The Art of Giftgiving - On a budget

How many hours have you pondered over the right gift for your friend, special someone, or family member? Don't sit and calculate this - it would be another waste of time...

Let's face it. Unless you are picking out a gift off a wedding or baby registry, where the most important decisions you need to make are how much money are you willing to spend and what options are still available (be quick on selecting the gifts off registries people - the good ones go fast), gift giving can be pretty tough! Sometimes the perfect gift is way too expensive and sometimes you can't find that perfect gift at all - how dare Home Depot, Macy's, or Bed Bath and Beyond not come through for you! So what's the quick fix?

The best way to to go about finding the perfect gift is to sit down and make a list of things that you know your friend has mentioned they like, they have saught out and couldn't find, or that they admire about you. For example, one of my best friend's is a little deficient in the cooking department. She'll readily admit it, so I don't feel bad in outing her. She always enjoys hearing about the latest dish I'm cooking and has no problem sitting down to a good meal that I've prepared. So when considering a gift for her, I thought why not a cookbook?

Now with an option such as a cookbook - you can make this as elaborate or as cheap or as easy as possible. You could go out and purchase a cookbook or you could make one yourself. I chose the later for the reason that I knew I could even buy her a notebook and handwrite my recipes that I wanted to give her! I chose a more elaborate version (I picked up a blank scrapbook from my nearby Michael's craft store) and decorated it and wrote my recipes and left her space to add more. Needles to say she loved it! A good notebook is only $10! You could easily make it personal with scraps from magazines that you cut out, pictures of you and a friend, and home recipes that you use on a regular basis!

Additionally, I find that the home made gift is one of the best kinds. I recently picked up knitting. Though it seems very domestic, I find it very relaxing, since I don't really have to focus or think while doing it. It's easy to watch tv and knit a few rows. So for my most recent gift, I gave my time. Another of my friends is expecting. Knowing that I'm on a lower budget, I knew that I would be limited in the gifts I could give her. So I headed to Walmart, picked up some good yarn (a total of $15 worth) and knitted a baby blanket that in total only took me about 20 hours. Now you may be asking, " 20 HOURS?!" Consider this - how much time do you waste just sitting in front of the tv - snacking or staring blankely into space? You could be knitting and could knock out a scarf for a holiday gift for Mom! Consider it!

The twist this week - Consider your hobbies and your talents. What options do you have to cut down on the large budget normally associated with gifts? You'll be surprised with what you come up with and your friends and family will be so impressed and so grateful.