Heading to the beach? Check out this amazing snorkleing camera and diving mask – a hands-free way to capture your underwater adventures. Fully functional in up to 33FT of water, you’ll never look at your vacation videos the same way again. Just don’t get so caught up in your filmmaking that you upset that camera-shy shark!

Even if you’re more of a land-lubber, this is one gadget makes a great Christmas gift for just about any adventure-seeker. And for a limited time, you can get $20 off this or any other Sharper Image gifts (over $150) when you enter the coupon code SAVE20 at checkout.

A personalized baby quilt is a great example. This soft and snuggly gift for baby features colorful animals and ABCs that will sure to capture his or her little imagination. And the best part? Any name or message can be embroidered at the top (up to 18 characters). One thing to remember: having a great gift like this personalized can take a few extra days to ship, so be sure to order early and stash it away to give as a Christmas gifts when the time comes. Want to save 15% while you’re at it? Enter the coupon code 15Gifts at checkout.

#1 – The Homemade Coupon

This is hands-down our favorite low-cost gift and one that will be especially loved by a spouse, parents or grandparents. Who says a Christmas gift has to cost money? Spend a little time creating a homemade coupon good for a free back rub, 5 nights of doing the dishes or a week of breakfast in bed. What mom isn’t going to love receiving a coupon from her kids worth 2 hours of “quiet time” or a coupon from her husband for a week of diaper-changing. You can even spring for the $2.99 Christmas card to enclose the coupon.

#2 – A Framed Photo

Find a great photo of you and the gift recipient. There may be a digital photo sitting somewhere on a computer hard drive. Maybe it’s on your Facebook or Flickr account or in some long lost folder. Dig up a great photo and have it printed in 4×6 or 5×7 size at any one of the many online printing services. Most offer extremely low-cost prints as well as free prints for new accounts.

Then buy a nice little photo frame. You may be surprised to find that there are well over 200 photo frames available in all shapes and sizes for less than $5. Check out Pronto Home for all the sizes and styles. The one featured here would make a great gift and is only $3.12 at Sears.

See the Photo Frames

#3 – A Christmas Ornament

The holiday ornament is a very nice gift that will be used year after year. It’s an inexpensive gift, often less than the cost of a scented candle, yet can look like it cost much more. Our favorites are the blown glass ornaments or the old-style wooden or metal ornaments that look like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting.

CB2 offers a handblown frosted glass snowman for only $1.95. It’s simple, sleek and is a modern take on a traditional ornament. With a nice box and wrapping paper, this will make a great little gift.

We found hundreds of holiday ornaments for under $5 from great stores like Pottery Barn, CB2, Target and more.

See the Ornaments

#4 – Holiday Sugar Cookies

Flour and sugar are cheap and water is free. Get the basics for making cookies for less than $5 at your local supermarket and spend the afternoon baking sugar cookies in all the traditional holiday shapes. What to pack them in? Here you will need to do a little recycling and regifting. Use last year’s cookie tins or some of the gift bags you’ve received in the past and stored in the closet.

#5 – A Bottle of “Inexpensive” Wine

Notice that I didn’t say cheap. The quality of wine is subjective and when someone doesn’t recognize the brand and has no idea of the price, more often than not, they also won’t know the difference. Don’t go to the liquor store for this one as these smaller stores are less likely to have wines below the $5 threshold. Try a local supermarket that runs good sales or weekly specials. Don’t buy a mainstream brand and judge the wine based on the label. A simple, elegant wine label will make the gift recipient think you bought this special wine while touring through the Napa Valley back in 1997. Who knows, you could have been storing it all these years just for this special occasion. Enjoy.

2) Do Your Homework
Even if you’re clueless about what to shop for, start online. Sites like Gifts.com specialize in helping you with great gift ideas for everyone on your list. Once you know what you’re shopping for, use your favorite search engine to help you find the best online deal. When deciding whether to buy online or in the store, make sure to factor in shipping and handling costs. Try searching for retailer-specific coupons, promo codes, or upcoming sales in order to get the biggest bang for your buck. Then call your local store to find out how their price compares before you make the trip.

3) Shop Early
The stress of holiday shopping is one of the biggest threats to your budget. If you find yourself at the malls on Christmas eve, desperately seeking last minute Christmas gifts for the whole family, you are guaranteed to overspend. Speaking of early, if you’re headed to a major discount retailer, consider going early in the morning on a weekday. Most stores will replenish their stock before after closing, and avoiding the crowds and long lines will mean that you’re calm and collected enough to make financially sensible purchases.

4) Consider Re-Gifting
If you have to come up with generic Christmas gifts for neighbors, co-workers, or acquaintances, start by shopping your own closets. You likely already own something that would make a fabulous and free gift. Items to look for include candles, scarves or gloves, home fragrances and decor, or bath products. As long as its new un-opened, it’s a candidate for re-gifting. Trust me, they’ll never know.

5) Can You Make It For Less?
No, of course you can’t build a homemade XBOX 360 for the kids. But there are plenty of great gifts that you can make yourself, and save a bundle doing so. Swing by your local crafts store and see what catches your eye. Photo gifts are also a thoughtful way to stretch your budget. For only a few bucks worth of glossy paper, you can make a photo collage that Grandma will cherish forever. Your Secret Santa at the office would also probably enjoy some homemade Christmas cookies more than another generic paperweight or calendar.

Personalized Gifts
Personal Creations offers 15% off with code “GIFTS15″

Luxury Gift Items
Forzieri offers free rush delivery on orders over $165 with code 1F56C7

For a laundry list of coupon codes, check out RetailMeNot.com. They have great lists of coupons by store with many updated in real time. Also check out their Black Friday and Cyber Monday coupon deals. On last check, they had almost 50 Cyber Monday coupons for great gift-oriented stores like ArtofTea.com (25% off all products) and ProGolf.com (20% off any single item).

Get 20% off Christmas Posters now through Sept 30th with code GFTS20

Decorate your home with wonderful prints, posters and giclee artwork for the holiday season. Allposters.com is offering 20% off all orders now through September 30th. This is a limited time offer.

Find wonderful Christmas tree art prints in all sizes perfect to add holiday cheer to your home. See a selection of Christmas posters or view all poster art available online.