As far as I’m concerned, when it comes to gift giving, the amount of thought that has been put in trumps the amount of money spent every single time. Receiving a gift that is personal and clearly well-thought-out is much nicer than unwrapping something a little pricer that could have been bought for anyone. Or at least that’s how I feel anyway.
I’d consider myself to already be fairly good at gift giving. While I may not get it right 100% of the time, I really do try my best to put the effort in when it comes to hunting for the ideal presents for people I care about.
I feel like 2014 has been a great year for receiving lovely and thoughtful gifts too. Just a couple of my favourite gifts of the year include a gorgeous blue bike necklace and a Walking Dead comic book.
I received this lovely necklace off one of my former flatmate’s for my 24th birthday. I love cycling and collect random objects with bikes on and so this was perfect.
I was over the moon when I unwrapped this comic book at my work’s Secret Santa. It was obvious that Santa had put some thought in since I’m always talking about The Walking Dead in work
But this Christmas a friend of mine shared a photo on Facebook of one of the sweetest gifts I’ve ever seen someone receive. After years of training to become a pilot and juggling numerous part time jobs, he finally landed himself a job with an airline. He shared an inspirational status telling people never to give up on their dreams because it will be alright in the end. For Christmas his Mum had the words from his Facebook status printed onto a giant canvas along with his name, a picture of a plane, and the date that he said it. I thought this was really sweet and it even brought a little tear to my eye.
But anyway, I digress. In order to find the perfect gift - without having to spend a lot of money - I really think you need to be in gift-finding mode as often as possible when you shop. This might sound a little excessive, but it really isn’t hard. Here’s my tips to ensure that 2015 is the year that you give the best presents ever while spending less than normal.
Get out the calendar
Fill a calendar or diary with the birthdays of the people you plan to buy gifts for. While doing this, jot down any gift ideas you have based on your friends’ interests. By doing this you’ll be able to plan ahead and you’ll be less likely to forget until the week before your cousins’ 21st.
If you haven’t already got a calendar to use, you can print some fairly pretty ones for free online. You can find links to some of the best on A Thrifty Mrs‘ website.
Keep a lookout at least a month before
You might want to extend or reduce this time frame to suit you, but I personally think that if you really want to improve your chances of finding something perfect without spending a ton of money, the more time that you give yourself the better. You’ll reduce the risk of panic buying and expensive delivery charges.
Shop in the sales
The sales are a great place to pick up lovely gifts at a fraction of the price they were a few weeks ago. Seeing as it’s January, get started now! Maybe you want to buy your Mum a Kindle for Mother’s Day or some aftershave for your brother’s birthday - don’t miss out, or you’ll just end up forking out more in a few months time than you have to!
Charity shop challenge
As I’ve talked about on a few occasions before, it’s often possible to find the perfect gift in a charity shop. But to improve the chances of this happening, I’d recommend that you pop into charity shops regularly so that you don’t miss out. The best things won’t stick around for long and so be sure that you’re the one to snap them up!
If not for me, is it for them?
I was shopping in my favourite home decor shop, HomeSense, the other day when I spotted a lovely wash bag with cute little dogs on it for just £5 in the sale. It was excellent quality and a great bargain. I decided not to buy it though because I already have a lovely wash bag that I use regularly. (Obviously I snapped that one up in the Boxing Day sales last year) I’m kicking myself for not buying it for a dog-loving friend of mine. She would have loved it. This goes to show that if you see something that isn’t right for you, but is well worth the price you should ask yourself “Would a friend love this?”
What’s the most thoughtful gift you’ve ever received? Are you proud of a present that you’ve given to someone else? Don’t worry, it’s okay to brag now and again. Let me know in the comments below :)
