Today I’m listing some of my favorite money saving tips related to gift giving (and receiving.)

1.) Say no to store bought cards: They are the biggest waste of money. Seriously. I was at CVS buying a wedding card for my best friend a few weeks ago and the one I picked out was $4. $4!!! For a piece of paper. Up until the CVS freebie sale on cards back around Valentine’s Day, I hadn’t bought a card in years. I (almost) always make cards. I say almost because I haven’t figured out how to make a nice sympathy card using my bright colored scrapbooking stuff.

2.) Wrapping paper is the second biggest waste of money: I hate to say this because there is nothing more aesthetically pleasing to me than a nicely packaged present. What I’ve been doing the past few years is buying Christmas wrapping paper when it is 90% off after the holidays. I also recently purchased a huge roll of plain brown paper (think grocery store paper bag texture & color) for a couple of bucks at Ikea. This will allow me to get as creative as I want with ribbon and other scrapbooking supplies I already have on hand. You can also use the Sunday comics for children’s birthday gifts. Or better yet….

3.) Reuse gift bags: I think everyone does this, but I figured I’d list it anyway. Other than an impulse Target clearance purchase, I don’t think I’ve ever really bought bags, but I have a huge stash of them. And they’re so easy! Just stuff them with some tissue paper (which if you’re like me, you bought after the holidays for 90% off) and you’re done.

4.) Gift Giving: How many times do we receive gifts from people that just aren’t that great? I have gotten so many mediocre gifts from wonderful people that just ended up stuffed in a closet or in my yard sale pile. A few of these items stick out in my mind…..the angel vase, the hot pink fleece monkey blanket, the Encyclopedia of Hand Guns coffee table book (no joke)….the list goes on…. So here are some alternate ideas instead:

• Give a homemade item: I once made a scrapbook for a friend who was moving away to New York. It cost me very little (probably less than $15 total), I had a blast making it and it was something unique that came from the heart. Not that crafty? Don’t worry, I’m not either. I have found a ton of easy do it yourself ideas on Casa Sugar’s DIY section and on the Martha Stewart site.
• Bake: I do this at Christmas time when I go to Ryan’s parents’ house. Rather than buy all of his aunts and cousins little trinkets they may or may not like, I bake up a few batches of cookies or brownies. I put them in cute little plastic gift bags (kind of like children’s party favor bags) with snowmen (or whatever) printed on them and tie them up with ribbon. Easy Peasy.
• Cook: One of the most thoughtful gifts ever given to me was dinner cooked from scratch. This was part of Ryan’s gift to me for my birthday when we first started dating. It was so special, I remember every detail almost two years later.
• Time: This is my new favorite gift idea. I’ve decided to give my friends and family the gift of time. For her birthday, I’m going to spend a few hours helping my sister plow through all of the junk in her apartment and figure out what to keep and what to get rid off. Then I’ll help her organize everything. This is something she needs help with and we’ll get to spend time together in the process. And it won’t cost me anything except the gas it takes to drive to her house. It’s useful and meaningful. While I probably would do this for her anyway, it sure beats blowing $100 on clothes, make up and candles that would just get thrown into the mix and be soon forgotten about.

It’s wicked easy to do….tell your friend/family member that they have you for X number of hours. You could help with yard work, cleaning, offer to watch their kids for the evening….anything, be creative.

5.) Gift Swaps/Group gifts: I’ve stopped exchanging gifts with most of my friends and extended family for Christmas and birthdays. If this isn’t something you can do, perhaps you can suggest a gift swap or a group gift. I know a group of girls that does this for birthdays throughout the year. Each time a birthday is approaching, everyone kicks in $5 towards the purchase of a gift card for the receiver’s favorite clothing store.

6.) Make a “wish list“: We have to discuss receiving gifts too … Sherry over at This Young House had this tip on her list too (#4). I’ve been doing this at my parents’ request for years. They want to make sure they get me something useful that I will like, and that works for me. A few years ago, I asked for and got new pillows for my bed. This saved me from having to purchase them at a later date. Win/Win.

7.) Create a Gift Closet/Box: Lots of people do this and I’m in the process of getting on board. Little People Wealth (http://www.littlepeoplewealth.com/2008/12/saving-money-with-gift-box.html) has a great definition of the gift closet….”A gift box is just that – a box with lots of gifts in it. When you see something that is on sale that would work for somebody in your family, a coworker, a friend, etc, you buy it and put it in the box. When a birthday, wedding, Christmas, Easter, baptism, etc comes up you just go to your box, pick out what they would like, wrap it, and give it to them.”

If you’re looking for gifts for people at the last minute, you’re bound to over pay for items. If you are adding items to it year round that you find on sale or clearance, you will definitely save money in the long run. It also helps out big time when you do get invited to something at the last minute. I have a few generic items like candles and photo frames for my stash so far. (Thanks JSkell http://frugalityinthemaking.blogspot.com/for this tip!)

That’s all I’ve got for now. Did I miss any other gift giving related tips?

Money Saving Tips #3: Making some extra cash

1.) Ebay: I’ve been selling things on Ebay for about 5 years. Sometimes I have really great luck and rake in a lot of extra cash, other times not so much. One thing that I have learned is that every so often Ebay has special offers regarding listing fees. I try to wait for a “listing sale” so I can post my auctions for as little out of pocket cost as possible.

2.) Half.com: I like half.com even better than Ebay. Way better. You are able to list books, CDs, movies, video games on this site. It is linked to your Ebay account, but the fees are different. There is no insertion fee, and your listings stay active until the item sells or you remove it. There are no fees if your item does not sell. Other things I like about the site are:

• They charge buyers a standard shipping rate – so unlike Ebay, there are no insane shipping charges. As a seller, the fee they charge covers the cost of mailing the item and you usually don’t make much extra money on these fees.
• They offer a pricing guide so you know how much your item should be listed for based on the condition and recent selling trends.
• No having to upload photos. They have stock photos.
• No writing item descriptions….simply type in the UPC or ISBN and you just have to make a comment regarding the items condition.
• There are no Paypal fees. Twice a month, half.com will directly deposit the money you earned (minus their fees) into your bank account.

3. Craigslist: I’ve only used it once, and had NO luck at all. My parents and my sister have had excellent luck using Craigslist though. One time they listed their very old dining room set and the hutch it came with. They listed all 6 items (table, hutch and 4 chairs) for like $150. The guy who came out to buy it only wanted the table and chairs and still gave them $150, didn’t even try to talk them down. Another time, my dad listed a bunch of old plywood he didn’t need for $45 (or something like that.) A lady came out and gave him $50 for all of it. He offered to give her the change and she told him to keep it. The only thing that makes me nervous is people coming to my house. My sister meets up with people to exchange goods in public shopping centers, so that’s an option too.

4. Yard Sales: This one has been on my agenda for almost a year now. It’s an easy way to clear out your basement of unwanted items and make a few bucks. And you get to spend a day outside. Where do I sign up? A couple that I know had a yard sale when they moved into their home. The wife also made up a bag of items to throw away that included old clothing and worn out shoes. Her husband made her put the items out just to see if they would sell, and every single item sold. She got $5 for the worn out shoes she was just going to throw away! Note to self: don’t throw away worn out shoes!

5. Freecycle: These are local groups found on yahoo that were created so users could get rid of stuff they no longer want to someone else who has a need for it. You don’t make any money using this site, but I’d rather give something away than toss it. You can post the items you have available and there’s also a “wanted” section for you to post what you’re looking for. You might be able to find just what you’re looking for without having to pay for it at all!

6. Consignment shops: This is another way to get rid of your gently used items. I’ve never used one before, but I’m thinking about doing so to find a home for my old prom dresses. Sigh. I’ve finally realized that I will NEVER EVER EVER wear them again. Ever. So I might as well get some money for them before they are likened to the prom dresses of the 80s with the puffy sleeves and whatnot.

7. Etsy Shops: I’m not nearly creative enough to have one of these. But I wish I was! I could spend hours drooling over items on there. Check it out if you haven’t already done so!

What are some of the things you do for extra cash?

Saving money at the grocery store

1. Use coupons: Well…duh. That’s what my whole blog is pretty much dedicated to so there’s no way I can fit this all into one little paragraph. Here are some highlights.

*Know the policies of the stores you shop at. -Is there a limit on the number of like coupons you can use in one transaction? -Do they accept internet coupons? -Do they double manufacturer’s coupons? If so, up to what amount?

*Know where to find coupons. The newspaper, magazines, the internet, inside the packages of products you buy or receive as samples, on the product itself (peelies & hangtags), coupon clipping services, ebay. I have tons of people I know give me their newspaper inserts and I’ve been known to dumpster dive (not in a trash dumpster, that would be icky….in a strictly paper recycling dumpster – if you’re going to do this, you should get permission from the dumpster owner.)

*Is there a better coupon you could be using? If your grocery store doubles manufacturer’s coupons like mine does (up to .99), then a coupon for .75 off of a product is actually better than $1 off, since it will actually ring through at $1.50. I find that the coupons my grandmother mails me from Florida are usually better than the ones I find in my area.

2. Get some reusable bags: As if “going green” wasn’t a good enough reason to use these, they could save you a little bit of cash. My grocery store gives a .05 credit for each reusable bag used in place of plastic. I got most of my bags for free during different store promotions. Now if I could just remember to bring them with me!

3. Don’t go shopping on an empty stomach: You will be tempted to buy all kinds of stuff you don’t really need.

4. Make a grocery list and stick to it: Very important. It helps you remember what you went there for in the first place. It will also keep you from grabbing all of those extra chips/cookies/brownies/bon bons/insert guilty pleasure here. If you’re anything like me, you’ll just be mad you bought said guilty pleasure anyway. If it’s not on the list, don’t buy it.

5. And another tip to keep that in check… Make a weekly menu plan: I have yet to do this, but a few of the gals on my blogroll do it. First, you figure out what meals you want to make. You can do this by scouring your cabinets/freezer/fridge to see what you already have on hand or for items that need to be used up before the expiration date. The second step is to figure out what each meal calls for. Next, you figure out what you already have and what you need. Add your needs to your grocery list…which you will not deviate from

6. Substitute Ingredients: Before running out to the store for a last minute meal item, check out this ingredient substitution chart (http://kittytigerskitchen.blogspot.com/2009/04/free-printable-kitchen-ingredient.html) to see if there’s something else you can use that you already have on hand.

7. Make a price book: A grocery price book is an ongoing list of the items you most commonly purchase and how much you paid for them. Thank you Get Rich Slowly…couldn’t have said it better myself. A price book allows you to figure out your rock bottom price for items you use often so you know whether or not you’re getting a good deal. You will also be able to track sale trends and figure out how many of an item you should stock up on until the next sale comes around.

8. Shop alone: My mother doesn’t like shopping with my father because they end up spending soooo much extra money on stuff that isn’t on the list. He also likes to walk down every aisle and it takes her triple the time to complete her shopping. When I was young she didn’t like to bring me either. I would just nag until she bought me Doritos and ice cream. Now that I share my coupon stash with her, I’m a welcome addition to her weekly shopping trip. I have also cut down on the nagging.

9. Check your receipts before you leave the store: I learned this one the hard way the other day. I didn’t realize something was no longer on sale until I had already gotten home.

Do you have any grocery store tips not listed here?