1. Use deal websites like Groupon, Living Social, Save More etc. On these sites you can purchase deals at a discount, like $15 for a $25 Barnes and Noble gift card or $20 for $50 to spend on kids cooking products. There are sites that sell products at a discount like Shop Lately, Haute Look, The Clymb and many more. Some will give you free credit to spend just for signing up! I know The Clymb will give you $10 to spend right now! Most will give you credit if anyone uses your referral link and makes a purchase.

2. Give a subscription.  Julep Maven allows you to give your own box to someone else at $20/month. Lollihop gifts are a great deal because you get each month at a discounted price. Of course, there are also magazine subscriptions. You can often find great deals at places like this or Amazon.

3. Create a themed gift. Buy a bag of good coffee, grind it yourself and pour it into a nice jar or sealed canister. You could also pick up a mug at TJ Maxx or Ross and include that. Or why not make your own truffle balls which make great hot chocolate?  Another idea is a movie night. Places like Big Lots have movies for as low as $3. You could include some movie theater candy ($1 at Walmart) or if you can spend a bit more, get them a popcorn maker (because the microwave stuff is very bad for you).

4. Use coupons. Like this one for a free body butter at The Body Shop! There are also many that include a gift with purchase. If you are ordering online, always check a site like retailmenot.com before placing an order because there may be a coupon you can use.

5. Save on shipping.  Right now you can sign up for Shop Runner for FREE, for an entire year.  That’s a $79 savings. It gives you free 2 day shipping on many sites.  It also gives you special coupon discounts to use.

6.  Stay on top of deals. I mainly use Fat Wallet  and Deal News to see what the best deals are at any given time. Sites like these scour the web for the best deals and post them in one place, making it much easier for you and I to view them all. This can save you a lot of time and ensure that you are getting a product for the lowest price possible.

7. Re-gift.  Re-gifting has gotten a bad rap over the years but when done right, I really don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. When re-gifting, the item should be NEW not used.  Don’t scour your house looking for things to re-gift, instead, when you are given something that you don’t really want just keep it in its box and put it away somewhere so when you are in need a gift for someone, there is always that.  For example, with my Julep Maven subscription I received a lot of products and there were a few I was okay with not keeping myself so I kept them in their original packaging and placed them in a drawer in case I one day wanted to re-gift or just give it away. Also, don’t give someone something you don’t think they will like. Only re-gift something you feel the person will enjoy more than you and actually use!

8. Re-use items when it comes to wrapping. I’m using makeup bags to wrap up some gifts this year. I have a few that have never been used so why not? It’s like two gifts in one!  Shoe boxes also work well for gift wrapping.  As much as I love the cute wrapping paper in stores, I have resisted this year and opted to use what I already have, items found in my home and DIY.  You can make your own wrapping paper, goodie bags and even gift boxes, you know.

9. DIY. DIY gifts are particular great for people you find really hard to shop for.  Maybe it’s not something they would have bought from a store but the fact that you put your own time and talent into it is going to make it mean a lot more to them.  There are so many gifts you can make yourself like shag pillows, yarn covered letters, hair bows, cookie mix jars, chalkboard wine glasses, sugar scrub and reuseable snack bags.

10. Give an experience instead of something materialistic. Restaurant.com has fantastic deals for eating out. You can often get discounted movie tickets on Fandango.  Or there’s always the good ol’ “I O U”.  Give a great card with a message saying you’ll take them out to brunch or to the zoo. If money is tight, you can always promise to do it the following month.