I like this! Let me kick things off with this tip.
We’ve discovered that my wife that this knack for baking. So, we will give away baked goodies in boxes (which we did not use, around 150 pieces) leftover from our wedding giveaways.

Hi Rico! You gave two tips in one advice. Use your (or your wife’s) skills AND recycle. Make sure you help your wife with the baking, and you even gain by getting more bonding time hehe. (Gives you pogi points too!)

hindi ko pa naisip yong christmas gifts If I’ll have the time, I want to bake some pastires and give it to friends

My money smart advice? Re-gifting.

Thanks for this post Salve, it gave me a hint that I should also prepare some articles related to Christmas already for my site.

i give away pictures of my officemates during our party instead of buying things for them. saves me money and time

gifts only for family members.cash for parents

One thing i have noticed through 2008 is that stores have been on sale almost every month. This only means that retailers are trying to perk up consumer spending. One should hold off purchases until there are “sale events” which will surely come. So whenever you go to the mall, browse around because somewhere a store will always be on sale.

I like bargains. So when I chance upon a bargain at a home decor store or at a baby/kids clothes shop, I start to think about my xmas shopping list.

Since I’m staying in Sydney, there’s always a weekend market somewhere. My rule of thumb is, if I can from my apartment to the place, it is worth visiting (so I don’t have to spend for bus or train fare). First, I’ll explore the place. I scout for interesting things. I jot down the price. I go to another the following weekend and I’d do the same. When I’ve come up with my budget and list, I’ll start my xmas shopping. If I remember last year, I started my xmas shopping as early as Sept.

The only problem was I had hard time packing all the stuff I bought when I went back to Phils last Dec. Now, I learned my lesson, I should only be buying gifts that I know I can bring back home.

I’d also like a personal touch, like baking pastries (like my mom used to do), or crochet or cross stitch some knick knacks or whatever. But I’m leading a busy life, so buying gifts had always been convenient.

I usually think of Christmas shopping in the summer. The reason: there are 4 seasons in Beijing and by the time Christmas season arrives, I can’t buy short sleeve shirts or shorts if I plan to give those away.
Also, I do re-gifting. If I win anything that looks good and I won’t use it, I’ll just give it to someone.
When I travel, I browse through souvenir shops for something useful and nice. I make note of what people want so if I see something for someone on my list, I buy it right away.

hmmm…. di na siguro ako mamimigay ng xmas gifts… hahaha! cheapo!

kasi galing lang ako bakasyon (earning pesos here, mind you) and spend $$$ on pasalubong so pwede na siguro walang xmas gift dba?

although, honestly i was thinking of getting a digicam for my parents (plus the 2 bros left living at home). so they can have something to remember moments with….

i’ll probably scout around in advance (and ask hubby’s permission too!) and see if there are cheap cameras that i can get on 0% interest

ay additional info pala.

ayala cebu usually holds a sale sometime on november, timing din kasi 13th month pay ng comp namin, so at least may pambili ng xmas gifts. at least that was what i did several times already.

Just wanted to share…
Start your Christmas shopping early dont buy everything at once. Just plan your list and then go to flea markets or malls for great bargains. Buy lets say tow items at a time by the time your 13th month pay comes your Christmas shopping is dont and your 13th pay can go straight to the bank.

Also… OT:
if you want to save lets say 10k a month each pay day set aside 5k and forget about it, the remaing amount on your salary budget it and by the end of the month you would find that you had met your target or in most cases you save more than 10k a month

I’ve been shopping for gifts already! One site I liked was christmasmonth, you should check it out.

[...] Christmas shopping in September [...]