Recession causes holiday stress

This is the time of year for giving, but with the current economy you may be short on cash now. Exchanging gifts is part of fun of the Holidays (some claim it’s all of it) but it’s also a source of stress for some. There is the hassle of figuring out what to buy, coupled with the anxiety over cost.

Particularly during these tough financial times, stretching the budget to buy presents can be a challenge. Fortunately, with a little creativity and exploration, the undertaking can be a lot more enjoyable and pocket friendly.

Get some Inspiration

For those having trouble with finding the right gift, there are a few places to turn. If you’re intending on buying in the store, or online, it’s a good idea to look at gift sites. Two helpful ones are gifts.com and findgift.com. These sites give you suggestions based on information you give about the recipient.

On gifts.com you can take a quiz that narrows possible gifts by gender, age and personality traits. Additionally, you can choose from pre-sorted groupings of gifts to browse through. Findgift.com offers a similar questionnaire, but also takes the occasion and person’s relationship to you into account. These sites both offer the option of purchasing the gifts through online, but they are also great sources of ideas for present shopping in general.

Now how about a Great Deal

If you already have an idea of what to buy and do not mind shopping online, eBay can be a great resource. Accounts are free to sign up for, and joining can net you an awesome discount on stuff. Besides, you do not have to spend hours sifting through products that you do not want. EBay is great for finding exactly what you want, or at least it can get you well into the ballpark, and lets you filter out the junk you don’t want.

When searching for gifts, it is often a good idea to remove the used items from the search, unless you are looking for antique or vintage piece. If you are short on time, it can help to keep the search to results within your own country so that the mailing time will be shorter, and if you are extra low on cash now, sort your results from low cost to high and start looking at the top of the list.

Gifts from the Heart that Go Straight to the Thighs

Getting in touch with your crafty side can be another option for those looking to save some cash now over the holidays. Indulging in decadent sweets is part of the holidays. Instead of baking a bunch of different kinds of cookies, why not become the ultimate resource for one kind of indulgence?

You can BE the fudge or toffee maker, and if it’s some of the more troublesome of relatives, you can add laxatives. Create to-die-for truffles or caramel corn. Whatever the choice, you could find an awesome recipe and focus on preparing it well. Package it in bags or boxes, and tie it with a festive ribbon - and those are cool gifts. The best part is that the packages need not be very big because of the richness of the treats.

You could also try creating your own liqueur. You can find recipes online, and they’re easy to make. Bottle your creation, and add ribbons and tags, and you have gifts ready to go. On the other hand, if your recipient is artsy, but you are woefully uncreative you can check out a wide array of inspired items at a great price on Etsy.com.

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