The pressure is on right now to buy our friends and family gifts. My kids have already told me that they want to get a few things for a few of their friends and of course they want to give gifts to brothers, sisters and Mom and Dad. After reading this article on Smartmoney.com, I really think this year is a good year to teach my kids about shopping smart, getting back to basics and about buying things with value not just for the moment but for a life time.
There were some great ideas. I was talking with my sister and saying how some kids get so many presents that they don't even remember who got them the gift. But I bet if you got your niece or nephew a savings bond for Christmas they might not enjoy it as much now but years down the road when their money has grown and they are older they will probably remember that Grandma bought them that savings bond and now they have more cash. That toy that they would have gotten that year is probably forgotten, broken, or wasn't even that great to begin with. Check out the article on smartmoney.com and do a bit of research on the current rates for savings bonds. I think this is a great gift idea. This gift is going to have a lot of value in the future. You can also go on the treasury website to learn more about savings bonds.
This year the kids and I are also going to give a little bit to help others. We have toys that were given to us from Walmart, free items that I have purchased using coupons and food items that we are going to donate. Sometimes donating doesn't have to cost you money. I am able to purchase free items each week and have saved them up to donate for the holiday season. My kids are excited each week to learn what I have purchased and what we are going to donate from that purchase. Follow my blog each week to learn about great free items from CVS, Walmart and Walgreens. This isn't costing me a lot or any money to do these things. Shopping smart has helped!
Tomorrow on Oprah, Wednesday, November 26th, is a show on how to have the Thriftiest Holiday Ever. Check it out to get some more great ideas on how to save money this holiday season. Think out of the box this year and find new ways to give gifts and try and give a gift that can last awhile and has more meaning.
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