This post might include affiliate links for products that I know and LOVE!
One of my favorite things about Christmas is the chance to give back to others. Some years, this thought has brought me so much joy. Other years, it brought tears to my eyes.
I can remember a couple of years ago when my husband and I were just married and the thought of Christmas nearly gave me a heart attack. My husband hadn’t yet found a stable career path and we were expecting our first baby in a few months. I didn’t have a clue where gifts were going to come from for my extended family. Where there is a will, there is a way and I came up with some great gifts thanks to the tips that I’m going to share with you today.
Give An Act of Service
Gifts don’t always have to be a concrete possession. Think of a service you could give someone. Maybe you are an awesome baker, love to watch kids, can mend items or cut hair. Maybe you can cater a meal or give a massage. We all have our talents and it is a gift in itself to spend time giving ourselves to others. I know many people that would just love to have an afternoon of peace and quiet or clothing altered. This is especially useful if your recipient’s love language is acts of service.
Give An Experience
The gift of time is something that is widely appreciated though seldom gifted. Offer someone an afternoon sipping coffee with you over some magazines, pop some popcorn and have a movie day with a friend, have a tea party with a little one. I think this would be a wonderful gift for the person who has everything.
Review Products
If you have a blog, you can sign up for programs where you can review products on Amazon or your blog. This is a great way to get gifts for your loved ones. Make sure that you can endorse the product 100% before suggesting it to your readers. It might be best to spread these out so you don’t overwhelm your readers. 🙂 If you don’t have a blog, you can still be gutsy and reach out to companies, though your success rate might be lower.
Re-gift a Personal Item
I know, I know. This could or could not be taken as tacky. In my opinion, if someone re-gifted me something that they were not using, a nice gift in good condition, I’d have no issues! Of course, you’ll want to make sure you aren’t giving the recipient an item that they gave you. That could be a disaster!
Join Testing Panels
If you join panels like Influenster or BzzAgent, you have opportunities to receive awesome free things all year round. This means that those products can be put back for presents for loved ones. This is a total luck of the draw option, but I’ve received Mary Kay makeup, jewelry and more just by being a product tester.
Go Handmade
In my mind, this qualifies as a free gift if you use what is in your cupboard. Offhand, I can think of baking mixes, body scrubs, craft kits and more that you can put together using items in your home. You can bake cookies, sew, knit or create a piece of art. Get creative! My Pinterest account is FULL of great ideas!
Join Programs That Allow You to Earn Gift Cards
Swagbucks is an amazing program that allows you to earn points for filling out surveys, online shopping and more. I’ve used this program to earn multiple Amazon gift cards. Another favorite way to earn Amazon bucks is Mturk. This is actually run by Amazon and you perform little tasks to earn money. This money can either be placed in your bank account or you can spend it on Amazon. Money adds up a little faster in Mturk than Amazon, so if you need money fast, this is for you!
Enter Giveaways
It only takes a few short minutes to enter giveaways. I’ve won books, gift cards and so much more. These items can easily be given to loved ones. This is obviously a less reliable way of obtaining gifts, but it deserves to be mentioned! 🙂
By thinking outside the box and offering a little more of ourselves, we can be generous. Whether you have little to spare or just want to save money on gifts this holiday season, these tips are sure to spark your frugal flame!
How do you save money during the holiday season?
Love this! I was a little skeptical at first but these are great ideas! We've done the act of service before and we've had it done for us (babysitting) totally awesome idea!
Thanks for linking up with the Frugal Mommas team!