Reflect with me on the last three major holiday’s where you have purchased gifts for a group of people. How much did you spend?
At Christmas last year I spent almost $500 on gifts alone. In this post I’m going to show you how to find $10 gifts for everyone on your list.
These are gifts that won’t look cheap and will be cherished.
It’s About Remembering The Little Things
Before diving straight in, there is a stigma we need to discuss. The more expensive the gift does not mean more worthy in the eyes of the recipient.
The holiday’s I remember the most are the ones my mother had the least amount of money for.
My mother was a single mom for about 10 years.
My favorite gifts from her at Christmas were soft cushy socks that were warm, toe socks, a handful of chocolates (I bargained away anything with marshmallow in it…yuck), and holiday pajamas.
Want to know why these are in my fondest memories?
On Christmas morning my big brother and I always woke up before mom. The only thing we were allowed to open, were our stockings. Most of these items were stocking stuffers.
Even though I couldn’t open it yet I always knew which box had my holiday pajamas in it. It was the only box labeled “from mom.” Everything else was from Santa.
I received these items every single year. They were items I loved because my mom made them part of a tradition. They weren’t expensive for my mom’s budget but they meant the world to me growing up.
If you emphasize on a tradition uniquely built for your family instead of the price of the gifts you will have created a stronger memory.
Size Up Your Family & Friends
Ok, when I use the term “size up” I’m not referring to their measurements. I’m referring to their habits and personalities.
The first step in finding holiday gifts under $10 is by figuring out items the recipient uses daily, what helps them relax, and if they were shopping for themselves what store would they most likely hang out in.
What this is going to help you figure out is what department or category (if shopping online) you should focus on for them.
Let me give you an example.
My big brother loves video games and gaming systems. I remember the year we received the original Nintendo. It came with the games Mario Brothers and Duck Hunt. Duck Hunt was my favorite by the way. J We no longer have that gaming system.
Yes I just dated myself.
A couple of years ago he received a miniature anniversary version of the original Nintendo.
For my big brother I’m focusing on items that fall into this theme as well as meet the $10 requirement.
I have found pajama pants with the original Nintendo remote control printed on it and socks with the same pattern. I have even seen a wireless remote control for the miniature Nintendo he owns (only $5.66 on Amazon).
If you know if you’re looking for electronics, household décor, kitchen tools, etc you can find an entire treasure trove to choose from.
I also advise researching online before going out to physically shop. This helps with price comparisons but also helps you stumble across items that are rare.
Where to Find $10 Gifts 24/7
Ok, now for the juicy bit that you came here for. Where can you find $10 Gifts 24/7? *drum roll*
Anywhere!
Stay with me here, I know you shop online for some things, even if you aren’t a millennial.
Did you know every website store allows you to filter by price as well as department?
For example: on Amazon you don’t need to type in a specific item into the search box. Just select a department (electronics, bedding, kitchen tools, etc.). Then to the right of the screen there will be a button that says “filter.”
When you click on that options will pop up, scroll through until you see the title “sort” then click on lowest to highest price, scroll some more until you see the title “price” and select $25 or less.
The last step is to click apply. The items you see first will be $10 or less. All you have to do is scroll.
Just beware when shopping online. You don’t want to pay more in shipping than what you are spending on the item.
You also don’t want to spend the same amount in total shipping you are spending on all of your holiday shopping either.
Below is a list of websites I go to first when doing my gift shopping. The items are of high quality and very gentle to my checkbook. I am not an affiliate for any of these websites. I earn nothing by promoting them.
I love these websites because I can almost always get free shipping plus they sell items for everyone on your list.
Bargaining With Your Kids For Christmas
To be honest, this is my favorite thing to do around the holidays.
Why?
It teaches your kids how to be smart with money. If your child or teenager wants a gift $200 or more make a 50/50 deal with them. This means you pay 50% and they pay 50% of the cost.
This will help keep you within your holiday budget.
Another option is the whole family pays a portion of that gift. There was a year I wanted to buy something for my older brother for Christmas but I couldn’t afford it.
I was able to get 8 members of my family to pay a portion of the cost. A $400 item turned into a $50 item per person.
My mother taught these options to us as kids. Growing up I learned how to save money throughout the year due to this.
We received $5 per week doing chores around the house when we were too young for actual jobs. I have been a saver ever since!
Thanks Mom!
My particular chore was emptying the dishwasher. When I reached the age of 10 vacuuming was added to my chore list. This helped me appreciate the value of the $1 as well.
Avoid These Pitfalls
- Don’t shop for you.
- Only buy one gift per person.
I know the sales around holidays, especially Christmas, have amazing sales. The most common one is spend $100 dollars and get one free for your-self.
The issue with these sales is they encourage you to spend more money than you originally intended.
Going into the holiday season you need to ask yourself how long you want to be paying off all of these purchases?
I know some people who spend 2 years paying off only one Christmas. I don’t know about you but I don’t like to pay interest on gifts.
I try to stick to only spending cash. If I can’t pay cash for it I figure out another option. Then blogs like this one are born! 🙂
The only buy one gift per person rule is due to my having 9 people to purchase for. When I was married I had an additional 20 people to purchase gifts for.
It’s true some people on your list are a lot easier to buy for than others but I promise you your budget will love you more if you only buy one for them.
There was a year I spent almost $300 on my mom because she is the easiest for me to buy for. Do you know what gift she loved the most?
The one I only spent $20 on!
My Christmas Total For 9 People
I wanted to share this with you to show you an affordable Christmas is possible. I have already ordered the gifts I’m purchasing for my family and friends of 9 people in 2019. I ordered them on Veteran’s Day since almost everyone offers free shipping on that day.
The total I spent on Christmas gifts is $87.82.
Oh yes! I spent less than $100 on beautiful gifts. I used my 3 favorite websites listed above to find these gifts.
Then I bake a dozen of my grandmother’s famous biscotti’s for my family. The holidays are about making memories.
Don’t get lost in buying frenzy side of things.
Recap
Here is a quick recap for those of you who scrolled through. J It’s not about the price of the gift it is about making the memories during the holidays.
List out all of the people you want to purchase gifts for and decide what department to shop for them in. For example: I shop in the electronics department for my big brother.
Every website allows you to filter purchase prices by $25 or less. Above I listed my favorite websites to find $10 gifts that look like they cost a lot more.
When your kids want expensive gifts have them split the cost with you (more details above).
Avoid purchasing items for yourself when they encourage you to spend more to get one free. Also avoid buying more than one gift for the same person.
Finally, my 2019 gift total for 9 people is $87.82. If I can do it, I know you can too!
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