Frugal Gift Closet: Part 1

Since it is Black Friday, I thought we should talk about……GIFTS, frugally.

Tis the time of year to give. For some this is met with excitement and for others, it’s met with complete dread. For those types the familiar thoughts of…’What to give?’ ‘How much do I spend?’ ‘Who has the time to shop?’ and the very familiar… ‘I don’t know what to buy them!’ Even if you don’t look to the holidays with dread chances are some point in this gift giving season one or more of those thoughts have come to mind. I use to be filled with them until I discovered the joy of a gift closet. This has saved my sanity , pocketbook and many worries over the years. Let’s explore how we can frugally save our holiday from dread and worrying this series of posts to help you prepare this year and the years to come.

First question I always get is this, “I don’t have closet space!” Ok, it’s just a catchy name folks. It sounds better than “Gift Space between my air mattress and grandma’s quilts stored under my bed”, right? How much you buy, what you buy and your space will dictate where you store your items. I store mine in several places. Rubbermaid plastic totes in solid colors (no peeking!) are great for this. If you have some kids with a lot of curiosity like I do then just label it “Bills”. Keeps mine out. To keep my Dh out I just label it “To Do List”, ha ha ha. Ok, moving along…..you get the idea, store where you can and when you can.

Just like with a food pantry, the same basic idea applies……only store what you will use. Sure those fuzzy socks are cute at the thrift store, but do you really think your 17 year old son wants them? Probably not. Keep a list handy if you need to when your shopping of what people like, want, requested and sizes if need be. That way when you see a good deal you can move on it and move yourself out of the holiday rush. Don’t limit yourself to shopping just at the holiday time. I shop year around. Sometimes I buy something with someone in mind or at times things just speak to me. I’m not sure who it would be good for but I know it would be good for someone on my list. Those type of things are what I call universal gifts that can be enjoyed by anyone and in my book they are….movies, books (especially cookbooks), candles and food gifts. For children I like giving books or games. They store well, they are timeless gifts and hey……..anything that doesn’t require batteries and sitting in front of a TV I love for kids.

Don’t think the only way to fill your gift closet frugally is thrift store shopping. While I think its a wonderful way, don’t count out store sales. One of my favorite gifts to give is candy. I know, terrible aren’t I? But most of the kids and adults I know are very rational about the amount of candy they eat so it is a real treat to them when they receive it. There are 4 times a year where candy is just rock bottom priced…..that would be after the following holidays….Valentines Day, Easter, Halloween and Christmas. Target is my favorite clearance area to shop. They do 50% off first 2 to 3 days after the holiday is over then move to 75% off after that for at least a week then 90% off for a day or two until supplies are gone. One of my favorite multi purpose candies is M&M’s. At Valentines they usually are red or pink. For a lady or girl gift nothing looks cuter than clear container (thrifted) filled with pink M&M’s. Add some ribbon and what a lovely gift year around. I regularly get M&M’s for 75% off and store them in the freezer. I pay about $.50 for a huge bag of them. They are great as a gift or to use in making cookies or other year around desserts. Try to look for ones that aren’t just holiday looking and can serve as a gift or be applied to making desserts. After Halloween I will buy around $ 18 or $19 of candy. Which is really about $75 worth before the discount. This candy will go into stockings, Christmas Crackers, gifts, baking and so on. It will allow me to give a last minute gift for pennies and help cut the cost of holiday baking down considerably. Food is always enjoyed!

Do you like to make gifts for people at the holiday time instead of buying them ? Then still use this practice and buy your supplies as cheaply as possible year around. Michael’s and Joann’s put out a weekly coupon of 40% off. If your planning to say for instance knit a blanket for a gift then use those coupons for your yarn. A few weeks of redeeming them and you have considerably lowered your out of pocket expense. And remember, Michael’s will accept not only their coupon but Joann’s too!

Let me touch on one thing in this segment before we go. When shopping after the holiday look for something that will be neutral. Ribbons that are not just holiday specific, wrapping paper that is universal, gift containers that can be used year around. Don’t think just to the next Valentine’s Day or whatever sale your shopping after, but to year around gifting.

If you think outside the box and scour for sales then you have mastered the first rule in a frugal gift closet. Shop when it is the price you want to pay not what you have to pay. If you follow this first rule then you have already took the holiday shopping game by the horns.

Here is a sneak peek to some items waiting to be wrapped for the holidays in my gift closet…….

God Bless,
Michele