Frugal and Fabulous Holiday Gift Ideas!

Hi everyone! It's been a while since I've posted- we've been so busy with all of the holiday festivities! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and found lots of awesome deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday!

I wanted to tell you about a couple of really inexpensive gift ideas I'll be using this season. I'm a big fan of minimizing holiday expenses. I just don't feel like there's a need to strain your budget or go into debt buying gifts for everyone! That being said, it is the season for giving, so here's some things I'll be doing this year that are totally awesome and won't break the bank!

For Girls:

My friend and resident beauty expert Nur introduced me to an insanely awesome makeup deal. If you like MAC cosmetics this is definitely the right place for you! The website TKB Trading offers sample sized portions of most of their items for you to try. The micas are pigments that are typically used in making eyeshadows and are priced at $1.50. With this "sample" you get a hefty portion (either a teaspoon or tablespoon of powder, depending on the type) of pigment. I ordered 6 different pigments and WOW! They are better than any other eyeshadow I've ever tried! I wore different ones last weekend and the compliments just flowed! Along with the pigments (which come in baggies) I ordered these adorable jars (for some reason my hyperlinks aren't working so here's the link: http://www.tkbtrading.com/item.php?item_id=405&page=3&category_id=38) to store them in for $.75 each, and each baggie easily filled 2 10 gram jars to the brim, with more to spare! I just made my second order and I'll definitely be gifting these to several ladies on my list (none of which are reading this, hopefully!). :)

For Guys:

I'll have to admit- I'm not the best on this subject. My hubby is more frugal than I am (If that's possible!) so really doesn't want me to get him much of anything. After the first few failed attempts I finally resigned to necessities- socks, underwear, *maybe* a fancy shaving cream or bottle of tequilla. I did however, find this great article on EHow.com on cheap gift ideas for the guys in your life:

Drinks

Men are used to their close friends buying them a drink to express their gratitude, and a nice bottle of alcohol can be a thoughtful and inexpensive gift for a guy. If you know what brands or types of wine or spirits he likes, the gift can be particularly meaningful and practical. While fine alcohol can be quite expensive, you should be able to find a decent bottle for a reasonable price.

Body Care Products

Although some colognes can be expensive, look around for reasonably price kits of shaving or soap products. The sets can be practical for a man (ask any man how many times he has woken up to find that he's out of shaving cream or soap) and tend to be attractively packaged so that you can be sure that your present will be impressive when it's opened.

Sports Memorabilia

Forget Muhammad Ali's autographed boxing gloves on auction for thousands of dollars, but you can find reasonably priced memorabilia like autographed sports programs or trading cards for as little as $5 or $10. Though sports items can be expensive, just seeing his team's logo should make a fan happy and appreciative. Just be sure you know who his favorite team and players are.

Gadgets

It is true: Most men are fascinated by gadgets. Depending on his interests, something as simple as a nice compass, a good knife or the newest advance in tie-hanging technology will not only be well received, but will keep him entertained for a good while without costing you that much.

Clothes

Most men don't particularly like getting clothes as a gift, but if you don't know him well or you do know that he's fashion conscious, the usual list of inexpensive men's clothing items can be a good option, including ties, vests and shirts.

Books and Music

If you know some of his favorite bands or authors, a book or CD is a relatively inexpensive gift. As a last resort, books and music can make for good humorous gifts if you share some inside jokes. Remember that if you can at least make him laugh when he opens your present, he'll appreciate the gesture no matter what is inside.

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