Gift-giving with flair and money to spare

You made it through the season of giving! The kids all received their gifts and they received them on time! But just when you thought you (and the bank account) were in for a slight breather, you realised it’s January… the longest 3 months of the year and the start of the school kiddies birthday party season! Suddenly you’re faced with an empty gift cupboard, empty bank account and zero imagination.

This is when parents need to keep the gift-giving and birthday party-throwing expenses to a minimum because let’s be honest, we cannot make it go away but what we can do is stock up on inexpensive and creative gifts in advance to save money and time.

Consider these few ways to fill that gift cupboard ahead of time, whilst keeping the cost per gift down and the celebratory levels up!

Take advantage of end-of-season clearance sales and discounted deals from retailers, even if the birthdays are spread throughout the year. Remember that you will need to cover both genders even though the age groups may be similar. Be smart and buy unisex gifts to keep it even simpler. Art supplies, board games, books and puzzles are great non-gender-specific gifts so look for bulk deals on these. Stationery and art supplies also go on sale towards the end of January and the start of February after the “back-to-school” campaigns have run their course.

To save even further consider shopping at factory shops for last season’s toys or discounted items due to damaged packaging in which the actual toy is still in mint condition. Online shopping and delivery to your door is another great way to stock up and save. Save time and fuel by not running to the shops for every party gift and if you buy a few items thereby increasing your basket size, you will even qualify for free delivery, a further saving! Parent tip: Most online shops even offer a gift-wrapping service!

Be “that mom” this year and ace the 2020 gift-giving with flair and money to spare…