The combination on both sides of the family saves each family hundreds of dollars each season.

We’ll see.

The withdrawals are very generous and we certainly won’t be spending all the money in there so after Christmas I will roll that money over and shoot it at some leftover debt.

I use MyPoints to buy gift cards for obligatory folk (i.e. parents, who don’t appreciate really anything). I save up points through the year and spend them now-ish. When possible, I’ll make purchases for other items through MyPoints so I can get points for the purchases. (Of course, if I can find it cheaper somewhere else, I go that way – the points aren’t worth extra $)

For girlfriends, I’ve been hosting a ladies’ tea one afternoon. It’s difficult for us all to get together, so we plan now, pick a date in December, and get together, drink tea, eat cookies, and talk

@George: Great idea… that falls under “spending quality time” and I couldn’t agree with you more!

I do have one gift that I give to all of my friends at once though. I usually hold a party where I cook a main dish, a couple side dishes, and have some drinks. I ask anyone that attends to bring either a dish or snacks. It has worked out great for the past couple of years. A nice meal is a great gift to give any time of the year!

I ask myself what I could do to show that I care? The answer is different for each person I am exchanging gifts with.

I also plan to rely on a ginormous stack of gift cards I have accumulated and rewards perks through Swagbucks to buy some gifts. Two years ago I spent $400 on Christmas, last year I brought that down to $300. Think I could do it this year for $200?

“…if it’s not enjoyable to give then it’s not really a gift is it?”

That is a very simple, honest, and truthful way to approach it – thank you for that insight.

I think making gifts is especially fun for children. Make them part of the solution and include them in making ornaments and decorations for the house along with gifts for loved ones. You will be amazed at how excited the will be to give gifts they made!

I only have a handful of people I buy gifts for (immediate family only and I keep those under $30 each) everyone else gets gifts I make for them, usually in the form of a handmade ornament and/or baked goods. I love to give gifts so the time it takes to make them is worth it. Instead of any sort of stressing about what I’m giving people I have fun with it, if it’s not enjoyable to give then it’s not really a gift is it?

My husband and I buy for each other out of our “fun money” accounts and can spend as much as we want. What I spend depends more on what I think he’ll like than how much it costs. His mindset? Not sure

His family is huge (lots of siblings, all with kids, some of the kids with spouses), and no one exchanges except mom with everyone.

We send a gift to my parents (I tried bailing out of that twice already and there was significant backlash) but not to my siblings.

As far as friends and co-workers we just go out to eat or have a big potluck and wish everyone a good year, etc. If any gifts are exchanged its usually because someone has a knack for making something like candy or jellies – something small and its more of a token than a gift.

The only people I give gifts to are my parents, sister, my in-laws and my brother-in-laws (all are joint gifts with my husband and me). We don’t go any further than that. I have a large extended family and I find that visiting them (most live an hour or two away) is gift enough. That’s all we really want – to be together.

I like your suggestion of making things for people. I do this a lot as well.

In terms of ideas for giving coupons for services, I would LOVE to get a babysitting coupon – way more than any sweater or other such thing.

We have a big social network but a tiny budget. I stock up on holiday cards in January for the next year, and make sure that every friend/co-worker who once got a gift still gets a nice card. With postage, we might pay $20 per year to send cards to EVERYONE, about 30 friends. Close friends also get a homemade gift, usually baked or canned goods.

My wife and I still exchange gifts as well. Yes – it’s probably a little unnecessary, but we don’t have kids and it’s the one time of year that we go out and buy each other something. It’s nice and I always get excited about picking her out something that I know she will love.

I’m a big fan of baked goods as gifts But that’s because I love to bake). The whole family gets involved and we have a lot of fun. Tins and plates for packaging can be found at the $1 store.

My husband likes to open lots and lots of gifts Christmas morning. So I buy and individually wrap the ‘luxury’ foods that he eats during the year as part of his Christmas stuff. Six cans of pitted black olives, same amount of powdered cheese (for cheese popcorn making), etc. They get paid for out of the normal food budget, and bought when on sale.

My mother is more of a challenge. She’s over 90, and I’ve been encouraging her to eat well by sending her a Fruit of the Month club. She has admitted she hates that. She’d far prefer a cake of the month! So I’m going to bake and send her a big batch of cookies each month. I considered sending a cake, but those would have to be sent overnight … and the shipping costs on that are outrageous.

Frondly, Fern

I’ve also never understood gift cards as gifts except for grandparents to give their grandkids or something like that. How about instead of you spend $30 on a gift card for me for Olive Garden and me spend $30 on a gift card for you for Chilis we both keep our money and go wherever we want with it?