Christmas Shopping 2011: Don’t Break Your Budget

Before Black Friday hits in 2011, you should have a good idea of who is on your shopping list and what you want to get them. If you are like most people, you may be struggling financially and not have a lot to spend. The ideas you will find below are all great ideas, but also, they are economical.

Shopping for Young Children

Christmas shopping is always fun when you are buying for young children. However, buying for young children can clean out your entire budget for Christmas. Just one toy can cost as much as $30 to $50. Instead of going broke on these gifts, consider the following:

Homemade Play Dough: For one batch, all you need is to mix together 2 cups baking soda, 1 cup of corn starch, and 1 ½ cups of water. You can simply add in food coloring to get the colors you want. Store in airtight containers and you have the perfect gift.

Homemade Blocks: Young children love to play with wooden blocks and you can easily make your own using scrap wood you have laying around. If you do not have any, a simple trip to the local lumberyard or home improvement store will get you stocked up. Just be sure you sand them down to reduce the risk of splinters.

Young babies will not be able to play with wooden blocks, but if you have a sewing machine, simple square blocks can be sewn and stuffed with the fiberfill stuffing. They can still stack them and will love this gift.

Shopping for Older Children and Teens

Shopping for older children and teens can be tough. Their clothing is more expensive and so are their toys. However, there are a few ideas that will help you to save some money on your shopping trips:

Coupons and Discounts: The Internet has a lot of great coupons that will let you save money on various games and DVDs. Watch these sites, as new coupons can become available every day. A good site to use is Coupons.com, as they have a special category for toys and entertainment.

You will also want to do some online research to find discount coupons for some of the stores your children regularly shop at. You could save as much as 50% on some of your gifts.

Used Items: Many game stores often sell previously owned items. If you are unsure of which games would appeal to them, consider giving them a gift card to the store so they can pick out the games or movies themselves. Many of them will love it when they see their gift card will let them buy more than they expected it to.

Older Children Living on Their Own

When you have older children who are living on their own, Christmas shopping 2011 will be very easy. What is even better is that you are not going to have to spend a lot of money to make them happy.

Food: If you are a parent that worries that their adult children are not eating well, you may be right. A large majority of young adults do not have the financial ability to eat healthy. By utilizing coupons from the Sunday paper or online coupons, you can be sure that they eat well. A box filled with soups, cereal, pasta, and sauces is going to take some of the stress of you and you can be sure they will be happy that they can eat without spending their own money on groceries.

Health and Beauty: Coupons can also be used for health and beauty products. In fact, if you match up your coupons to sales at your local stores, you will find that you can get a lot of these products for free. From make-up and deodorants to toothpaste and body wash, your adult children will never have to worry about buying these items again, which means they can spend their own money on other things they need.

Elderly Ones on Your List

Most people do not stop to consider what most of the elderly have to live on. Many have a fixed income of under $1,000 a month. What this means is that they do not need another knick knack. The following are some great ideas for your elderly loved ones:

Gift of Added Channels: When your loved one is not able to get out and about on their own and they spend a lot of time watching television, consider giving them the gift of added channels. Many can only afford the very basic channels and will appreciate different options when watching television.

Food and Other Necessary Products: Like your older children, your elderly loved ones may not be able to afford everything they want. Giving them knick knacks is just not a gift that is going to help them out. Buying them food and other necessary products (using coupons, of course) is going to be much appreciated and it will not break your own budget.

The Gift of Time: The elderly members of your family may also be having a difficult time getting things done. The simplest of tasks, like vacuuming or dusting, can become hard for them as they age. A personal coupon made out to them for housecleaning is going to go over big with them. Just the gift of time may be more than enough to make them happy.

As you can see, your Christmas shopping 2011 does not have to break your budget this year. The above ideas can get you in the spirit of giving, even when you have a low budget.