Wow, I’m exhausted just listening to all that work!

But seriously, it sounds like you have found great (new) stuff at thrift store/garage sale prices. And that’s even better!

I am totally in line with you on shopping clearances on line. The only trouble comes from my frequent unwillingness to pay shipping charges. So I have to make sure there are plenty of things I want so I can either a) amortize the cost of the shipping over all the items or b) get enough to qualify for free shipping. It’s a careful balancing act to be sure. You can easily find yourself buying more than you need just to get free shipping, which defeats the purpose!

Thanks for your input. I’ll be sure to add you to the entries.

I think the best one I did was two years ago. My family has had a tradition of giving out caramels for Christmas. My great-grandmother made them, and then my grandmother took over when she got too tired (it is a LOT of work). My grandmother decided that she’d gotten too tired… well, she had two sons and no daughters and the sons had no interest in hours and hours spent toiling over a stove.

So for my grandmother’s Christmas present, I talked my dad into purchasing the supplies for the caramels, and I spent a solid week cooking them, cutting them, and wrapping them. Then we presented them to my grandmother so she could pass them out to her friends and our family and keep the tradition alive. Though last year we just did a very limited number… I think I’m already too tired to keep it up! LOL.

Anyway, I think that the best things are those that have special meaning and/or family tradition behind them (including new family traditions!).

I also shop clearance sales all year most of the time. I got my husband a great, queen sized microfiber blanket back in February for just $8, and a bamboo set of cutting board, bowls, and serving implements for just $11 for my uncle. I find it easier to clearance-shop online through amazon, Target, JC Penney, etc. because I never have time to go shopping in real life for the most part, between a full time job, part time job, school, and home. Thus I don’t have a story of a good second-hand find — it’s been years since I went thrift or garage sale shopping!

That would be the most cherished of all my gifts in a given year. I may have to try that for my own horrible memory!

Thanks for answering the question. Though fyi, don’t forget you can find some great tins in quite good shape at thrift stores. My relatives stock up on the 50% sales, and at yard sales.

Also, for answering the question, you get an entry for this week’s giveaway basket! (Insert applause here)

My cheap but thoughtful gift option is what I call a “birthday packet.” First I make a spreadsheet of all the out of town extended family’s birthdays and addresses and count how many male/female kids and adults there are. Then I go to the dollar tree and buy them all birthday cards, which cost about $0.25 to $0.50 a card there. I pick a card for each person, address it, and put a “forever” stamp on it. I leave the card open and the inside blank. Then I buy a $2 little file organizer and make a tab for each month. I separate the birthdays out by month and tape the “master list” to the front. It’s a really good gift for moms and grandmas. This way all she has to do is sign, seal, and mail a stack of cards once a month. With stamps and the organizer, it costs about $20. And since you leave the cards open if they want to throw in a check or gift card, they can still do it.

I know, I was horrified to see Halloween decor in Sam’s Club. Mom said she saw some Christmas stuff in another store (!!!)

Spondy:
Thanks for the ideas. I’ve always been curious about brewing beer. Too bad I’m not a bigger fan of it. But it’s always struck me as a fun hobby/gift. I love the idea of make it or bake it!

Almost Frugal:

Thanks for the kudos (esp from a former Seattleite). I like your distribution for Hannukah/Christmas. I was raised celebrating both (well, getting presents for both) and I think you’ve come upon a great balance, esp for little kids.

To all three: The giveaway of the week is now up and running with the additional option of answering a question posed this week in any of my posts. Since you three all commented before this went up, I’ll give each of you an entry (and Spondy an extra entry for actually answering a question posed).

Let’s get some entries going, folks!

The next gathering we have with a large group of close family friends is going to be a “make it or bake it Christmas” in which no gifts can be purchased. Everyone has been excited about this since someone suggested it because it gives us all a chance to get creative.