How to Gift Smarter This Holiday Season

With Christmas coming up in a couple of weeks, everybody is currently hustling and bustling trying to check off their must-do lists, including getting gifts for family and friends. As we always want to try and do things the smartest way possible, this only becomes more important around Christmas time. Instead of falling into the trap and buying things that are overpriced and perhaps wasteful, here is a guide of how to buy and gift smarter for this holiday season. 

Save Where You Can

Did you know that the average American spends around $660 dollars for gifts each Christmas season? With these staggering numbers and Black Friday having officially passed, think about taking advantage of all savings possible where you can find them. When looking for your Christmas gifts, it’s helpful to do your research to find the best kind of prices available. If you’re part of a membership club such as Costco or Sam’s Club, don’t only stock up on paper towels but look into gift options there as often you’ll be able to find products for more reasonable prices. If you want to save a couple dollars here and there, strongly consider looking into online deals or skimming your newspapers for coupons as you never know what discounts you might come across. 

Give Gifts that Help Give Back

There’s no better feeling than the feeling of helping others. With all the craziness currently going on in the world, think about gifting others with the feeling of giving back to the world. This can be with donating to a charity that’s close to their heart, adopting a rescue animal from a local shelter, or even adopting an endangered species online. If you’re not aware of charities that they’re passionate about, consider buying products that help give back to the Earth. For the person who loves to cook, think about giving them bamboo cookware. They won’t only come in handy but they’re a more sustainable option. For the person who loves to buy new clothes, consider gifting them an online consignment store gift card. This way, they’ll be able to find brand-new clothes through a secondhand resource. Even by gifting products that have an eco-friendly mission behind them will help make a difference in the long run. 

Think of Gifts that Will be an Investment

Truly the best kind of gifts you can give are the ones that keep on giving. Having said this, think about giving gifts that will come in handy not only once but repeatedly throughout people’s lives. If your parents are retired or near retired and love to travel, consider going in on a timeshare in a relaxing oasis with your siblings. Having a timeshare can guarantee that you’ll have a vacation time since they come with a fixed annual date. However, before getting a timeshare, there are things you should consider like fees, availability, etc. You should also be looking into what will happen if it becomes a financial burden in the future. So, how do I cancel a timeshare? Well, you may sell it to another or hire the services of a timeshare cancellation company to help you with the process. If you have younger siblings or those not so financially savvy, set up a couple of stock investments for them or set up a meeting with a financial advisor. While getting gifts that are used once or twice are fun for the moment, buying gifts that are investments will fully pay off in the end. 

Set Up Gift Exchanges Where You Can 

Have you ever been so completed stumbled on what to gift someone that you just end up winging it? Gift exchanges help to avoid all of that. Not only are these gift exchanges meant for one person, but they also often give clues as to what they’re interested in, making your search only that much easier. Don’t be fooled, gift exchanges aren’t only used for work Christmas parties but can be implemented into families Christmases as well. If you’re part of a large family and the thought of gift giving stresses you out, recommend a gift exchange for the entire family. Not only will it help your whole family with saving money, but it will also make your Christmas shopping insanely easier.