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I save money by only exchanging gifts with my immediate family and grandmom and giving gifts cards to places they shop frequently. Shopping is stressful for me anyway, so not having to worry about picking that gift they'll love saves me a lot of headache too.
I do gift cards too for the adults and one or two small toys for the nephews, though the oldest is gravitating toward gift cards as well. Makes shopping a whole lot easier
Celebrating christmas in the US seems very extreme to me. I live in The Netherlands. In my family we only do a little decoration and some extra's for food.
For the last two years I used pretty, high quality kitchen towels as "wrapping paper" for the gifts. That way the packaging is part of the gift and useful on its own. My family was surprised but in a good way.
Best savings I ever did was promoting my husband to Santa! 😂🎅 I knew I had an impulsive spending issue around Christmas and making sure it was perfect and magical and that they received everything they asked for and he's much more practical. It was also one reason I struggled with clutter for so long. We've been slowly minimizing and simplifying Christmas for a few years. 🎄🎄🎄
Great video! This year I'm implementing one of your tips that I never imagined I'd do--skipping hosting the traditional giant dinner for extended family. After 30 years of hosting most family events, I'm letting it go. We'll still see family during the holidays but without all the stress. I'm looking forward to it!
Did the same- hosted for 20 years -sit down dinner for 25+ people and growing - finally retired it. I so enjoy the peaceful and quiet Christmas Day. I truly missed it.
My cousin keeps Amazon wishlists for her kids, which I love. During summer Prime Day, I go to the list and look for items on sale and save them for birthdays. On October Prime day, I do the same for Christmas presents.
I do the same for my boys and it has helped so much with my mom. She shows love through gifts but if it’s on the list the boys have an actual need/want for it so it’s not go straight to donations.
Love these tips! We (adults) have stopped gifting each other physician gifts, other than consumable ones. The kids usually get 1 new book and 1 physical gift, but have to declutter their toys and books before Christmas to make space for something new.
My parents always asked me what I wanted for Xmas when I was young, and now I do the same with my partner. I don't like to get things that I don't need or want, because they'll end up being clutter all the time. As time goes, I more appreciate spending time together with my loved ones rather than getting any physical gifts.
"Champagne taste on an eggnog budget"😆♥ Love these tips! My partner and I have stopped buying presents for one another. I don't need to buy new holiday decor each year. I also stopped buying holiday specific wrapping paper.
These are great tips! Christmas has gotten way out of hand. The big eye-opener for me was when I married a Jewish man and got to experience the holiday from an outsider's point of view. I saw that the pressure of gift-giving and decorating was taking all the joy out of it. Added to that was the fact that I was a full-time performing musician and Christmas was my busiest time of year. By the time Christmas actually rolled around, I was exhausted! My husband gave me permission to do as much or as little as I felt like doing. It took my family a while to adjust (my mom insisted on continuing to be extravagant), but I felt so much happier and less stressed out. Thanks for advocating for sanity!
I give everyone a set amount of money for the holidays. Shopping is WAY too stressful & at least then they can choose what they'd like to have/ use it as they wish. 😊
@@MyFocusVaries So true. Gift cards are very rarely used up completely, which (when you add up little balances on tens of thousands of gift cards) is a big money-maker for corporations, and I don't like to gift money to corporations. My grandsons used to misplace gift cards, but boy do they keep tabs on every penny of the cash they get!
I read once that it is the height of bad taste to give someone a gift you can't afford. (Putting a burden of guilt on the gift recipient instead of spreading joy!) Once I read that, I felt a LOT better about being honest with myself about what I could and couldn't afford to spend.
Christmas is more fun when we are mainly giving toys to children. If we give presents to adult family members, it's nice to give consumables, like wine, chocolates, dried fruits, etc. It's a burden to give or receive things that are unwanted. (If my parents had specific things they needed, that would be a different story.) Children are happy with toys and hopefully adults are happy with watching the children's excitement and sharing nice times with family members.
My family started a gift swapping game over 20 years ago. The adults bought a gender neutral gift that was wrapped and placed in a pile as they arrived. After Christmas dinner, we drew numbers and, starting with 1, they selected a gift. Regifting was encouraged and fun/unique was expected. When we started, there were 12 adults. Now there are 25. Saves a bunch of money.
I am not feeling a lot of holiday cheer this year. For many years I took great joy in finding the right gifts for those I love. I am now being by my other half's family that they do not want to do gifts for Channukah and we may not even get together for Channukah. I am also hearing from my son and other half that I am not good about choosing gifts. So, no I am not feeling a lot of holiday cheer right now. I wish I was. Normally, I love the holidays, despite the stress.
If I start too early, I find I still end up over spending that last few days before Christmas because I get caught up in wanting to gift everything to my family that I think they might want and can’t wait for them to have all the things. Which is honestly contrary to how I feel about having too many things. Awwww I’m a mess at that last few days. lol.
For eco-friendly and free gift wrapping, I like to use clean brown paper bags from groceries or brown and white paper that comes as padding in packages. It can look really classy with a simple white ribbon. For a more fun look I use stamps to create my own patterns. I also save the gift bags we get from others and reuse them in our home. Making your own gift wrap can also add a sentimental value; a few years ago, for an anniversary, I wrapped my SO's gift in white paper and wrote a bunch of phrases and inside jokes.
Thank you for the useful advice! I have noticed that in Germany we give in general less gifts than in the States. Not every person that we know needs to get a gift for Christmas. Also, most people I know try to not ‘overdo it’ on Christmas. Within a group of friends or colleagues it is also common to exchange unwanted items (funny presents or useful items) that we already own as Christmas gifts. Something that we no longer need can be a great gift for somebody else. Usually people talk about that plan before exchanging gifts, so everybody sticks to the rule 😉 Wishing you and your family a great and merry Christmas season ❄️🌟🎄🌟❄️
We only do Christmas stockings in our house and no other gifts...for decorating we buy German chocolate ornaments and real pine branches and so don't store decorations.
I have many tips for saving space and $$$ I've been using newspapers for gift wrapping for yeeears. I even make bows with them! ❤❤We also reuse the gift bags from previous years for other gifts. Going local is great. Where I'm from there is a yearly local artisan fair during this season that we go to and try to get gifts that are handmade and affordable. I'ved asked my family to help me reduce my clutter habits by gifting me food and snacks! It isn't clutter if i eat it😂😂
Sooooo timely! Thank you, Marissa! Also, I knew that holiday waste had to be high but I'm absolutely floored by those numbers. Thank you for the reminder that in many instances, a $25 gift card is adequate and perfectly okay.♥
If statistics scare you, Americans have a collective $21 BILLION in unspent gift cards!! I've started giving cash with a note that says Universal GIFT CASH to every store! No expiry, no limits.
We've been doing a Secret Santa with my family for a few years now and it's been great! My mom does practical stocking stuffers (deodorant, floss, toothpaste, ECT) and they are fantastic (especially as an adult)
I am a maker and I make gifts for friends and family, I can’t tell you how happy it makes me when I visit and see everything I made them framed on the walls permanently displayed after years and years, it’s like a physical representation of the love I have for them xx
My friend gives me cash every Christmas. Started at $50 and now $100. It makes me uncomfortable! I just end up matching it with a gift card or sometimes cash back to her. I've suggested we just not exchange gifts as it seems kind of silly but no way, she loves it!😂
My stepmom does this with Amazon gift cards and it still feels weird to me too. But I think the "gift" is that psychologically it gives me permission to buy things I might otherwise deem too expensive or frivolous. And that actually has brought me joy. (Box of dark chocolate truffles and cool craft book I don't *need,* I'm looking at you! ; - )
I love that my husband and I don't buy each other Christmas gifts. My sister and I don't buy gifts for each other either - or for the other's hubbies. So much easier and less stressful! We save the buying for our children and nieces and nephews. And being afults we tend to buy what we need or really want for ourselves during the year anyway.
We started a gift fund that we add into all year and it covers all of the holidays and birthdays. We keep a running list of things for each other and the kiddos and we have started shopping early to avoid the panic buying, which has always been a problem for us. We also reuse the amazon gift bags that get sent to the kiddos for all wrapping occasions.
I have a "Santa bag" that has my nieces and nephews names on them that I use every year for their gifts for Christmas. As they've gotten older, their gifts are in smaller packaging (gift cards and/or money if that's what they ask for) so I put those items attached to something that's easier to find inside the bags. Also, they actually give me a list or tell me what they want specifically from me, and that's what they get. They love it! We also have bags for our kids that are from Santa. This year, they're only getting 1 gift from Santa and 1 small gift from us because they got a few more expensive items from us throughout the year this year. Which we explained to them. We actually told them they wouldn't get any gifts from us this year, but I'm making something for them so they have something to open from us.
Great tips. Last few years I’ve been gifting consumables, but not just anything I get each person what they will use makeup, clean supplies, GC. I know it doesn’t sound fun, but trying not to add to junk pile. 😊❤
I remember reading about a measure called the “cost per wow” - I want to get the maximum wow/happiness value for the minimum spend. I make photo books to share our year with overseas family members, giving them a feeling of being part of our lives. They show them off to visitors, look forward to them every year, plus they’re easy to mail. I think about it all year long and make sure to get photos of things they’d want to see. It’s a fair bit of work but I can have the same book printed for multiple relatives and I keep a copy too. I make another version for my in laws with their photos which is also a gift of service, doing something they don’t know how to do/wouldn’t do for themselves.
We do the photo book thing too. When the kids were born we started to make one per year, which always starts with the former year's Xmas. I make one yearbook for us and then order them as Xmas gift for all grandparents and great grandparents. Sometimes I leave some pages out for them to keep the costs in check, but they love it so much and we do too.
To limit gifts in landfill why not first ask for lists of requested gift ideas then first see if you can fill any requests with items in your home. If you can't fill the requests with your clutter then look for free or inexpensive items online or second-hand stores.
Thanks Marissa, so many good tips! We introduced gift swap for the adults in our family, a few years ago! It's been great spending less money but also buying less things that potentially create clutter or are regifted anyway. The children still get spoiled though!
I buy food as gifts, for my mum and dad are in their early to mid 80's don't want anything for Christmas, so this year I ordered an advent jigsaw for them to do to keep their minds sharp and will make up a bundle of food, nice biscuits, cheese nibbles, tin of chocolates (only for him) and a few other bits and bobs, like fancy decafe tea, my mum has Crohns and no small bowel, so all the food has to be quite bland and biege, but buying her a few bits she can eat shows her how glad I am she is still here. My husband gets food or clothes he needs, some of his come out of the ARK! But we do de-clutter out wardrobes regularly. My two children, now adults get a cash gift, so they can save it to help buy a house, a new car to get them to work or save for their future/pension. They have never spent the money, they know it is only given for big life things!!! We only buy for any children in the immediate family ie Nieces and Nephews up to the age of 18, after that we don't gift, getting together to have a family meal is more important than the gifts. The exception to this rule is my Sister in Scotland who we do not see over Christmas, so I send her a few small gifts and her families cards in a box around the time of her Wedding Anniversary so I save on postage on the two lots of cards ... I have included gardening things ie gloves, pruning tools, seeds, bird seed, sewing items or a new dog lead ... for her lovely, friendly dog. She loves her garden and sewing, but everything I have gifted her is something she will use up in the coming year - so no clutter! Gifting is a minimal thing in our house, the few gifts I buy, I buy throughout the year and I only wrap in Kraft paper with washi tape or rafia ribbon, no plastic tape, no glitter, no high gloss paper it is not recyclable, despite people thinking it is. I buy half sized rolls because for the majority of the pressies, they work and excess is easier to store. Honestly, I have done this for years, even before I started watching your fab youtube channel, I live buying consumable gifts. I told a dear friend to ask her besties to buy her Amazon vouchers, as she has just moved house and is still in too much of a state to actually have anything else come into the house. I give any unwanted gifts to the Charity shop/women's shelters (ie toiletries that have a perfume I know I can't use ie Rose or Ylang Ylang/patchouli make me sneeze! I don't ever re-gift unlike my other sister, you know any gift she gives you is one she has received and does not want! I would rather have nothing. Nothing goes to landfill, unless it is broken in the post! Happy Holidays to everyone, it is never worth getting into debt to fund Christmas!
We give $ to our kids and grandchildren. That's it. We get photo cards from everyone we know with little kids. Through the year, as we see great nieces and nephews, we give them small gifts. The other grandparents give the kids pajamas for Christmas. Tina, Al's wife
Thank you for the video. I like the idea with experiences as presents. To be honest, I think it's a lot more personal than other stuff and it's also a good thing for people, who basicly have the things they want. Some people also simply prefer to spend time with someone, rather than get something practical or a toy. You could also give a "coupon" for things your husband likes. Like something he would like you to do for quality time (massage or similar) or taking over a chore, he doesn't like. (Which means you don't waste money on things you would let go of later on anyway, but still get to enjoy the joy of your husband and of your own present.) An adult family-member could also like a coupon for x times child-sitting or something like that. Particular parents with toddlers would probably prefer the baby-sitting voucher over another bunch of pacifiers. (That's guesswork, since I didn't get that experience so far, but it seemed rather likely when my nephews were younger.) Such a gift card is a kind of present even kids (with even less budget) can do. Like a voucher for some chores or for helping with something their sibling(s) or parents want to do. Even without the more traditional events like football games, theater and concerts, there are still a lot of options for giving experiences rather than physical presents. Best wishes from europe
@@gwenj5419 Maybe you can add a sort of expiration date? It can make this look more funny. Sort of trying to imitate a normal bought gift card. To be honest, I had been told by somebody that I had gotten some experience gifts from others at some point. But I didn't get a way to contact most of those who supposedly send me those cards. And I did try to start a chat with about 5 of them, and even called 2. But noone answered and I don't have the contact details of those, I consider most likely to answer. (Well, some did answer, but basicly said they didn't understand. So it ended up useless either way.) So, I'm kind of stuck on that front. I'm sure that's not comfortable for those who did send the gift cards either. I don't even know enough details of those gift cards to know what I can use them FOR. What kind of experiences I can get from those vouchers? I still don't know. I hope some riding lessons are amoung them. Or other things like that. (I'm pretty curious about everything, so learning new things or how something works, is something I enjoy) Somebody else even made me wary of asking for too much, since they made a big fuss about how extravagant my standards are. Turned out, those extravagant uses had been from another person. But now, I'd like to talk it out beforehand, and since I didn't get answers in the chat or such so far, this didn't happen yet either. I have no idea if I used up those gift cards by now or not. I don't think I was ever told the exact number of cards, that I got. So I don't even know if that is still ongoing or not. I don't know if I will get those contact info either, so I can't really tell, if I will ever be able to find out. The few times, I did see somebody from those, who supposedly sent me those gift cards, they seemed to wait for me to do something specific, which I still have no clue about. And when I didn't do that, they disappeared again. I still wonder, what they expected me to do back then. I don't really know how or even if that will work out at some point. So far it's been a mess and a headache for (probably) everyone. Anyway, I hope you have more luck with such things. I guess this doesn't work that well, if you don't have a way to just call the other person to ask when they want to use the gift card... Best wishes from europe
I don't celebrate christmas but I have so many friends and I do like to give all of them birthday gifts which is also stressful so this is helpful in many ways thank you 🌷💖
I always ask people what they need or want for Christmas so I don't buy presents they won't use. I also ask specifically for presents from family for my little one so she doesn't end up over run with toys she already has or won't play with 😊
One of my favorite channel. We are buying gifts for the boys and I am going to buy a new backpack for my hubby. I am going to bake some goodies for friends . keep it simple this year and saving money. We do our own Xmas family picture and no Xmas pj or tshirt either too much money and they can not really wear them all year around anyway. I am really craving for simple and easy.
I only buy for my 3 kids and hubby. I shop all year when I see something I know they will like, and I hide the things away. I mostly buy consumables (favorite candy, snack, etc), but I will buy a few needed things (socks.etc) right before Christmas. I also made fabric gift bags for everyone a few years ago and we use them each year.
I find it such a struggle to buy presents for my parents. They have everything - they are not minimalists and have so much stuff and are not short on cash, they buy everything they want. I am on a budget and feel under all this pressure to buy my parents something exciting they dont already have. It feels so pointless. I wish we could focus less on the gifts and more on just spending time together, having a nice meal etc.. Christmas has become so commercial and so focused on gifts. I really wish we didnt have to buy all these presents for adults, just give gifts to children since they appreciate it more and generally dont have their own money to buy things they want. My family are all so spoilt and dont need anything and I am the poor one 😫 It would be meaningful if they actually needed things.
My kids live in orher states now. We all spend our holiday money visiting each other. We haven't bought gifts in 10 years. I do make sweaters and blankets and things.
after the holidays i keep a list of what i gave to everyone so i don't accidentally repeat things ( i have come dangerously close to that a few times!)
Hey there love your tips and your channel! We are not buying any christmas gifts yes you heard correct no gifts just gifts for our 2 boys. We decided to do this to save money and we are so happy we did. I hate spending money on crap i don´t need. Yeah i´m a minimalist! Happy holidays
Thank you for these tips! I. Wondering though. Do you have a video about how and where to start selling clutter? I'd like to, but I'm not sure how to go about it.
My kids honestly never want anything, so we just give them money. People are always like, "You don't buy gifts for your children??" I say, "Talk to my kids. . .they don't feel sad or upset." We always took them somewhere special. I think this year we'll do Medieval Times. I haven't had a tree in 13 years (no place to put it). I have totally regifted gifts haha. It's worked out okay though. Nice list!
What do minimalists think about plants? I just went minimalist and I find plants a nice decoration piece but wonder if I'm deviating from being a minimalist.
If you enjoy looking at the plants and you don't find it stressful to care for them and they're in good health not dried out in a corner with cobwebs growing on them, I'd say you're good to go.
I only buy Christmas presents for children and elderly. When my now adult offspring were children they got one Christmas present but it would be EXACTLY what they wanted.
My husband and I had 18 people to buy for last year!! It was horrible. We never end up enjoying Christmas because it’s just too much pressure. We had to stop getting each other gifts because it just got too out of budget
A bit off topic but for several years my friend would get a gift card from an aunt, for a specific store that she barely shops in, but i spend a lot in, so the friend and i developed a tradition of meeting up in January and i give her the cash value of the gift card and she gives me the gift card. The aunt never asks what my friend got with the gift card and my friend having the cash instead meant she could spend it on something she actually wanted.
For folks who give gift cards, Americans have a collective $21 BILLION in unspent gift cards!! I've started giving cash and I make a little note card that says "Universal GIFT CASH to every store! No expiry, no limits." You can personalize it for each person. And for my ADHD nieces, I e-transfer the money because it can't be lost in the chaos of Christmas day.
I do most of these tips already... especially the buying stuff all year of what people you know that they would like. Too bad that tip couldn't be mentioned in January haha
I think the only issue with that is you have to have to make sure to keep track of what you're buying and where you are keeping them. Otherwise, you can find youself having 20 "great deal" gifts for the same person.
I love gift giving but I struggle to buy for our 2 grandkids . They are 8 and almost 10 . I will find something they enjoy and buy them a gift for their birthday or a small surprise , then their mom will buy them multiple of the same thing . Money is no object for them , so no matter what we buy it’s not good enough . They always want more or I know their mom will outdo anything we could ever buy . Last year we got them each 5 gifts for Christmas, after opening the 8 yr old said , is that it !? I’m not sure how to ever make it special or enough ? We do choose to do fun things for their birthday , like the trampoline park or a fun day doing things they enjoy 😊
Thank you for your amazing content and videos about handling finances.. I think your videos will be much better without the stock video inserts. Your content is super awesome already 👍
I save money by buying or giving a card with money to a child's parent to get what they want for their child. No Christmas gift for the adults eating together means more that day. Give to your favorite charities like dog shelters etc. Give where it's really needed. We have the basics and so we can give where it's needed. 🎉
Since you are back in the US will you be doing couponing for things you do buy. I'm Scottish so it's not a thing here but always been fascinating to me.
The Xmas waste is so bad that the economist Joel Waldfogel wrote an entire book on the subject (Scroogenomics: Why You Shouldn't Buy Presents for the Holidays)
@@AtoZenLife oh! Thanks. My sister always said 'ordaments' when she was little I remember. We're English. You just made me wonder if it was an actual word! You have a lovely accent.
we only buy for our 18 year old son or we give him some money his birthday is in December as well so for us his birthday is more important plus we are a Atheist family so xmas for us is not something we really celebrate anyway we dont buy for each other either x
Great tips! Under #6, I'd add being willing to be the first to opt out of "obligatory" exchanges with work contacts and others (Christmas cards, I'm looking at you!). 🎄📬I love them, but I send a select few now. Also, asking friends and family to share their *honest* feelings and values about gift giving. #LoveLanguages It took me a *long* time to realize I was being neurotic about not wanting anyone to feel left out or less special because holiday gifts were the only time I felt seen as a child. It took even longer to realize it was placing an unwelcome burden of reciprocity on some people! D'oh! 😬 I do ignore it when my elderly step-mother *says* "No gifts," however. That's because I know she grew up in a similar background of extreme Childhood Emotional Neglect as me and I've *seen* the way she lights up at even the smallest thoughtful present.🎁☺💖When you're trained from birth that expressing your needs is wrong, it can be hard to express your true wants, or even admit them to yourself! When I gave her a deluxe massage gift certificate one year, I could tell she was *delighted* at being "spoiled" (no such thing for someone so generous and kind! < : - ). But I also sensed that she seemed uncomfortable with the cost. So now I keep the sticker price lower, but am still determined to find gifts and gestures that make her feel lavished and cared for. She deserves it!❤❤
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I save money by only exchanging gifts with my immediate family and grandmom and giving gifts cards to places they shop frequently. Shopping is stressful for me anyway, so not having to worry about picking that gift they'll love saves me a lot of headache too.
Sounds like a great strategy for you 👏
I do gift cards too for the adults and one or two small toys for the nephews, though the oldest is gravitating toward gift cards as well. Makes shopping a whole lot easier
Great ideas!
Celebrating christmas in the US seems very extreme to me.
I live in The Netherlands.
In my family we only do a little decoration and some extra's for food.
For the last two years I used pretty, high quality kitchen towels as "wrapping paper" for the gifts. That way the packaging is part of the gift and useful on its own. My family was surprised but in a good way.
I love this.
Best savings I ever did was promoting my husband to Santa! 😂🎅
I knew I had an impulsive spending issue around Christmas and making sure it was perfect and magical and that they received everything they asked for and he's much more practical.
It was also one reason I struggled with clutter for so long.
We've been slowly minimizing and simplifying Christmas for a few years. 🎄🎄🎄
That’s fantastic and great problem solving on your part! 👏
@@AtoZenLifeYes, it was tough to let go of "control" over gifts... but the right choice for me. 😊
Great video! This year I'm implementing one of your tips that I never imagined I'd do--skipping hosting the traditional giant dinner for extended family. After 30 years of hosting most family events, I'm letting it go. We'll still see family during the holidays but without all the stress. I'm looking forward to it!
That’s amazing - wishing you a nice Thanksgiving 🙏
@@AtoZenLife Thanks! We had ours back in October 😊 Happy Thanksgiving 🦃 to you!
You paid your dues.
Did the same- hosted for 20 years -sit down dinner for 25+ people and growing - finally retired it. I so enjoy the peaceful and quiet Christmas Day. I truly missed it.
My cousin keeps Amazon wishlists for her kids, which I love. During summer Prime Day, I go to the list and look for items on sale and save them for birthdays. On October Prime day, I do the same for Christmas presents.
I do the same for my boys and it has helped so much with my mom. She shows love through gifts but if it’s on the list the boys have an actual need/want for it so it’s not go straight to donations.
Love these tips! We (adults) have stopped gifting each other physician gifts, other than consumable ones. The kids usually get 1 new book and 1 physical gift, but have to declutter their toys and books before Christmas to make space for something new.
My parents always asked me what I wanted for Xmas when I was young, and now I do the same with my partner. I don't like to get things that I don't need or want, because they'll end up being clutter all the time. As time goes, I more appreciate spending time together with my loved ones rather than getting any physical gifts.
"Champagne taste on an eggnog budget"😆♥ Love these tips! My partner and I have stopped buying presents for one another. I don't need to buy new holiday decor each year. I also stopped buying holiday specific wrapping paper.
These are great tips! Christmas has gotten way out of hand. The big eye-opener for me was when I married a Jewish man and got to experience the holiday from an outsider's point of view. I saw that the pressure of gift-giving and decorating was taking all the joy out of it. Added to that was the fact that I was a full-time performing musician and Christmas was my busiest time of year. By the time Christmas actually rolled around, I was exhausted! My husband gave me permission to do as much or as little as I felt like doing. It took my family a while to adjust (my mom insisted on continuing to be extravagant), but I felt so much happier and less stressed out. Thanks for advocating for sanity!
I give everyone a set amount of money for the holidays. Shopping is WAY too stressful & at least then they can choose what they'd like to have/ use it as they wish. 😊
Cash is so much better than gift cards! Love this
@@MyFocusVaries So true. Gift cards are very rarely used up completely, which (when you add up little balances on tens of thousands of gift cards) is a big money-maker for corporations, and I don't like to gift money to corporations.
My grandsons used to misplace gift cards, but boy do they keep tabs on every penny of the cash they get!
It's adorable how exciting your husband was about the lights 🥰 you guys are so cute together!
I read once that it is the height of bad taste to give someone a gift you can't afford. (Putting a burden of guilt on the gift recipient instead of spreading joy!) Once I read that, I felt a LOT better about being honest with myself about what I could and couldn't afford to spend.
Christmas is more fun when we are mainly giving toys to children. If we give presents to adult family members, it's nice to give consumables, like wine, chocolates, dried fruits, etc. It's a burden to give or receive things that are unwanted. (If my parents had specific things they needed, that would be a different story.) Children are happy with toys and hopefully adults are happy with watching the children's excitement and sharing nice times with family members.
Great philosophy ❤️
My family started a gift swapping game over 20 years ago. The adults bought a gender neutral gift that was wrapped and placed in a pile as they arrived. After Christmas dinner, we drew numbers and, starting with 1, they selected a gift. Regifting was encouraged and fun/unique was expected. When we started, there were 12 adults. Now there are 25. Saves a bunch of money.
I love that you use reuse fabric for wrapping gifts in, it's such a great idea. It's saves both money and waste. 👍🏼
I am not feeling a lot of holiday cheer this year. For many years I took great joy in finding the right gifts for those I love. I am now being by my other half's family that they do not want to do gifts for Channukah and we may not even get together for Channukah. I am also hearing from my son and other half that I am not good about choosing gifts. So, no I am not feeling a lot of holiday cheer right now. I wish I was. Normally, I love the holidays, despite the stress.
If I start too early, I find I still end up over spending that last few days before Christmas because I get caught up in wanting to gift everything to my family that I think they might want and can’t wait for them to have all the things. Which is honestly contrary to how I feel about having too many things. Awwww I’m a mess at that last few days. lol.
For eco-friendly and free gift wrapping, I like to use clean brown paper bags from groceries or brown and white paper that comes as padding in packages. It can look really classy with a simple white ribbon. For a more fun look I use stamps to create my own patterns. I also save the gift bags we get from others and reuse them in our home. Making your own gift wrap can also add a sentimental value; a few years ago, for an anniversary, I wrapped my SO's gift in white paper and wrote a bunch of phrases and inside jokes.
Honestly yard sales helps so much and Costco does help as well ferrero chocolate big box for $10!
Is this UK Costco?
Thank you for the useful advice! I have noticed that in Germany we give in general less gifts than in the States. Not every person that we know needs to get a gift for Christmas. Also, most people I know try to not ‘overdo it’ on Christmas. Within a group of friends or colleagues it is also common to exchange unwanted items (funny presents or useful items) that we already own as Christmas gifts. Something that we no longer need can be a great gift for somebody else. Usually people talk about that plan before exchanging gifts, so everybody sticks to the rule 😉 Wishing you and your family a great and merry Christmas season ❄️🌟🎄🌟❄️
They do say one man's trash is another man's treasure.
We only do Christmas stockings in our house and no other gifts...for decorating we buy German chocolate ornaments and real pine branches and so don't store decorations.
I have many tips for saving space and $$$ I've been using newspapers for gift wrapping for yeeears. I even make bows with them! ❤❤We also reuse the gift bags from previous years for other gifts. Going local is great. Where I'm from there is a yearly local artisan fair during this season that we go to and try to get gifts that are handmade and affordable. I'ved asked my family to help me reduce my clutter habits by gifting me food and snacks! It isn't clutter if i eat it😂😂
Sooooo timely! Thank you, Marissa! Also, I knew that holiday waste had to be high but I'm absolutely floored by those numbers. Thank you for the reminder that in many instances, a $25 gift card is adequate and perfectly okay.♥
If statistics scare you, Americans have a collective $21 BILLION in unspent gift cards!! I've started giving cash with a note that says Universal GIFT CASH to every store! No expiry, no limits.
We've been doing a Secret Santa with my family for a few years now and it's been great! My mom does practical stocking stuffers (deodorant, floss, toothpaste, ECT) and they are fantastic (especially as an adult)
I am a maker and I make gifts for friends and family, I can’t tell you how happy it makes me when I visit and see everything I made them framed on the walls permanently displayed after years and years, it’s like a physical representation of the love I have for them xx
As a frugal minimalist, I'm a huge fan of Rakuten - I use it whenever I can!
It’s so easy too!
My friend gives me cash every Christmas. Started at $50 and now $100. It makes me uncomfortable! I just end up matching it with a gift card or sometimes cash back to her. I've suggested we just not exchange gifts as it seems kind of silly but no way, she loves it!😂
My stepmom does this with Amazon gift cards and it still feels weird to me too. But I think the "gift" is that psychologically it gives me permission to buy things I might otherwise deem too expensive or frivolous. And that actually has brought me joy. (Box of dark chocolate truffles and cool craft book I don't *need,* I'm looking at you! ; - )
I love that my husband and I don't buy each other Christmas gifts. My sister and I don't buy gifts for each other either - or for the other's hubbies. So much easier and less stressful! We save the buying for our children and nieces and nephews. And being afults we tend to buy what we need or really want for ourselves during the year anyway.
We started a gift fund that we add into all year and it covers all of the holidays and birthdays. We keep a running list of things for each other and the kiddos and we have started shopping early to avoid the panic buying, which has always been a problem for us. We also reuse the amazon gift bags that get sent to the kiddos for all wrapping occasions.
I have a "Santa bag" that has my nieces and nephews names on them that I use every year for their gifts for Christmas. As they've gotten older, their gifts are in smaller packaging (gift cards and/or money if that's what they ask for) so I put those items attached to something that's easier to find inside the bags.
Also, they actually give me a list or tell me what they want specifically from me, and that's what they get. They love it!
We also have bags for our kids that are from Santa. This year, they're only getting 1 gift from Santa and 1 small gift from us because they got a few more expensive items from us throughout the year this year. Which we explained to them. We actually told them they wouldn't get any gifts from us this year, but I'm making something for them so they have something to open from us.
Most of my friends get baked goods for Christmas in second-hand holiday tins. Family gets some combination of hand-made gifts.
Great tips. Last few years I’ve been gifting consumables, but not just anything I get each person what they will use makeup, clean supplies, GC. I know it doesn’t sound fun, but trying not to add to junk pile. 😊❤
I remember reading about a measure called the “cost per wow” - I want to get the maximum wow/happiness value for the minimum spend. I make photo books to share our year with overseas family members, giving them a feeling of being part of our lives. They show them off to visitors, look forward to them every year, plus they’re easy to mail. I think about it all year long and make sure to get photos of things they’d want to see. It’s a fair bit of work but I can have the same book printed for multiple relatives and I keep a copy too. I make another version for my in laws with their photos which is also a gift of service, doing something they don’t know how to do/wouldn’t do for themselves.
What a great idea!
We do the photo book thing too. When the kids were born we started to make one per year, which always starts with the former year's Xmas. I make one yearbook for us and then order them as Xmas gift for all grandparents and great grandparents. Sometimes I leave some pages out for them to keep the costs in check, but they love it so much and we do too.
To limit gifts in landfill why not first ask for lists of requested gift ideas then first see if you can fill any requests with items in your home. If you can't fill the requests with your clutter then look for free or inexpensive items online or second-hand stores.
Great ideas 💡
Thanks Marissa, so many good tips!
We introduced gift swap for the adults in our family, a few years ago! It's been great spending less money but also buying less things that potentially create clutter or are regifted anyway.
The children still get spoiled though!
I ordered the book 30 Days to Reduce Stress by Harper Daniels for some of my family... because everyone gets super stressed during the holidays.
Thin velvet hangars (moss-colored) went on my Christmas list this year! A gift that will help spruce up my closet and make it pretty!🥳
I buy food as gifts, for my mum and dad are in their early to mid 80's don't want anything for Christmas, so this year I ordered an advent jigsaw for them to do to keep their minds sharp and will make up a bundle of food, nice biscuits, cheese nibbles, tin of chocolates (only for him) and a few other bits and bobs, like fancy decafe tea, my mum has Crohns and no small bowel, so all the food has to be quite bland and biege, but buying her a few bits she can eat shows her how glad I am she is still here. My husband gets food or clothes he needs, some of his come out of the ARK! But we do de-clutter out wardrobes regularly. My two children, now adults get a cash gift, so they can save it to help buy a house, a new car to get them to work or save for their future/pension. They have never spent the money, they know it is only given for big life things!!! We only buy for any children in the immediate family ie Nieces and Nephews up to the age of 18, after that we don't gift, getting together to have a family meal is more important than the gifts. The exception to this rule is my Sister in Scotland who we do not see over Christmas, so I send her a few small gifts and her families cards in a box around the time of her Wedding Anniversary so I save on postage on the two lots of cards ... I have included gardening things ie gloves, pruning tools, seeds, bird seed, sewing items or a new dog lead ... for her lovely, friendly dog. She loves her garden and sewing, but everything I have gifted her is something she will use up in the coming year - so no clutter!
Gifting is a minimal thing in our house, the few gifts I buy, I buy throughout the year and I only wrap in Kraft paper with washi tape or rafia ribbon, no plastic tape, no glitter, no high gloss paper it is not recyclable, despite people thinking it is. I buy half sized rolls because for the majority of the pressies, they work and excess is easier to store.
Honestly, I have done this for years, even before I started watching your fab youtube channel, I live buying consumable gifts. I told a dear friend to ask her besties to buy her Amazon vouchers, as she has just moved house and is still in too much of a state to actually have anything else come into the house.
I give any unwanted gifts to the Charity shop/women's shelters (ie toiletries that have a perfume I know I can't use ie Rose or Ylang Ylang/patchouli make me sneeze! I don't ever re-gift unlike my other sister, you know any gift she gives you is one she has received and does not want! I would rather have nothing. Nothing goes to landfill, unless it is broken in the post! Happy Holidays to everyone, it is never worth getting into debt to fund Christmas!
We give $ to our kids and grandchildren. That's it. We get photo cards from everyone we know with little kids. Through the year, as we see great nieces and
nephews, we give them small gifts. The other grandparents give the kids pajamas for Christmas. Tina, Al's wife
Thank you for the video.
I like the idea with experiences as presents. To be honest, I think it's a lot more personal than other stuff and it's also a good thing for people, who basicly have the things they want. Some people also simply prefer to spend time with someone, rather than get something practical or a toy.
You could also give a "coupon" for things your husband likes. Like something he would like you to do for quality time (massage or similar) or taking over a chore, he doesn't like. (Which means you don't waste money on things you would let go of later on anyway, but still get to enjoy the joy of your husband and of your own present.) An adult family-member could also like a coupon for x times child-sitting or something like that. Particular parents with toddlers would probably prefer the baby-sitting voucher over another bunch of pacifiers. (That's guesswork, since I didn't get that experience so far, but it seemed rather likely when my nephews were younger.)
Such a gift card is a kind of present even kids (with even less budget) can do. Like a voucher for some chores or for helping with something their sibling(s) or parents want to do. Even without the more traditional events like football games, theater and concerts, there are still a lot of options for giving experiences rather than physical presents.
Best wishes from europe
The one downside is if you buy an experience gift and the person never uses it. This happened to me and I've been leery of this idea ever since.
@@gwenj5419 Maybe you can add a sort of expiration date? It can make this look more funny. Sort of trying to imitate a normal bought gift card.
To be honest, I had been told by somebody that I had gotten some experience gifts from others at some point. But I didn't get a way to contact most of those who supposedly send me those cards. And I did try to start a chat with about 5 of them, and even called 2. But noone answered and I don't have the contact details of those, I consider most likely to answer. (Well, some did answer, but basicly said they didn't understand. So it ended up useless either way.) So, I'm kind of stuck on that front. I'm sure that's not comfortable for those who did send the gift cards either. I don't even know enough details of those gift cards to know what I can use them FOR. What kind of experiences I can get from those vouchers? I still don't know. I hope some riding lessons are amoung them. Or other things like that. (I'm pretty curious about everything, so learning new things or how something works, is something I enjoy)
Somebody else even made me wary of asking for too much, since they made a big fuss about how extravagant my standards are. Turned out, those extravagant uses had been from another person. But now, I'd like to talk it out beforehand, and since I didn't get answers in the chat or such so far, this didn't happen yet either.
I have no idea if I used up those gift cards by now or not. I don't think I was ever told the exact number of cards, that I got. So I don't even know if that is still ongoing or not.
I don't know if I will get those contact info either, so I can't really tell, if I will ever be able to find out.
The few times, I did see somebody from those, who supposedly sent me those gift cards, they seemed to wait for me to do something specific, which I still have no clue about. And when I didn't do that, they disappeared again. I still wonder, what they expected me to do back then.
I don't really know how or even if that will work out at some point. So far it's been a mess and a headache for (probably) everyone.
Anyway, I hope you have more luck with such things. I guess this doesn't work that well, if you don't have a way to just call the other person to ask when they want to use the gift card...
Best wishes from europe
Great video! With my husband we decide the amount of money for gifts to each other and this is test for creativity! Last year it was 5$ 😅
My wife and i do events(like a concert)for our present to each other. We do a couple of gifts for the socking, but that is it.
I started shopping second hand first for my child! I found some great items on Facebook marketplace this year that I will pack up for her.
I don't celebrate christmas but I have so many friends and I do like to give all of them birthday gifts which is also stressful so this is helpful in many ways thank you 🌷💖
I always ask people what they need or want for Christmas so I don't buy presents they won't use. I also ask specifically for presents from family for my little one so she doesn't end up over run with toys she already has or won't play with 😊
One of my favorite channel. We are buying gifts for the boys and I am going to buy a new backpack for my hubby. I am going to bake some goodies for friends . keep it simple this year and saving money. We do our own Xmas family picture and no Xmas pj or tshirt either too much money and they can not really wear them all year around anyway. I am really craving for simple and easy.
Regifting is a good idea
I only buy for my 3 kids and hubby. I shop all year when I see something I know they will like, and I hide the things away. I mostly buy consumables (favorite candy, snack, etc), but I will buy a few needed things (socks.etc) right before Christmas. I also made fabric gift bags for everyone a few years ago and we use them each year.
I find it such a struggle to buy presents for my parents. They have everything - they are not minimalists and have so much stuff and are not short on cash, they buy everything they want. I am on a budget and feel under all this pressure to buy my parents something exciting they dont already have. It feels so pointless. I wish we could focus less on the gifts and more on just spending time together, having a nice meal etc.. Christmas has become so commercial and so focused on gifts. I really wish we didnt have to buy all these presents for adults, just give gifts to children since they appreciate it more and generally dont have their own money to buy things they want. My family are all so spoilt and dont need anything and I am the poor one 😫 It would be meaningful if they actually needed things.
This year I bought my first item for Christmas in may.
Thank you for this video! 😀🌻
Love the channel. Your language skills and minimalist lifestyle inspires me in my own journey. 😊
This is good!! I too, no longer have the desire to cook a huge Christmas lunch.
great ideas.... i agree with following gift recycling
100% savings on Christmas...dont celebrate..haha yes im being a grinch!
😂
I loved all your suggestions!!!
Thanks for watching 😄
My kids live in orher states now. We all spend our holiday money visiting each other. We haven't bought gifts in 10 years. I do make sweaters and blankets and things.
As usual a brilliant video. Thank you.
Thanks so much for watching ❤️
after the holidays i keep a list of what i gave to everyone so i don't accidentally repeat things ( i have come dangerously close to that a few times!)
We've been collecting Op shop toys for my almost 2yr old. Even I'm excited!😂
Hey there love your tips and your channel! We are not buying any christmas gifts yes you heard correct no gifts just gifts for our 2 boys. We decided to do this to save money and we are so happy we did. I hate spending money on crap i don´t need. Yeah i´m a minimalist! Happy holidays
Wonderful, hope you have a great holiday as well! 👏
Thank you for these tips! I. Wondering though. Do you have a video about how and where to start selling clutter? I'd like to, but I'm not sure how to go about it.
My kids honestly never want anything, so we just give them money. People are always like, "You don't buy gifts for your children??" I say, "Talk to my kids. . .they don't feel sad or upset." We always took them somewhere special. I think this year we'll do Medieval Times.
I haven't had a tree in 13 years (no place to put it).
I have totally regifted gifts haha. It's worked out okay though.
Nice list!
What do minimalists think about plants? I just went minimalist and I find plants a nice decoration piece but wonder if I'm deviating from being a minimalist.
If you enjoy looking at the plants and you don't find it stressful to care for them and they're in good health not dried out in a corner with cobwebs growing on them, I'd say you're good to go.
Another awesome video! Such great ideas. Your boys look so cozy in their Minecraft hoodies. Do you have a link for them?
Egg nog Budget.... I am more like hot chocolate budget. 😂 Eggnog is pretty pricey. 😜
😂
Really good tips 🎉
Thank you, great video and advice. This was perfect timing for me.
Happy holidays to you and your family! 🎄
I only buy Christmas presents for children and elderly. When my now adult offspring were children they got one Christmas present but it would be EXACTLY what they wanted.
My husband and I had 18 people to buy for last year!! It was horrible. We never end up enjoying Christmas because it’s just too much pressure. We had to stop getting each other gifts because it just got too out of budget
Love the eco tips!!
A bit off topic but for several years my friend would get a gift card from an aunt, for a specific store that she barely shops in, but i spend a lot in, so the friend and i developed a tradition of meeting up in January and i give her the cash value of the gift card and she gives me the gift card. The aunt never asks what my friend got with the gift card and my friend having the cash instead meant she could spend it on something she actually wanted.
Because my family is large and different incomes we only do presents for the kids under 18.
For folks who give gift cards, Americans have a collective $21 BILLION in unspent gift cards!! I've started giving cash and I make a little note card that says "Universal GIFT CASH to every store! No expiry, no limits." You can personalize it for each person. And for my ADHD nieces, I e-transfer the money because it can't be lost in the chaos of Christmas day.
Great ideas!! Thanks so much! ❤
reuse your decor every year!
I do most of these tips already... especially the buying stuff all year of what people you know that they would like. Too bad that tip couldn't be mentioned in January haha
I think the only issue with that is you have to have to make sure to keep track of what you're buying and where you are keeping them. Otherwise, you can find youself having 20 "great deal" gifts for the same person.
You lived in Europe - do the cashback systems work in Europe as well? Can you suggest great ones (Rakuten)?
I love gift giving but I struggle to buy for our 2 grandkids . They are 8 and almost 10 . I will find something they enjoy and buy them a gift for their birthday or a small surprise , then their mom will buy them multiple of the same thing . Money is no object for them , so no matter what we buy it’s not good enough . They always want more or I know their mom will outdo anything we could ever buy . Last year we got them each 5 gifts for Christmas, after opening the 8 yr old said , is that it !? I’m not sure how to ever make it special or enough ?
We do choose to do fun things for their birthday , like the trampoline park or a fun day doing things they enjoy 😊
Thank you for your amazing content and videos about handling finances.. I think your videos will be much better without the stock video inserts. Your content is super awesome already 👍
I save money by buying or giving a card with money to a child's parent to get what they want for their child. No Christmas gift for the adults eating together means more that day. Give to your favorite charities like dog shelters etc.
Give where it's really needed.
We have the basics and so we can give where it's needed. 🎉
Since you are back in the US will you be doing couponing for things you do buy. I'm Scottish so it's not a thing here but always been fascinating to me.
I don’t do extreme couponing or go out of my way to look for coupons, but if I have them or find digital coupons, I have no problem using them!
@Ato_Zen_Life. Your not fooling anyone
❤
Wonderful video. Great tips. Well done. ❤
The Xmas waste is so bad that the economist Joel Waldfogel wrote an entire book on the subject (Scroogenomics: Why You Shouldn't Buy Presents for the Holidays)
Do you say, "ordaments"? Do you say ordaments in US, rather than "ornaments"? Great video as always ❤
Must be my southern Indiana accent coming out 😉 Cheers and take care!
@@AtoZenLife oh! Thanks. My sister always said 'ordaments' when she was little I remember. We're English. You just made me wonder if it was an actual word! You have a lovely accent.
we only buy for our 18 year old son or we give him some money his birthday is in December as well so for us his birthday is more important plus we are a Atheist family so xmas for us is not something we really celebrate anyway we dont buy for each other either x
I loathe gag gift exchanges.
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Great tips! Under #6, I'd add being willing to be the first to opt out of "obligatory" exchanges with work contacts and others (Christmas cards, I'm looking at you!). 🎄📬I love them, but I send a select few now. Also, asking friends and family to share their *honest* feelings and values about gift giving. #LoveLanguages It took me a *long* time to realize I was being neurotic about not wanting anyone to feel left out or less special because holiday gifts were the only time I felt seen as a child. It took even longer to realize it was placing an unwelcome burden of reciprocity on some people! D'oh! 😬
I do ignore it when my elderly step-mother *says* "No gifts," however. That's because I know she grew up in a similar background of extreme Childhood Emotional Neglect as me and I've *seen* the way she lights up at even the smallest thoughtful present.🎁☺💖When you're trained from birth that expressing your needs is wrong, it can be hard to express your true wants, or even admit them to yourself!
When I gave her a deluxe massage gift certificate one year, I could tell she was *delighted* at being "spoiled" (no such thing for someone so generous and kind! < : - ). But I also sensed that she seemed uncomfortable with the cost. So now I keep the sticker price lower, but am still determined to find gifts and gestures that make her feel lavished and cared for. She deserves it!❤❤