2 Tips For Frugal Gifting Ideas

I love wrapping kids gifts in the comic of the paper! I think its so much fun and a great way to reuse!

In 2011, I purchased 2 transformer toys for free at Target. They were on sale and there was a coupon that covered the cost.  While my son is 11 and doesn't play with them, I knew they would make perfect gifts for when one of the kids go to a birthday party for a boy aged 5-8.  We used one of the toys as a gift almost 3 months after I purchased it and used the last one just this past Saturday when one of our girls went to a friends party.  And of course, I get all of my cards for free when they have deals (usually from CVS, Target or Walgreens) so we used a card out of my stockpile. I talk more about this here.

Thinking about how much we spend when our kids are invited to a birthday party I know it is at least $10, sometimes up to $20. If you have kids, know they will be invited to birthday parties...while you may not know when, it helps to be ready for it.

Tip #1
Always stock up on cards.  I have all types of cards, get well, birthday, wedding, anniversary, etc... So when the occasion arises I can use one of the cards in my stockpile.  Considering that cards can get pricey and the less time you have to get a gift and card together, the more stressed you will be and the more likely you are to overspend.  If you have a stockpile of cards, you'll never have this problem.

Tip #2
When toys go on clearance, that is the perfect time to add items to your birthday party stash.  I like to get items that are "enduring trendy" or "classic".  Whats trendy know is hello kitty, what's classic is a teddy bear or Barbie. If giving a gift to a 6 year old girl, you can't go wrong with either. And when I say enduring trendy, I mean items such as hello kitty, spiderman, etc... Yes, they are trends, but we know they will be around for a while before they fizzle.

Moral of the story: Prepare for situations that you know will arise eventually, even if you don't know exactly. This allows you to save money and not be stressed out.

Leave a comment with your great ideas for fun and frugal gifting!