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You are here: Home / Gifts / Holiday Gifts / Top Tips for Cheap Holiday Gifts This Year

Top Tips for Cheap Holiday Gifts This Year

July 14, 2008 by GreatDad Writers Leave a Comment

We may or may not be in a recession, but every year things get tight during holidays. Here are some tips for more careful spending through the holidays.

1. Plan early. Make a list, figure out a budget and stick to it. You can save money, not necessarily just by buying cheap holiday gifts, but by taking advantage of early-bird sales and avoiding last-minute shipping premiums.


2. Bake your own. There are literally thousand of things you and your kids can bake that are often better than store-bought items, especially when it comes to baked goods and candy.


3. Make your own. FamilyFun.com has lots of kid-friendly crafts projects for holiday gifts. We especially like the House Keys holder (http://familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts/season/feature/famf117gift/famf117gift2.html) It’s simple ideas like these that can really make both kid-giver and recipient beam.


4. Have family make a gift list. There’s nothing that wastes money faster than buying useless items you find in the check-out aisle just so you have a present on Christmas. Everyone would rather get something they really want, even if it’s not a surprise, than an item they have to return, or worse, throw away a few weeks after the holiday.


5. Recycle. Wrappings and ribbons costs add up. 2008 will be the year that reusing wrapping paper doesn’t look stingy, but smart and energy-conscious.

Even with cost-cutting, there’s no reason to eliminate holiday giving entirely but there are simple ways to make it cheaper this year.

— Paul Banas

Filed Under: Holiday Gifts, Recommends

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Great Dad Talks is a series of conversations with experts on all aspects of the family adventure. With the perspective that “dads don’t always think like moms,” our mission is to support dad voices and our slightly different approaches to parenting. We’ll try to find solutions to every day challenges like getting kids off the couch and making STEM classes available for both boys and girls. But we’ll also tackle bigger issues when they come. The one main theme will be to support dads in the most important role of their lives that of being a great dad. Connect with us at greatdad.com and watch the video version of these podcasts at YouTube.com/greatdadnews

Spinning Out Family Stress with Michael Blair
byPaul Banas

Welcome to another episode of Great Dad Talks! This week, I sit down with life coach and former psychologist Michael Blair to explore modern tools for family harmony, emotional healing, and child development.

Michael shares the transformative power of his unique “spin” method—a tool rooted in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)—that helps kids, parents, and even whole families quickly change negative emotional patterns in just minutes. Listen in as Michael walks Paul through an anxiety-busting spin live, explains why dads’ involvement is critical to healthy families, and shares actionable tips on self-forgiveness and resilience.

Check out Michael’s website at blaircounselingandcoaching.com

Visit these links and embark on the path to becoming the best parent you can be:

– GreatDad.com/coaching 

– GreatDad.com/pq 

– Gratitude course: bit.ly/3NMLDNC

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