Christmas Deals

FREE SHIPPING – ONLINE COUPONS – CHEAP GIFTS – HOLIDAY SAVINGS

We’re all feeling the pinch this year with the recession in full swing and unemployment on the rise. But that doesn’t mean you can’t give nice, thoughtful gifts. Your nice, thoughtful gifts just have to cost less. A lot less. It may take a bit more creativity and a little footwork, but it’s doable. Here are our five favorite gift ideas for under $5 that will still bring joy to the lucky recipient.

#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.

Leg Lamp Ornament

This one is a must-have at any price, but thankfully it’s under $7 so it won’t break the bank. Normally you’d want to get a whole set of ornaments at this price but in this case we will make an exception.

From the classic Christmas tale comes the most kitsch ornament on the market today. The leg lamp scene from A Christmas Story is one of my favorites in the whole movie. Who wouldn’t want a leg lamp sitting in the front window of the house for all the neighbors to admire and envy?

Now you can hang the infamous leg lamp right from your Christmas tree with these mini replicas for $6.99. The leg lamp ornaments obviously make great stocking stuffers and are also fun as office gag gifts. And with the leg lamp ornament, you’re guaranteed not to shoot your eye out!

It seems like everywhere you turn these days, people are talking about the recession and what it means for our pocketbooks. Pinching pennies has now become a full-time job for many American families, and it certainly looks like we’ll be continuing to scrimp and save all the way through the holidays. However, with a little forward thinking, your holiday season can be bigger and better than ever, but at half the cost. What’s the secret? Shop for Christmas Gifts and Stocking Stuffers earlier in the year, and take advantage of summer-time retail slumps.

With the summer being a historically slow season for most major retailers, the months between Father’s Day and Halloween are the perfect time to take advantage of major savings, both online and in stores. Just walk into your local discount mart, and I’ll bet you’ll stockpiles of Christmas ornaments and stockings just waiting for someone to come along and give them a good home. Wait until November to purchase these same items, and you’ll pay 2 to 3 times as much! Summer is also a great time to shop for seasonal apparel and accessories. Come Christmas time, thoughtful gifts like a scarves, gloves, and sweaters can make a big splash.

If prices at the pump have left you parked at home, shopping online can be a great way to increase your summer savings. Start looking online now for sites that offer free shipping, coupon codes, and other Christmas Deals. The money you save in gas, parking fees, and check-out line impulse purchases is sure to buy you a little extra Christmas cheer this holiday season.