Seven Gift Shopping Ideas for the Frugal Minded

When you turn on the TV or open a newspaper, you are seeing advertisements for sales. Sales on toys, the perfect gift for her, the perfect manly gift, your teenager's dream, you name it, it is on sale. Everyone is looking for a bargain. Many are finding them. The thing is just because you are being frugal with how you spend your money, doesn't mean that you have to sacrifice any of the glitz and glamour from the holidays.

There are a number of ways you can be more frugal than shopping the ads. You will still have a glittering joy filled holiday. Below are 7 great ideas to get your creative gift giving ideas rolling. I challenge you to come up with 7 of your own as well!

#7 The Dollar Store - This is one of my favorite places to shop. It is amazing what you can spend $1 and come out with. You can purchase candles, glasses, candies, table centerpieces and various holiday decorations. The one thing that I find very useful is the craft supplies and hair accessories. The amounts of holiday gifts I can make with these alone are astounding.

Two things to keep in mind though at the dollar store. First, not all dollar stores carry the same thing, so if you are lucky enough to have more than one available, shop around. Second, be careful what you buy. Sometimes your dollar treasures can be found for less than a dollar at other stores. So shop wisely.

#6 The Good Will Store - There is nothing wrong with shopping the Good Will, Salvation Army or St Vincent's. There are other stores coming into play now as well, for example, my Girlfriend's Closet. These are great places to get good deals on a variety of items. The Good Will store has everything from clothes to china. Yes, you may have to sort through the junk, but you may just find a gem hidden in there. To be honest it does my green heart good. It is part of the reduce, reuse and recycle circle.

#5 The grocery store - Not many people even think of holiday shopping there, but you can find some real bargains and last minute ideas I might add. You can put together a fruit basket. You know that isn't a gift that will be put on a shelf somewhere and never used. Have a friend who always wants to know how you made those great cookies? Buy her the special ingredients and pack them up in a pretty basket or gift bag with the recipe. These are useful gifts. The money you spend here you know is being used. On your way out the door, don't forget to donate to the food pantry that many grocery stores collect for this time of year.

#4 The Library - Now don't go signing out a book and wrapping it up, not where I am going with this one. There are two great ideas for gift giving when it comes to the library that are very frugal and very community oriented. The first is to donate to the library. If your friend is a book lover who uses the library a great deal they will love this idea. The second idea is that many libraries now have bookstores. Most offer used books, or maybe duplicate books. People will often donate books to be sold to raise money. These are all in good condition and are available for a nominal cost of the original price. It's a great way to buy a gift and support a resource.

#3 Your local craft store - For this stop make sure you first check your Sunday paper or online for your coupon first. There are many gifts and ideas that you can craft for less money than you can purchase them. Most stores offer a 40% coupon once a week as well. The thing is, many of us tend to go overboard buying supplies. This will end up costing money. Have your idea and budget firmly in mind before you even walk through that door.

#2 Shop online - So many stores are jumping on this bandwagon. You can purchase online exclusives. Some offer free shipping when purchased online with optional gift-wrapping. You can have it sent right to the door of the person the gift is intended. Shopping online gives you many great benefits. You can comparison shop with just a few simple Google searches. You are avoiding the crowds. The frugal person in me is saying that you are also avoiding that impulse buy. It is much easier to avoid when you are shopping online. Not to mention skipping that chocolate bar at the checkout counter.

#1 Shop at home - No, not the Television shopping networks either. Think of what you have right there at home to gift. You can make cookies and treats. Use up those crafting supplies that you over purchased last time, to make a present. Repurpose or re-gift something that you no longer use that someone else may have admired or wanted. There is nothing wrong with finding a loving home for something that is just taking up space.

Give of your time and yourself. Sometimes the best gift is just the gift of you. Offer to help them with a project. Spend time helping them make cookies. Invite them out to take care of their Holiday shopping. All of these things are gifts of time and gifts of love.

Whatever you give this holiday season, give it from the heart. Gifts don't have to cost a fortune. Sometimes the most treasured gift doesn't cost a thing. If it is given in love, it is the very best gift of all.