From my own personal experience and in talking to so many friends and family, and even in the feedback that I have received from this series of tips, I get that many of us are on serious budgets this holiday season. Coupled with that is a feeling of being pretty "burnt out" on the usual holiday consumer message. All too many are struggling with credit card debt, decling home values, and we just do not want to be overwhelmed with the usual "buy this, buy that" message.
So, I say this is a tip that many of us are probably already following, and can still follow this holiday season...
HOLIDAY SHOPPING TIP #17:
Do-It-Yourself this holiday for gifts and holiday events!
Ditch the usual media push to consume, consume, consume...buy, buy, buy! Many of us have fantastic talents that we can put to good use for gift-giving! Offer a "cookie of the month" club for friends, knit a scarf, or make hot cocoa mix (see my recent blog post on http://jet-chef.blogspot.com!). All of these gifts will cost you so much less and be so well-received! People love personal, handmade and homemade gifts.
Beyond the fun gift-giving aspect, many "DIY" gifts have an incredible element of being personal and very practical. For example, create a coupon book for elderly parents in which you offer to do "handyman" duties to help them keep up with their home. So many of us don't need more "stuff", but we could certainly use practical solutions to make our lives easier! Think how much less will end up in a landfill, think how a DIY gift will instead fill up hearts and lift spirits!
Friday, December 12, 2008
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