The holiday season has started, which means warm scarves, hot chocolate and hours clocked at the mall searching for presents and not sitting on Santa’s lap. It also means finals.Those combined with a budget punier than Charlie Brown’s tree and a list of people to buy presents for that rivals Santa’s makes it easy to develop a Scrooge-like approach to the season. Have no fear, because with a little bit of ingenuity you can shake off your miserly ways and help your heart grow three sizes bigger without your wallet shrinking as much.
Normally I’m a strict saver, but most of that goes out the window during the holidays. I try to set myself a per-person budget, but that quickly gets forgotten if I find “The Perfect Gift.” In order to be able to spend a little bit more on those perfect presents, I’ve found other ways to save.
Do as I say, and not as I do, and make a list of people you absolutely have to buy for, and decide how much you can spend on each person. Normally, I spend a little bit less on friends I’m not as close with than I would for family and closer friends. This year, due to a dishearteningly slim budget, those friends will be getting a gift-giver’s best friend – cookie dough.
If the thought of baking gives you nightmares of the Easy Bake oven disasters of your youth, allow me to calm your fears. Making cookie dough is simply a matter of mixing ingredients and rolling the dough into logs. Sure, you have to measure properly, but I have full faith in the measuring abilities of college students.
Not only is cookie dough easy to make, it’s cheap. A pound of flour or six eggs are barely more than a dollar each. And making these little logs of joy takes about half an hour – which easily fits into a study break – and they stay good in the freezer for months. That means that every time your friend opens their freezer ,they’re reminded of what a great friend you are.
If you can’t manage to swing the money, chances are you’re not alone. If that’s the situation, instead of declaring the season too commercialized and locking yourself in a tower until January, a White Elephant exchange seems in order. With one person to buy for you save unbelievable amounts of time and money, some of which can then be spent at the party portion of this idea – a surefire way to keep you in the holiday spirit without also putting you in the poorhouse.
If you’re one of the people for whom time is more of a concern than money, consider yourself lucky and buy in bulk. Pick a versatile gift and buy one in every color. As long as it’s good enough, people don’t seem to mind the repetition.
I beg you to stay away from gift cards or Edible Arrangements. They’re thoughtless and cost more than you would normally pay for a gift. And you will inevitably send a fruitcake to someone with a nut allergy, which is tackier than an appliqué sweater.
Please spend the few extra minutes thinking of gift ideas. As Hallmark as this sounds, getting someone “The Perfect Gift” is worth braving the cold and crowds.