Don’t Spend A Dime This Christmas For Gifts

The holidays are approaching fast and your Pinterest feed has suddenly been filled with all things Christmas. The images you see either make you feel more prepared or worried that you will never be prepared. Today I am going to share with you a few tips for a no buy Christmas.

Is it possible to have a no buy Christmas? Yes. Is it more work? Definitely. Will it be worth it? Totally. Think back on the Christmases with your family as a child. What do you remember more? The gifts or spending time with family? And just in case I am already scaring you, don’t worry I will offer some options that can work as well if you simply want to scale down on the amount of gifts you want to give this year.

BUY NOTHING OPTION

Okay so you have decided to buy zero gifts for Christmas. Now what do you do?

1. Make a gift. Yup, you can make customized gifts for those you want to give a gift to. Have preschoolers? Make them their favourite scented playdough, add a few cookie cutters and you have a playdough set!

2. If you have a few picture frames lying around and have a pretty good camera and printer (or you live close to a Staples so that you can print) then snap some pictures of things you want to remember. It could be your kids snuggled up reading, your husband being a goofball or simply an ordinary day that you want to treasure.

3. Why not try a second-hand gift exchange? Grab a few like minded friends and organize your event. Everyone will grab toys, clothes etc that are in awesome quality but rarely used and have a swap. You get rid of things you don’t want and get something else in return. Win-win.

4. Create adventures. Instead of worrying about gifts, why not give the gift of an adventure? Sleep in a tree house (if it’s not freezing outside), have a Christmas bonfire, camp out in full jammies in your living room. Get creative. Ask your kids what they would want and then go for it.

SPENDING OPTION BUT NOT ON GIFTS

Now if you do want to buy something for Christmas, then why not try these.

1. Donate to a charity. Think Salvation Army, World Vision. Here is a list of a few.

2. Longing to be more cultured? Why not purchase passes to a museum for 2015?

BUT I STILL WANT TO BUY A GIFT

Okay, so you still want to buy a gift because you LOVE the look on your kid’s face when the presents are opened. Well don’t worry I have you covered. Check out my post Frugal Yet Awesome Gifts for Preschoolers. Pay close attention to the bottom of the post as there are links to several more gift options. There is a gift list for boys, gift ideas for kids that love to cook and much more.