Alternatives to Holiday Tipping

In this recession there is only so much money to go around. Here are cheap suggestions on what to do if tipping a lot of money to all your favorite service people is not in this year holiday budget.

First, you can buy the door staff the gifts the day after Christmas. A lot of beautiful cakes and cookies selections go half-price the day after Christmas. Also, if you buy wine by the case it is cheaper. You even buy some hats to help the porter or doorman warm.Write a letter to the staff of the building a handwritten note of appreciation on nice stationary or a homemade card. Tell their manager of the building or store what a valuable employee this person is. Write in your letter to the manager that if they have to reduce staff then don't let it be this dependable employee that you love seeing every morning. Have the kids make them a handwritten and colored holiday card.

Buy some scratch-off in put in the cards.Bake the staff some homemade cookies. People love cookies and cakes especially homemade ones. You can even go to bakery outlets like Pepperidge Farms and make them a holiday assortment of favorites in gift bags if you don't know how to bake cookies.

The prices in these outlets are very reasonable. Gift bags are cheap in the 99 store. If you buy tote bags in bulk they are pretty inexpensive. You can write with a glitter pen each person in the building staff name on the outside of the bag along with the holiday treat inside.Give the staff gifts all year round. If it cold outside buy the porter a cup of coffee or tea so he can be warmed up. If you going to the store buy some extra cake or bread to be shared with the staff on a lonely Sunday morning. Buy the Sunday paper for the doorman to read when the hours just seem to drag on. A New York Sunday paper can take hours to read.

A gift of a smile or conversation is always nice too. People are so much in hurry to leave in the morning that we sometimes to take time and give the gift of conversation. You can gain the gift of a new friendship in the New Year. Remember you can always tip when the repairman come up to fix that leaky faucet. You also give the staff a tip in the middle of the year. It is always nice to give the gift of surprise and give a tip when it is least expected. An extra tip for that special waitress mid year for no special reason would make her smile.

We all have worries on what the New Year will bring. No one be angry if you don't give the gift of holiday cash if you took the time to give what you could afford. A gift with thought, love and appreciation can mean more then no gift at all. These are gifts that the staff will remember. Who knows what bounty next year could bring?