Get rid of stuff! I know it’s the holiday season and we are talking about buying and making new things for gifts. I was looking around my house and saw that I had several good things that I had received as gifts that I no longer want. These items are relatively new but I cannot give them to someone else in good conscience as a new item. I could use an item to make an interesting receptacle for a gift card. Rather than go to the dollar store and buy a new container I could use one of the things I have at home.

Yet there are other things that I have received that I used only once or twice and these items need a good home. Not mine. So I have decided that I am going to get rid of some items and take them to goodwill because near Christmas many people may be looking for something to give as a gift.

I would rather get rid of some things than to have them cluttering my house. I am in a couple of groups that have “white elephant” sales/swaps around Christmas. Since some of the gifts may have come from those people I can’t take the items there so I have decided that I just want to take the items to a place where they will really be used.

If these were things that were profession related like swapping or giving away teaching materials that I no longer use for a certain subject or age group then that’s not as bad as saying I really don’t like the statuette that is sucking up space in my living room. Or that specialty hot chocolate maker that I really didn’t want. Or that zip around collapsible duffle bag. I really did try to use that one for my crocheting projects; it’s too small.

Look around and I am sure that you can find a few things to get rid of. If you are industrious and your items are in close to mint condition you may want to sell them to people you know or on eBay. There are gifts that sometimes people admire and you can’t stand. Be generous and just give the gift to them. Don’t give the item away in front of the recipient though.

My mother and I used to trade stocking stuffers from the stockings that my grandmother made for us. We had identical stockings and some items my mother used more often and other things I did so we would swap. My grandmother didn’t mind, other gift givers may not be as accepting.

Get rid of some things and you won’t be resentful that you received something you couldn’t or wouldn’t use.

Gift baskets and gift sets seem like an easy choice to make when shopping for gifts for people. It is not necessarily the best choice. If you want to five someone a gift filled with items that you know they will use then you may be better off making your own gift basket.

Stores often try to make things easy for you. I was looking in the paper today and saw that a local shop had a coffee set on sale with coffee, biscotti, and flavored syrup in the gift set. I love coffee but never eat the biscotti or use flavored syrup. So the person who gave me a similar set before I felt as though I was wasting the person’s money. I have a couple of coffee lovers on my gift list and I would rather just buy them some good coffee and put them in a box or bag.

Other items that comes in sets are fragrances. Even if it is a person’s favorite scent, he or she may not want the after shave, or scented soap. Although if it costs the same then buy it. I went shopping this weekend and saw that two gift sets for the same cologne were the same price but one had 3 additional pieces and the other had only one and both included a 3.3 oz. cologne. It may sound crazy but sometimes you get more for the same price. Only get it if you think the person will use all of the pieces. Some people do not like shower gel so a gift set with shower gel might not be used. Other people may prefer scented lotions while other only want their perfume to do the scenting for them.

Do the math… sometimes gift sets are on sale or offered at a special price. So in that case you are getting a bonus. If the gift set is the same price or less than individual pieces the gift set is the best way to go. I was looking at Bath and Body Works and with the discount they were giving some sets were less than buying the individual pieces. The same was not true with the sets available from the Body Shop. The gift sets allow you to purchase some of the more popular fragranced body butters but in smaller sizes. Buy the person’s favorite scent in a larger container for less. Avon has some full size small items that can be used for stocking stuffers on sale.

Know your recipient as well as you can. If you are unsure then the more lavish looking gift may make it seem like you spent a lot more than you did.

Shop around.

Don’t let the shopping get you down. Even if you have a lot of shopping to do and haven’t started it, make sure you take time out for yourself and relax. If you get into this habit of taking time to relax and not get stressed out about holiday shopping then you will enjoy the holidays more.You may not have time to do everything in your non-working hours so take a day off to do some shopping or baking, if you can. You would be surprised how much you can get done with a couple of uninterrupted extra hours.

If you are making something for someone, don’t wait until the last minute. I have done this way too many times and I get things done but then it is stressful. Avoid the stress start early.

A stressless gift to send is a magazine subscription. Recently I received a couple of envelopes indicating that I could send a gift subscription to anyone for a reduced price. Some of the deals are really great but make sure that you read the fine print and send a check instead of using a credit card because then you may automatically be charged for the same subscription next year.

The holidays can be stressful for all the wrong reasons. Don’t stress out about finding a gift that is way below budget. If you are a good shopper some things will be below and some may be right on target. Just don’t let spending get too out of hand and spend more because then you will really be down because you spent more than you planned.

Also, don’t forget to check your receipts when you are making purchases so you won’t have to go back to have a price adjustment for an item that should have been on sale. This would also be an additional way to add stress.

Not all online retailers are the same. Yes you may be able to get a great deal on an item, but if it never ships then it’s not a great deal.

I am the queen of shopping around to get the best deal and figuring out if the total price including shipping is less than a place that offers free shipping. I ordered a memory chip for my camera a few months ago at a great price but no where on the site did it say that the company only accepted COD from non businesses. The site seemed to have a meltdown when you tried to enter a CC#. The customer service was no help. While it was a pain to get a money order the price was definitely worth it and I did let the company know that they should let people know beforehand that consumers could only pay by COD, no credit cards at all. The price was worth it because it was about half the price I could get the item anywhere else.

Then there are so-called electronics stores online that try to give you the bait and switch and tell you that the item you ordered was really a used or refurbished item for the price you wanted. Or you will have to order extra accessories. I ordered a camera for a gift and the salesperson called and said that I needed to get extra things that didn’t come with it. I had printed out the page that said the camera was new and what the price was. When I told him that I wanted the camera at the price I had paid online and that I would call the credit card company he changed his tune.

If I had done a little more digging I could have saved myself some of the hassles. In both cases things worked out. In the latter it was because I was informed and would not let the salesman pressure me into ordering accessories that I didn’t need. He was trying to “upsell” additional items that already came with the camera.

Not all online retailers are ethical. Unfortunately during the holiday season when people are trying to buy gifts for their loved ones they can get taken advantage of. If you only deal with retailers who have a good reputation (even the big companies make mistakes) and will work to satisfy reasonable demands. Before you make a purchase search for reviews of the company on the internet.

If you find that there are too many bad reviews that do not have to do with the speed of shipping but deal with the merchandise quality itself or price gouging then pay a little extra and go with another company. Even some of the larger merchants have people who dislike them. I have used all three of the major booksellers and have not had a problem with them. I have had items monogrammed incorrectly and returned them so when I say reasonable demands I know that I am talking about.

Read the fine print before you check out, as much as you can. Some unscrupulous companies will not list all of their terms where you can find them easily.

Don’t push your luck when shopping and saving this season; a few strokes on the keyboard can save you headaches.

Last night I was watching a special feature on the news and it seems as though when the mainstream media finally picks up on a trend it is too late. The subject was how to find Christmas/holiday gifts for $25 or less.

One portion of the story was really interesting… buy an empty container and fill it with items that the recipient would use. Give a coffee drinker a mug and a gift card, or give a traveler travel sized items in a container. Though these sounded like good ideas some of the items were overpriced. The container that was purchased at a dollar store was listed as $2.50. That was more like a dollar plus store. Then some of the items were typical dollar store items.

Remember: The object of being frugal is not to look cheap as much as it is to pay less for quality. There are good brands at dollar and discount stores but you must hunt around. Now is the time to hunt.

Thinking about creating a basket or container with a theme for a recipient was interesting

Find a cute or interesting mug and buy a variety of teas or hot chocolates. Find a tea box and give the person a couple of types of tea to put in the box.

You know when there are features on the news about how to save money that we are in trouble. For those who live a frugal lifestyle buying gifts is just another challenge. Be prepared before you go shopping – arm yourself with knowledge and you’ll be fine.

If a basket is too traditional, use any kind of container or container that the recipient would use is a definite bonus. There are other containers that you could fill with goodies for someone on your list:

• a toolbox
• a totebag that you can decorate for the recipient
• a pail
• a clean empty paint can

Basically, anything that can hold something could help you make a great an interesting inexpensive gift. The receptacle could be something that you find at a thrift store or that is from another season and refurbished. An old Easter basket could be painted with a little spray paint. There are many possibilities.

If you are creating a “basket” for a person don’t go overboard in the amount you spend on the container. Look at how some of the professional baskets are assembled then let your creative juices flow. For $25 you can create a great looking gift that will be useful too.