
• Boise, Idaho
17 Oct 15
They have been helpful to me in the past.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (168256)
• Boise, Idaho
17 Oct 15
Sure. I think it is really a lot of help to have these alerts and you can shut them off whenever you want to.
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
17 Oct 15
This sounds so good. I do get a few alerts for some companies as I buy online and have them ship to my GF in Tennessee. I am going there for Thanksgiving so I will pay for an extra suitcase to bring home to JA. The problem is that I cannot remember all that I have bought! 
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (168256)
• Boise, Idaho
17 Oct 15
I hear a lot of people take empty bags to carry things home when they travel.
1 person likes this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
18 Oct 15
@celticeagle yes, I put one bag inside of another one to carry plus hand luggage. I carry very few clothes as I do not have winter clothes
I am going to get a license from the MInistry of Agriculture and this time I plan to bring frozen food home - mainly salmon and cheeses for Christmas. Your clothing is cheap and I will have my 3 sons this Christmas - need to buy shirts for 2 and a tablet for one. Food is expensive in JA. I should have said imported food.
I am going to get a license from the MInistry of Agriculture and this time I plan to bring frozen food home - mainly salmon and cheeses for Christmas. Your clothing is cheap and I will have my 3 sons this Christmas - need to buy shirts for 2 and a tablet for one. Food is expensive in JA. I should have said imported food.1 person likes this
@celticeagle (168256)
• Boise, Idaho
17 Oct 15
Glad you think so and hope you can utilize one or two.
@poehere (15123)
• French Polynesia
17 Oct 15
This is good advice. But here I am so far away and most holidays like Christmas is basically families getting together to enjoy time and good food. We don't give a lot of gift to each other here on the islands. But I'll keep this in mind when I need to think of sending gifts to others.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (168256)
• Boise, Idaho
17 Oct 15
I thought of this just as I was getting up today.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (168256)
• Boise, Idaho
17 Oct 15
@poehere ....Too bad we can't do a little each month. Seems like we never start here until a month or two before we need to have them.
1 person likes this
@poehere (15123)
• French Polynesia
17 Oct 15
@celticeagle 
This is actually very helpful because I normally wait till the last second to consider what I want to buy.
This is actually very helpful because I normally wait till the last second to consider what I want to buy.1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160949)
• United States
17 Oct 15
I would like to be a personal shopper for others. I think it would be fun.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (168256)
• Boise, Idaho
18 Oct 15
I do too. And I can't believe it has to be expensive.
@AbbyGreenhill (45494)
• United States
17 Oct 15
I don't have to buy many gifts, mostly just my husband. the few people we give to at Christmas I give money.
1 person likes this
@softbabe44 (5816)
• Vancouver, Washington
17 Oct 15
thats a real good idea to buy ahead
1 person likes this
@softbabe44 (5816)
• Vancouver, Washington
18 Oct 15
@celticeagle sounds like could be the way to go
@celticeagle (168256)
• Boise, Idaho
18 Oct 15
That is part of the fun. Figuring out what to create next.
@nanette64 (20364)
• Fairfield, Texas
17 Oct 15
I haven't been able to provide BD or Xmas gifts for a long time @celticeagle . The family knows it and forgive's me. Besides, they love my creative cards that I send. You've got some great suggestions though.
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
18 Oct 15
If you're trying to save money, I don't see how it is wise to hire a personal shopper to help you find items or sales. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of saving money?
As for shopping out of season, I tend to do that all the time, not just for gifts but for myself and the kids as well. When summer tank tops go on sale I buy a bunch because you can use them all year round under other clothing. I wear them to work under sweaters or shawls.
I do not sign up for alerts though.. I find them to be a nuisance and you end up getting a ton of junk mail.
I do the simple kind of bargain shopping. I go to the stores I like and look at clearance racks and look for sales.. I won't go out of my way to save money though.
, I normally buy when there are discount sales ..You get excellent bargain during monsoons here and that is the time I normally pick up stuff that I can gift later ..