So, if you’re like me, you realize at the last minute that an important occasion is about to happen for a friend or family member and you haven’t purchased a gift yet. Oftentimes, this can result in expensive first-class shipping costs and paying full price for something you could’ve gotten at a much better deal with a clearer head. I don’t think it’s “cheap” to plan things ahead of time and get a great deal on something you’d otherwise be shelling out big bucks for. So here are some strategies for gifting on a budget impressing recipients:
Gifting Materials
No present is complete without some sort of wrapping or adornment. Here’s another thing I’m really bad at – presenting my gift recipient with a beautiful package. In fact, I usually haphazardly wrap my gifts just moments before handing them over. But no more! I searched Amazon for all the foreseeably necessary materials in my quest to be a better gifter:
- Wrapping paper
- Bows
- Ribbon
- Scissors
- Tape
- Sachets (for jewelry)
- Bags (Small, Medium, Large)
- Colored Tissue Paper
- White Tissue Paper
Purchasing all of these materials ahead of time through Amazon saved me from running to a specialty store and paying a huge markup. Amazon always has the best deals on things like this.
Amazon Wish List
So speaking of Amazon, they offer an awesome solution for saving ideas for later when you find the perfect gift but aren’t ready to purchase it just yet. By creating a “Gifts”-themed wish list, you can track pricing over time, and Amazon will even alert you when prices go down. Plus it takes the panic out of gift-giving when you’re passively collecting ideas over a period of time. Pinterest is also good for this same purpose.
Purchase for Yourself, Purchase for Others
So in addition to having a supply of the proper gifting materials, I also have been growing my supply of gifts to give. A good friend once told me that whenever she goes to the grocery store, she buys a bottle of wine. Not for herself – she attends a lot of parties and wants to bring an affordable/welcome hostess gift. What an awesome idea! Since a lot of the people I buy gifts for are women, I keep their tastes in mind as I shop for myself. Places like Baublebar have sales all the time. I could pay $10 for a piece of jewelry that’s normally $30-40. And it’s high-quality stuff! I buy it for myself all the time. So when Baublebar has these sales, I buy extra pieces for people who I think would enjoy them. You can apply this same line of thinking to any stores you enjoy that have awesome sales periodically.
Glassful
Remember how I told you about the friend who’s always well stocked with wine? My final suggestion is a cool new company I recently found called Glassful. Glassful allows you to send a three-pack of wine to the person of your choice for as little as $45 including shipping (and going up from there). You can send all reds, all whites, or a mix. It’s an affordable way to celebrate someone and appear to be a classy gift giver.
Obviously this is not an exhaustive list of gift-giving possibilities. What are your tips for gift-giving on a budget?
