No Cost / Lo Cost Gifting

If you're anything like me, you may just have a few people left on your gift list. And, like me, you may have run out of funds before running out of list. I would like to suggest some ways to honor the idea of giving without dishonoring a pledge to avoid excessive credit use.

1. Try creative re-gifting. This is not the same as lazy or rude re-gifting. Think of something you have that is still fully useful to the person in mind, but not something you are likely to use again. Tactfully inform the recipient that you are aware of the used nature of the item, but hope to bless by giving. Some suggestions are: books, tools or appliances, glass ware or basketry, pictures or nic-nacs (no white elephants here.)

2. If you are even the least bit comfortable in the kitchen try something like gifts in a jar. A Google search will net you tons of neat ideas. Many of them require only a small expense.

3. Crank up your Works Task Launcher (or the Mac equivalent) and create a gift certificate for something you can offer that involves giving your time such as: babysitting, household chores, yard work (or shoveling), a meal (you prepare), at-home car washes (or wax.)

4. If you expect to be more well-funded shortly after Christmas and will be able to afford "the perfect gift," cut out a picture or print one from the Internet. Wrap it in a suitable size box (weighted if necessary) and put it under the tree. Be prepared to explain.

5. Arrange for a gift subscription to a magazine the person will truly enjoy. You can do this now and ask the publisher to bill you later. You can usually find these offers in the magazines themselves (check out the newsstand) or at the mag's online site.

6. For a few of you, it may be appropriate to write a poem, paint a picture or create an artistic expression in your chosen medium. Make it personal and you will have given something better than money could buy.

7. For family or close friends, write a note about something that will be important for the person to know. It might start out, "I will always remember when..." or "You will never know how much I appreciated..." If you are a senior member of a family, make a record some meaningful things from your younger days . I regret that I never learned anything about my parents' and grandparents' youth. These stories may be more of a blessing than you realize.