And, so I’m off in search of another perfect gift. While I hope to finish today, and steer clear of stores tomorrow, it is nice to know there are store hours on Christmas Eve just in case.

I know I’ll come up with something awesome for my sis, but occasionally I’ve had to go with a last resort item, as we come down to the wire.

Here are several gifts you can purchase all the way up to Christmas Day:

• Magazine subscriptions: Find deals at Amazon, then wrap the current issue with your subscription note. Check the magazine rack at the nearest convenience store, for super last minute options!
• Daily Deals: Give the gift of time with a ticket package, family fun attraction or restaurant deal from Groupon, EverSave and more.
• Gift Cards & Cash: It may not be very personal, but you can get cash at the ATM and gift cards at Walgreens (open on Christmas Day). At least you can choose one of these fun ways to package money!
• Movie Tickets: Order & print online at any time. Plus, Get 20% off $25 in movie tickets when you use your Visa Signature card.

Fess up—who is still left on your list?

Photo Credit: Flickr

1. 1 Day Until Christmas: Very Last Minute Gift Ideas
2. 5 Simple Ideas to Lower Your Gift Budget
3. Simple & Sustainable Holiday Gifts

On this chilly day, I wanted to share about BlanketStatements.org. For every blanket that is sold in their online store, Blanket Statements will donate an identical blanket to a local women’s shelter. Those that purchase the blanket can choose to include a message with the blanket that is donated or give it anonymously. I love the idea that I can buy something nice for a family member or friend and give to a woman in need at the same time.

Click here to shop.

1. Share Breakfast
2. Stand Up To Cancer With Me
3. Saving on Clothes

I was originally going to focus on the entertainment budget today, but last night I had a brainstorm and switched tactics. I started thinking ahead to Valentine’s Day exchanges & Easter baskets—and, I realized our gift budget probably needs the most work. The entertainment budget is actually pretty easy to control with easy access to free fun, deep discounts through Groupon, EverSave and Savvy Source.

The problem with gift giving is there’s always something else—Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays, teacher appreciation day, baby & bridal showers. The list just goes on & on. Instead of getting caught off guard, you need to set a budget now, at the beginning of the year. You’ll have to draw lines—which wedding invitations get a gift, whose birthday will you celebrate, what small “holidays” will you recognize? Make a list of occasions where you would want to give a gift. Want—that’s the key. Don’t get caught up in obligation. Don’t feel like you have to give a gift for every invitation you receive.

When invitations or holidays arrive, take a look at the list you’ve just created. Is this someone you would have gifted, if you weren’t invited? Is this a holiday you intend to feature with gifts? If so, how much do you have to spend? Take some time now to think about what you’ll spend for each type of occasion or degree of relationship. Will all wedding gifts be the same amount or do you spend more or less depending on how well you know someone?

If you have one that isn’t in your budget, you can avoid the purchase without guilt. You’ve already made the decision, and they aren’t likely to notice anyway. (I once received a thank you note from a newlywed couple we had decided not to gift.) If you want to honor an occasion with a little something, check out ideas for homemade gifts, our frugal gift ideas, consider regifting or create a gift basket from things you have on hand.

For today, decide how many gifts you want to give throughout the year, and how much you’ll spend on each. Once you know how much you intend to spend throughout the year, start setting aside a portion each month. If you use a savings account, you’ll even have the opportunity to build on your gift giving fund as the money earns interest. Having the money set aside will keep the little gifts from catching you off guard throughout the year, especially at Christmas.

December 25th arrives at the same time each year—don’t let it take you by surprise!

I’m not a financial planner or a budget expert. I’ll just be walking you through the steps I take each time my budget needs an adjustment. In fact, I’ll be participating myself!

1. Gift Giving: How I keep my spending below my budget
2. The Gift Of Giving
3. 29 Gifts: Giving With Purpose

It is Christmas Eve—are you ready yet?

I feel like I’ve been more behind than ever before. I don’t know if it was the overtime on a new project last month, the additional responsibilities as this site has grown, the 3rd child in school with required volunteer hours or some combination of our life’s chaos, but I didn’t finish with my Christmas shopping until this week—that has never happened before. Usually, I am done by December 1st. When I wasn’t, I found everything took that much longer.

Of course, it seems like I’m always in need of just “one last gift” and this year was no different—except I was in need of a few more gifts than usual. There’s always Wagreens—I think I stop there for tape on my way home from church every Christmas Eve. They are actually open late for the truly last minute shopper. You’ll find good prices on stocking stuffers and wrapping supplies.

A magazine subscription can be purchased on Amazon with a printable certificate to tuck inside the current issue you can pickup almost anywhere—even the gas station on your way to the holiday party. Movie Tickets (Save 20% on $25 purchase when you use your Visa signature card through 12/31), online purchases with printable options (try Groupon, EverSave or Audible!) and gift cards also make great last minute gifts.

I’m excited to be a brand ambassador for the new SWAGG application I mentioned the other day—you can buy & send gift cards right from your smart phone! It’s a pretty sweet deal, if you need a last minute gift. Can you imagine if you showed up to Christmas and realized you forgot someone? With this app, you can buy & send an instant gift—whew!

You can also use your SWAGG account to organize store loyalty cards & the gift cards you may get for the holidays. Show your phone to the cashier to use them at the register. It’s super simple, plus you’ll be helping a great cause just by downloading it! SWAGG has partnered with the non-profit organization Stand Up to Cancer. Every time you download the app between now and December 31,2011, SWAGG will donate $1 to Stand Up to Cancer.

Plus, you can also entered to win a Sundance Getaway just for downloading SWAGG! Oh, I love those Clever Girls. As if that weren’t enough, SWAGG is sponsoring a download drive. The Brand Ambassador (oh, hey! That’s me.) who gets the most “I downloaded SWAGG” comments gets to giveaway a $100 SWAGG GIFT prize.

So, leave me a comment after you’ve downloaded the app and let me know what you love most about it—last minute gifts, deals near you, loyalty card storage? Me? I’m a big fan of all the above!

I was selected to be a SWAGG Brand Ambassador by Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity. This is a compensated program, but all of the opinions I share are my own.

1. 9 Days Until Christmas: The Gift of Memories
2. Simple Ideas for the Very Last Minute Shopper
3. {The New Home Ec} The Gift Closet: Always Ready for Last-minute Gifts

I cut a small piece of floral foam, slipped in a few candy canes and tucked in tissue paper crinkles that I already had at home. We used an inexpensive floral pick to include the gift card, but we could have just as easily used a few glue dots to stick it right to the candy canes.

It’s a really fun way to give a gift card, which are always appreciated & useful but tend to be a little boring under the tree.

Speaking of boring gifts, Brenia’s class requested school supplies in lieu of teacher gifts this year. I wanted to comply, but I also had a tough time letting go of offering a cute gift for each teacher.

We compromised with school supply wreaths. The classroom got needed items, the teachers each got a wreath & candy and Brenia got to have fun putting it all together. I used green wire & ribbon to tie the items to the wreath, but you can also use ornament hooks, if that’s what you have lying around.

I actually already had the wreaths, picked up on clearance last year. We could have created a gift basket too—themed baskets are another easy way to dress up small items. Pair bubble bath, candles and a CD into one gift. Create a movie night kit with gift cards, tickets or a DVD along with candy, soda and popcorn.

Right now, I’m working on a theme for the goofy, independent beers the hubby and I picked out for his cousins. Pretzels? Chips & dip?

Are you giving any gift baskets this year?

1. 17 Days Until Christmas: Easy, Frugal, Homemade Gifts (Soap Dispensers)
2. 16 Days Until Christmas: Easy, Frugal, Homemade Gifts (Candy Bouquets)
3. 18 Days Until Christmas: Easy, Frugal Homemade Gifts (Festive Votive Candles)

On Friday night, I attended Angie’s annual cookie exchange. It was a lot of fun, and I left with dozens of different cookies for the hubby to share at his office this week. I would never have the money for that many ingredients or the time to bake the wide variety on display at her party. You can apply the same concept to gift wrapping. How much money do you spend to have a variety of wrapping paper, ribbons and bows?

Instead of overspending on the wrapping, get together with a few friends, and wrap away! Not only can you share supplies, thus having access to a wide variety of goodies, but it makes the chore seem a little more fun. Play some holiday music, bake a few easy goodies and have a cup of cheer! Hot chocolate or wassail is especially festive, but, personally, I think Cosmos look pretty merry as well.

If you really want to go all out, have a few contests along the way. You could provide gifts or prizes to the prettiest package, most unique wrapping paper, fastest gift wrapper—use your imagination to make it a lot of fun. The idea is to enjoy an evening with friends while you finish wrapping the gifts you’ve been selecting all season. Adding a festive flair to gift wrapping helps the time pass more quickly and adds a simple, relaxing evening to the chaos of the season.

I haven’t had the chance to enjoy a full out party for a few years, but last year, MFJ and I had a great time wrapping gifts together. We’re already planning a repeat next week—it makes the work feel so much quicker when you are spending time with a good friend. Plus, then there is someone to appreciate the beautiful trimmings. My girls will just tear through them to see what’s inside!

Are all your presents wrapped and under the tree yet?

A version of this post was originally published 12/13/09

1. {The New Home Ec} The Gift Wrapping Party
2. 10 Days Until Christmas: Gift Wrap Alternatives
3. 6 Days Until Christmas: Sharing Family Memories

SWAGG is a free mobile app (download here) that lets you shop smarter using your mobile phone. Buy, send or swap SWAGG GIFTS and organize your old school plastic gift cards.

For every download of the app between now and Dec. 31, 2010, SWAGG will donate $1 to Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) , up to $125,000.

Clever Girls Collective and SWAGG are sending a pair of movie fans to the Sundance Film Festival! Download the SWAGG app and then visit the Ultimate SWAGG Getaway Sweepstakes site to enter to win a trip for two to the Sundance Film Festival. Entry deadline is January 3, 2011, 11:59pm, PST.

When the Clever Girls asked me to write about the greatest gift I ever gave, I actually struggled with it. Not because I couldn’t think of any amazing gifts, but because I have several favorites through the years—gifts that truly inspired happiness in the recipient or gifts that I still see in action or on display years later.

Then, I realized something. All of those gifts were based on memories—either new memories created, something that represents favorite memories or allow us to relive it all over again. I’m giving two of these gifts this year. The family recipe books not only include fun photos, but recipes that trigger childhood memories and will allow them to create grownup ones as they cook things for their family & friends.

The photo calendars I made for the girls showcase some of my favorite memories of 2010. But, the real gift is the new memories we’ll create in our 2011 Year of Awesome. Each month will have a scheduled family fun day—whether it’s a free movie marathon at home, a day at a favorite attraction with our family membership or money spent on a new experience, we’re setting aside a day just for us.

I adore experience gifts—give me movie tickets, zoo passes or family memberships any day over more toys & stuff that will only create more chaos in my home. Not everyone feels the same way, though, so I have to carefully choose who gets this kind of gift from our family. We’ve taken grandparents to dinner, instead of giving more things, and we’ve taken the girls somewhere special for their birthdays while limiting actual gifts.

I can’t say material gifts are never amazing, though, because even those are often steeped in memory. Each year at Christmas, I buy 4 copies of an old school movie. One goes on my DVD shelf, the other 3 are gifts for my siblings. They love guessing which of our old favorites I’ll pick next, and I love sharing our childhood memories with my own kids.

This has gone on for a few years, now, and I’m starting to run out of ideas that one of us doesn’t already have. As in, we celebrate our Christmas in 2 days, and I’ve got nothing! Maybe it’s time to pick a new sibling connection—the idea isn’t to spend a lot of money. My DVD choices were usually around $5 each. It’s all about using the holiday season to bring us closer together. Shared memories provide the opportunity to reminiscence and reconnect.

Here are a few ideas, if you’re looking to gift something special this holiday season:

• Something the recipient had as a child
• An update to something they used to love
• A movie based on a beloved childhood book
• A few favorite things in a shadow box
• A Photo Book (it’s not too late for holiday shipping!)
• A Family Recipe collection
• A Groupon for a fun, local attraction to enjoy with their family
• A restaurant gift card, with a note that says I’d love to join you when you use it!

What ideas do you have? Or, tell me about the best gift you ever gave (or received!).

Learn more about the coolest new app that revolutionizes the whole shopping, gifting, and gift card-organizing experience and Download the SWAGG app to your iPhone or Droid. I was selected for this sponsorship by Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity.

1. 6 Days Until Christmas: Sharing Family Memories
2. 1 Day Until Christmas: Very Last Minute Gift Ideas
3. 12 Days Until Christmas: Holiday Movie Marathon

The Countdown to Christmas continues—10 days until Christmas.

Are all your presents wrapped and under the tree? If not, check out Shannon’s tips for avoiding the paper trash this holiday season.

Gift wrap can be costly.  Not only is it costly, it is ultimately trash. So this holiday season, why not try some alternatives to save money and the environment?

1. Decorated Brown Craft Paper – There are so many options for brown paper.  You can purchase Brown craft paper at the craft store, office supply store or at Home Depot in the paint section (the same paper you use to cover furniture when painting)  The cost of brown paper is about 1/5 of the cost of wrapping paper.  Also, the craft paper comes in a much larger roll and works well for larger gifts.

Think of the brown paper as a blank canvas.  Use markers, paints or stamps to decorate the paper. Have your children draw with crayons for a special touch. You can use glue and glitter to brighten up the gift.

2. Discontinued Wall Paper Samples - Visit your local hardware and home furnishing stores to see if they have wall paper samples that you can take.  Wallpaper samples are perfect for smaller sized gifts.

3. Last Year’s Calendar- If you have a larger sized calendar, use the pictures to wrap the gift.  The heavy stock and glossy finish makes for a great gift wrap.

4. Sunday News Comics - This is a long time tradition, the colorful comics make a great wrap for kid’s gift.  To give the newspaper a glossy shine, put a sheet of clear cellophane on top of the newsprint.

5. Childrens’ Artwork - If you aren’t sure what to do with all of the pictures that come home from school each day, save them to use to wrap gifts! Grandparents especially love to get gifts with artwork done by their grandchildren.

6. Old Fabric – Fabric can make a beautiful gift wrap. Use old fabric or purchase fabric at thrift shops to use to wrap your gifts. If you are feeling crafty, make your own gift bags.  Simply follow this very simple tutorial.

7. Cereal Boxes – Use empty cereal boxes to create shirt or clothing boxes for children. Simply open cereal box at the seams and turn the box inside out. Tape the box back together on the four corners. Fold the top down to complete box.

8. Spray Painted Boxes – For larger gifts, spray paint your leftover brown boxes with sparkly gold or silver spray paint.

Originally published 12/07/09

Related posts:

1. 8 Days Until Christmas: Gift Wrapping Party
2. 24 Days Until Christmas: Counting Down to Christmas
3. 9 Days Until Christmas: The Gift of Memories

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