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Now is when the frugal start Christmas shopping, right? (If they haven't already done it all.)
I used to have about 6 people that required "stocking stuffers", since we no longer did the the big "ooooh" packages any more. What I did was to buy in large quantities the kinds of things that ordinary people don't need in large quantities. Start now and stash away:
Clothespins. Nobody needs 100, so buy a big pack of them, and give each person a dozen or two, for handy household use, like closing chip bags.
Nails. Those stupid little nail assortments for 1.98 never contain any of the really useful size. So go to a hardware store, buy a pound of good sturdy 1-1/4 inch headed household picture-hanging nails, and give everybody a pill-bottle full.
Writing instruments. Buy a six-pack of Sharpies and give everybody one.
Screw drivers. Buy a cheap dollar-store set of 6 screwdrivers and give each person one, to toss in their kitchen drawer. Amazing how many people don't have a screwdriver.
Superglue now comes in a 6-pack of tiny single-use tubes. One for everybody.
AA Batteries come in economy packs of 24. Split one up, give each person four.
Socks are cheaper in six-packs and everybody wears the same size.
Lots of things that people never buy for themselves, but always looking for. Extension cords are now 98 cents. Tire pressure gauge. A 25-cent mousetrap (in a six-pack), nailed to the wall, makes a great note-hanger. Back-to-school-sale spiral notebooks are sometime a nickel, but adults never buy them.
Good ideas about useful things that no one really thinks of.
I know my mom's friend told her friends she is getting them all umbrellas for Christmas. My mom laughed that she she told her friends, but my mom loves the idea. I think it's wonderful too.
I've gotten many gifts, that made me cringe when I opened them. I knew I could not use it, for whatever reason. A case of toilet paper would have been just as good.
So, these gifts are still here.
I try to send people something that will be used, and not just sit there.
Things that just sit there are knick knacks, etc.
I like to give gift cards to food stores, restaurants, a roll of stamps, etc.
$44.00 for a roll of stamps in not exactly frugal, but my point is, to make sure the gift can be "used."
I hear you howard555, and I am right there with you.
I would rather people NOT buy me a gift than to spend their hard-earned money buying trinkets I do not need and will not use.
Not to rap jtur88's list, but there is only ONE thing there I would use and that's the batteries. Socks WOULD be another, but since jtur88 thinks everyone wears the same size, they probably would not fit me. Everything else would be donated....
Oooh, stamps are a good idea! I never thought of that one. What a treat (or gift!) it would be to not have to run out and get stamps since you were given some as a gift.
I do agree that as far as the OP goes, batteries are the only thing I would need.
I stopped buying people knicknacks unless they are a collector of something and I buy them a piece here and there. My dad is the exception, as he collects sports stuff for the room he has dedicated to it.
Years ago we used to make fun of my grandmother. Now I see the wisdom of her ways. She used to buy us things like shampoo, knee highs, stockings, socks and underwear. Yeah they may not have been fun things but we always used them.
I love gifts that I can use. Right now I really could use an umbrella, lol. Last year I had a neighbor give me a box of hot chocolate and a bag of twizzlers because she knew I liked them. You can't ask for more than that.
Food is always a fun thing that you can change up. If someone you know likes:
tea..then buy them some flavored teas.
coffee...assorted coffee or creamers.
pasta...get a plastic pasta strainer and fill it with pasta, sauce, and some cheese.
chocolate-some assorted candy bars.
ice cream- buy a big glass bowl and fill it with toppings for ice cream...chocolate sauce, butterscotch, sprinkles, and some maraschino cherries.
and on and on. You can make all kinds of food gifts if you know what someone likes and maybe they never splurge on it themselves.
I have also received my favorite shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, and soap before. It all got used
I am not cheap, but frugal, and on a budget. When my kids were young, I bought them each one gift, that they really wanted. Not a bunch of junk, that would have been thrown out. As a matter for fact, most of my kids still even have the Christmas gifts that they were given, because they were meaningful, and I never bought them stuff all the time. I am not a grinch, but in their stockings they got stuff from Orientatal Trading Company.
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