Lisa2014_1As Christmas nears, the pressure is on… searching for the perfect gift, for that special someone; so what if money is scarce… what can you buy? It’s time to do your shopping on a budget this year, so let’s get a game plan together beginning with your meal.

Groceries on a budget first, use your local grocer’s coupons found in newspapers, along with other ads… taking advantage of sale items; Don’t forget Wal-Mart for some of your grocery needs, believe it or not sometimes they offer better deals than your local stores on certain items, not to mention the Dollar Tree for spices or desert items such as cake mixes, marshmallows, etc. Now… not only can you shop for some of your Holiday meal here, you can search for “gifts in a jar” recipes either on Pinterest, food network, or purchase the book and prepare mason jars for your gifts on a budget. To me this is not only homemade; it is giving with a touch of love.

For those of you that are doing shopping for some bigger items and need to watch your pennies… I have the website for you! In fact, I wished I found this earlier, as people are shopping for less and it is legitimate… a penny auction that begins at $0.60 cents and has much to offer, you will find it at www.quibids.com and unlike eBay you do not have to wait days, this goes in a matter of hours! It’s fun and it goes fast, not to mention there is a variety of items to purchase, from clothing to electronics you should be able to get just about anything here; including Gift Cards. Quibids is the future of online bidding and is taking business from eBay, as it is less complicated and quick. Personally I cannot believe I did not find this sooner, so if you did not know about it… it is worth checking out.

Next is shopping on www.ebates.com which offers you coupons in return or a $10.00 gift card after spending your first $25.00 with them. They have all kinds of offers on their website worth checking out. Who doesn’t want to shop and earn something in return for your loyalty… isn’t that worth something? Especially when we can shop anywhere in the world these days… the internet makes anything and everything possible. This next one… speaking of Internet, brings me to Groupons; www.groupons.com . If you haven’t shopped this way yet, give it a whirl. I have shopped on Groupon for the last few years and it is worth it. I have never had a problem with an item I ordered or a coupon for food (which doubles the value) which is used for a restaurant; these are awesome gift giving ideas and great for budget minded people. You must register with all of these sites I am giving you, but they are all very simple.

So gift giving on a budget can certainly be done; no driving means no spending on ‘gas’ and spending less on gifts through the websites, unless you are opting to do Mason Jars with food such as brownie mix or any other mix, but in mass quantities… still makes it cheaper to give and is done with homemade love. Whatever your pleasure this year, it can be done on a budget! “Happy Holiday Shopping.”

Make your week count.