photo credit: miszpinay

Birthdays are special occasions. Everybody likes to receive gifts to celebrate the day of their birth. If you have a big family, purchasing birthday gifts could prove an expensive labor of love. There is good news, though. You can express your feelings for someone without spending a lot of money.

When shopping for children, consider the age of the recipient. Kids younger than four have a short attention span. It may seem like a good idea to buy that big toy that lights up and makes funny sounds, but after a week, the child will be on to something else. A more practical gift may be a toy xylophone or a wind-up music box. These toys don’t require batteries and never go out of style. Remember the commercial with the expensive toy and expensive wrapping paper. And, in the end, the baby played in the box. Priceless.

Whenever a family member mentions something they would like to have, add this item to a list. This gives you choices when it comes to gift ideas. Perfume may be an item on the list. Instead of a big bottle that may be costly, purchase a couple of small bottles or even samples along with another item they may like.

Gift baskets are the present that keeps on giving, but it’s always more affordable to create your own. Baskets are inexpensive and can be purchased anywhere. Add colored tissue paper and ribbon to decorate the basket. Then, add the goodies. Even for children, a basket filled with several small items is like treasure waiting to be found.

Any time you have extra money, purchase items that can be used as birthday gifts. When shopping for yourself, pick up something extra for just such an occasion. In your closet, start a gift box to store all of your finds. Then, shop in your gift box first whenever a birthday approaches, before heading out to the store.

Wrapping paper and cards can be expensive accessories. Your friendly neighborhood dollar store sells rolls and sheets of birthday wrapping. They also sell bows, ribbons, and birthday cards. Stock up and keep them in the same place where you store your potential birthday gifts.

Gifts given to another should come from the heart. Thoughtful gifts do not have to leave a hole in your pocketbook. Using a little forethought could save you a lot of dough.

Having a Spend Free day is one way to rejuvenate your efforts toward getting your finances under control. You need to remind yourself that it is possible to have a great day without spending any money. Get creative; do a little homework. You’ll be thrilled to find that you can declare any day a Spend Free day and still enjoy yourself. Here are a few suggestions to get your Spend Free day planning underway:

Plan a day at the park with the family. How often do you take your family for granted? Sure you see them everyday, but do you play with the kids? If you’re like most families, it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks that are a part of any household. Celebrate your Spend Free day by spending a day at the park. You can go hiking, play badminton, and pack a picnic lunch: whatever your family will enjoy.

Go window shopping with your girlfriends. Remember when you were young and poor (as opposed to being grown up and poor now) and you spent hours hanging out with your friends? You can relive those care-free days by going window shopping with your friends. Make a pact before you leave that no one will actually buy anything. Then, look at outlandish things that you would never be able to afford. You’ll enjoy the “girl time” and get to catch up with your friends.

Enjoy a spa in your own home. Sure, going to the spa is out of the question right now, but you can still have a spa experience. Ask your husband to look after the kids for the day and leave the house to you. Set up candles in the bathroom, pour in a little of that bubble bath that you never get to use, and spend the day pampering yourself. Enjoying a long soak in the tub and painting your toe nails are other great ways to add to that decadent feeling you’ve been missing.

On my weekly grocery trip to Target this past week I noticed a display in the front of the store with all kinds of fall treats - apple cider, pumpkin bread, gingersnap cookies, etc. This inspired me to do some baking this weekend so yesterday I pulled out some recipes and got started. We’ll have lots of yummy fall inspired treats to eat this coming week including pumpkin bread and muffins, gingersnap cookies, and hot apple cider. Gotta love this time of year!

Here are some of the posts I enjoyed reading this week from the Frugal Blog Network:

Almost Frugal shares some frugal tips on how to stay warmer in cold weather.

Frugal Babe gives an update on her hydroponic garden.

Frugal Zeitgeist shares ten things that are going well in her life right now.

The Frugal Duchess writes How the Financial Mess Toys with Our Heads.

Tight Fisted Miser discusses how to Save Money by Living in a Small Town.