Getting together for the holidays shouldn’t break the bank. When you’re on a budget, checking off the list of all of your cousins, aunts, uncles, parents, brothers, sisters, in-laws, and anyone else who might turn up to the family gathering can be a daunting task.
The gift exchange can turn awkward easily. Maybe you forgot the youngest cousin or your sister-in-law spent way more on you than you did on her. Oops..
Well, here is a new twist on an old gifting tradition that is fun, budget friendly, and avoids the holiday faux-pas.
First, decide on one budget for all the gifts. No one can spend more than x amount.
Then, Each person in the family who would like to exchange gifts signs up on the gifting website. You can even create a wishlist for yourself so that everyone knows what you would like.
The website sorts the names, delivering one recipient to each family member.
At the party, each person stands up and gives a hint as to who they bought a gift for. This is where it gets really fun! Gift giving turns into a fun game instead of standing around delivering each gift with a quick “Merry Christmas!” and moving on.
Once you figure out who the gift is for, the exchange takes place.
In the end, everyone receives one meaningful gift and isn’t stressed about how much they spent on others.
By Sophie Bauer
