Any ideas to save $ or cut back on holiday gifts 2023?

[Anonymous]

OP here and I guess my gift list is just out of control this year and I'll work to reduce next year.

-two people at work (I can't cut these, ever)
-cleaning lady (no cut)
-hair dresser (cuts all of our hair for last 10 years...)
-gymnastics teacher
-dance teacher (group gift with friends)
-i have a legit back problem and getting a 45 min massage once a month since 2020 (when I was bedridden for a few days!) helps keep it at bay and I give a gift to the therapist
-kid 1 - 8 HS teachers (lower amount of gifts to each) plus bus driver
-kid 2 - one teacher, plus bus driver
-kid 3 - one teacher
-in laws - photos of my kids
-5 nieces and nephews (don't give to the adults)
-my parents and my sister - I suppose I could suggest to my sister that she stops giving me a gift - but she doesn't have kids and gives to my 3 kids so I would give her a gift but could theoretically reduce the amount
-neighbor gifts - I change it up every year and decided to do a clutter free donation to charity this year (already paid it) - but I could do baked goods next year.

I want to give mailman and trashmen a tip theoretically.

I decided to push swim coach gift and my 2 kids who in ES - their specials teachers to end of school year to spread things out.

I want to be generous but I think I am a little out of control. Not sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH used to never use his CC points, and once a year I used to take them all to buy GCs for holidays but lately he started using his points for other things so now I need other ideas!

Here are a few ideas I have - 1) I have been collecting loose change for a year, and I'll take it to coinstar to get an Amazon GC, but I don't think I'll get all that much money. 2) I'll re-gift gift cards if it's not to a place I know for sure I'll use. (Or sometimes I use GCs to buy new GCs to the same place to give others)

what stores allow GCs to buy new GCs?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Teachers are nbd. The county even says the limit is $20 per teacher so that’s what I give. The real issue is daycare! My youngest two have 3 daycare teachers each and I feel stingy only giving $75 to each. It’s a ton! And then there’s also ballet. I’m think I need to give the head teachers $100 and the others $75?

Preschool teachers are woefully underpaid, and I think they would appreciate as much in the way of a gift as you can afford.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH used to never use his CC points, and once a year I used to take them all to buy GCs for holidays but lately he started using his points for other things so now I need other ideas!

Here are a few ideas I have - 1) I have been collecting loose change for a year, and I'll take it to coinstar to get an Amazon GC, but I don't think I'll get all that much money. 2) I'll re-gift gift cards if it's not to a place I know for sure I'll use. (Or sometimes I use GCs to buy new GCs to the same place to give others)

what stores allow GCs to buy new GCs?

OP here - my mom said the same thing as you. I just walked into B&N and did it. They wouldn't allow me to do it online, but I could do it in the store. I also could do it in person at Starbucks (but I think not online).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH used to never use his CC points, and once a year I used to take them all to buy GCs for holidays but lately he started using his points for other things so now I need other ideas!

Here are a few ideas I have - 1) I have been collecting loose change for a year, and I'll take it to coinstar to get an Amazon GC, but I don't think I'll get all that much money. 2) I'll re-gift gift cards if it's not to a place I know for sure I'll use. (Or sometimes I use GCs to buy new GCs to the same place to give others)

what stores allow GCs to buy new GCs?

OP here - my mom said the same thing as you. I just walked into B&N and did it. They wouldn't allow me to do it online, but I could do it in the store. I also could do it in person at Starbucks (but I think not online).

Also to add - I couldn't do it at the starbucks at my grocery store. I had to go to a real starbucks store.

[Anonymous]

A couple things we've done:

- secret santa for adults in my family. We set a $50 limit. Helps a lot!

- DH's family is smaller, but last year we didn't exchange gift cards with his sister/BIL like we usually do and I'm hoping we can just continue with that. One year we lost the gift card we received from them anyway!

- $50 limit for nieces/nephews (we have 5 total)

- FIL/MIL are super hard to buy for, they have everything and every year it gets harder. Even consumable gifts are a challenge. This year I made a shutterfly photo calendar of the grandkids and that may be it honestly. If I left it up to DH he probably wouldn't even get them anything.

- some years my kids get a big-ticket item like a bike, but they aren't asking for anything big this year so we are just spending a bit less overall.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just buy less. Once you realize the extent of the consumerism involved in the holidays and how it’s all optional it’s quite freeing actually. I can see doing something for the kids but others than that just say no.

Sorry, but I'm totally invisible and alone, and if DH didn't even find it worth surprising me with something, I wouldn't see the point any longer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You all are pretty miserly when it comes to the teachers. And no I’m not a teacher.

Have you ever asked a teacher what they expect in terms of gifts? At both our public school, there are limits as to what you can give to a teacher- like $20. Which makes sense, they are public employees! Ours actually is encouraging families to contribute to a collective fund organized by a parent. It will used to give gift cards to all staff at the school.

Our daycare has a similar collection and we are asked not to bring in any individual gifts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here and I guess my gift list is just out of control this year and I'll work to reduce next year.

-two people at work (I can't cut these, ever)
-cleaning lady (no cut)
-hair dresser (cuts all of our hair for last 10 years...)
-gymnastics teacher
-dance teacher (group gift with friends)
-i have a legit back problem and getting a 45 min massage once a month since 2020 (when I was bedridden for a few days!) helps keep it at bay and I give a gift to the therapist
-kid 1 - 8 HS teachers (lower amount of gifts to each) plus bus driver
-kid 2 - one teacher, plus bus driver
-kid 3 - one teacher
-in laws - photos of my kids
-5 nieces and nephews (don't give to the adults)
-my parents and my sister - I suppose I could suggest to my sister that she stops giving me a gift - but she doesn't have kids and gives to my 3 kids so I would give her a gift but could theoretically reduce the amount
-neighbor gifts - I change it up every year and decided to do a clutter free donation to charity this year (already paid it) - but I could do baked goods next year.

I want to give mailman and trashmen a tip theoretically.

I decided to push swim coach gift and my 2 kids who in ES - their specials teachers to end of school year to spread things out.

I want to be generous but I think I am a little out of control. Not sure.

I would never think of giving gifts to all these random people, but you do you. I exchange gifts with family and that’s it. I’m not grinchy, but we have multiple birthdays at Christmastime and it’s a very busy, stressful time with birthday gifts, children’s parties, visiting family, cleaning the home. . I consistently look for ways to reduce my stress load. Excessive gift giving is an easy one to cut back on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here and I guess my gift list is just out of control this year and I'll work to reduce next year.

-two people at work (I can't cut these, ever)
-cleaning lady (no cut)
-hair dresser (cuts all of our hair for last 10 years...)
-gymnastics teacher
-dance teacher (group gift with friends)
-i have a legit back problem and getting a 45 min massage once a month since 2020 (when I was bedridden for a few days!) helps keep it at bay and I give a gift to the therapist
-kid 1 - 8 HS teachers (lower amount of gifts to each) plus bus driver
-kid 2 - one teacher, plus bus driver
-kid 3 - one teacher
-in laws - photos of my kids
-5 nieces and nephews (don't give to the adults)
-my parents and my sister - I suppose I could suggest to my sister that she stops giving me a gift - but she doesn't have kids and gives to my 3 kids so I would give her a gift but could theoretically reduce the amount
-neighbor gifts - I change it up every year and decided to do a clutter free donation to charity this year (already paid it) - but I could do baked goods next year.

I want to give mailman and trashmen a tip theoretically.

I decided to push swim coach gift and my 2 kids who in ES - their specials teachers to end of school year to spread things out.

I want to be generous but I think I am a little out of control. Not sure.

I would never think of giving gifts to all these random people, but you do you. I exchange gifts with family and that’s it. I’m not grinchy, but we have multiple birthdays at Christmastime and it’s a very busy, stressful time with birthday gifts, children’s parties, visiting family, cleaning the home. . I consistently look for ways to reduce my stress load. Excessive gift giving is an easy one to cut back on.

+1. Same. OP, the answer is to stop giving gifts to so many people, and for those you do continue to give to, do so in lesser amounts.

[Anonymous]

I would not give christmas gifts to high school teachers. Actually I don't give christmas gifts to any teachers. At the end of the school year when funds may be different buy a gift for the elementary teachers and bus driver. I usually don't gift preschool teachers. My kids went to a really expensive preschool. When I did find out that they school skipped on pay I made a big deal about it with other parents and that was changed.

Regarding work, why not suggest a secret Santa or white elephant. Do you just work with 3 people?

[Anonymous]

Thanks! You guys are helping me on the margins this year and I’ll also try to reassess for next year.

I just read this and liked it.

https://www.ynab.com/blog/quality-over-quantity-how-to-change-your-mindset-around-gift-giving