Saving money on gift giving is extremely important if you find yourself constantly buying gifts because you are invited to so many different events every year. If you are going to one wedding shower after another, or baby showers, and birthday parties you may find that by the time Christmas rolls around at the end of the year, you have no money left.

I’m a sucker for looking through gift guides and dreaming about what I would give to my family members and friends if I were in the right financial position. If you have an abundance of cash and can afford to buy all kinds of gifts, cool. But then again, if you have an abundance of cash, chances are you are not reading a post about how to save money on gift giving.

Or maybe you are. Who’s to say.

Anyways… gift giving can quickly become very expensive, but honestly it doesn’t need to be.

When I was a teenager I spent a lot of money on gifts too.

My nieces and nephews were young and I bought them many expensive toys and games, which at the time, I didn’t realize that the gifts would soon end up being tossed out, as soon as the kids got older.

When I look back on those days I think what a waste of money on my part. But I digress.

Giving someone a birthday gift or a baby shower gift isn’t supposed to put us into debt.

Shopping for gifts or making someone a gift is suppose to be fun.

Fun for both the giver and the person receiving the gift. It is fun to find a gift that is special and to watch the other person’s eyes light up when they open your gift.

But how can you find a special gift while still saving money? Here are some suggestions.

Watch for Sales

Watch for sales on small favorite gifts that would work well for kid’s birthdays, graduations, wedding and baby showers, and stock up so that you will have them on hand throughout the year.

For example, after Christmas you may find many toys and games on sale.

Grab a few and hide them away in your home until you need them as gifts.

As well, at different times throughout the year you may come across small kitchen appliances such as a nice blender or food processor on sale. Buy one or two and store them away to use as gifts.

And make sure to buy any wrapping paper, cards and ribbons at the dollar store. You get the same stuff as you would at a department store for a fraction of the price.

Credit Card Reward Points

Credit card reward points can be used for so many things these days. Quite often the company that you have your credit card with will have a website full of products that you can buy at a variety of different point levels.

Consider using some of your points to purchase gifts for special occasions.

Shop Online

When you shop online you can use coupons to help you save money on gifts. You can also find very nice, yet inexpensive gifts on Etsy.com.

Etsy is loaded with special gifts for weddings, birthdays and Christmas.

And of course, you want to make sure that all of your online shopping is done by logging into your EBATES account first, so that you get a percentage of cash back.

Enter Online Giveaways

Some people think entering online giveaways is a waste of their time. But they are wrong. It takes very little time to enter and when you win you can keep some of the prizes for yourself and use others as gifts. That’s what I call being frugal.

Baked Goods

Depending on the occasion, homemade baked goods may be the perfect special gift. You could create beautiful looking cupcakes. If you are attending a wedding shower, arrange the cupcakes on a nice glass serving dish so that the bride will go home with a beautiful gift.

Another treat that is a big hit again are fancy donuts. I bet a big box of well decorated donuts would be a huge hit at any kid’s birthday party. The other moms may not appreciate all the sugar, but hey, it’s a party.

Gift Baskets

I love gift baskets. You can buy them pre-made, but the ones I love are the ones I put together myself. Let’s say you have been invited to a baby shower.

You could buy a large wicker basket and then fill it with simple cute things that you know the mother will need at some point. Socks, baby wipes, baby bottles, lotions, a cuddly blanket, etc. You get the idea.

So instead of blowing your budget year after year on gift giving, try a few of these ideas, and save some money.