How to spend smarter this holiday season without feeling like a Scrooge

In this Finance Girlies podcast episode, we share practical tips and personal stories on how to give meaningful, budget-friendly gifts during the holidays without feeling like a Scrooge.

From using credit card points and setting gift budgets to DIY crafts and thoughtful low-waste options, we explore various strategies to keep holiday spending under control.

We also discuss how to approach gift exchanges with financial consciousness and suggestions for inexpensive yet valuable gifts like food items, homemade crafts, and personalized mugs. Tune in for our top five pieces of advice and a rapid-fire list of creative gift ideas.

00:00 Welcome to the Finance Girlies Podcast!
01:04 How to Spend Smarter This Holiday Season
02:00 Personal Approaches to Gift Giving
11:27 Thoughtful and Affordable Gift Ideas
16:16 Tips for Budget-Friendly Holiday Shopping
28:03 Creative and Cost-Effective Gift Suggestions
37:01 Wrapping Up and Final Thoughts

Transcript

Cassidy: Welcome back to another episode of the Finance Girlies podcast, and I am here to tell you [00:01:00] happy ho ho holidays. Happy holidays. We have a super fun episode in the works called how to spend smarter this holiday season without feeling like a Scrooge.

Emily: It's that time of year, which can be both exciting and fun, but also kind of tough on the wallet. It can feel super hard to find gifts that are meaningful and affordable and obviously, we're all on a bit of a deadline.

Cassidy: Preach.

Emily: Yeah, but we're firm believers that you shouldn't put yourself in a tough financial situation just for the sake of gift giving. But that doesn't have to mean you can't participate even when your finances are tight. And in this episode, we just wanted to share our own approaches to gift giving, some examples of favorite gifts we've given or received, and tips for finding those thoughtful gifts that don't break the bank.

So let's [00:02:00] get started.

Cassidy: So first, we wanted just to share our general approach to holiday gift giving so you can get a feel for how Emily and I both separately tend to do gifts throughout the year. 

So I will start us off and I will say that for years, especially while I was paying off debt and building my emergency fund and just getting to the point where I felt financially stable, I did not give gifts at all. And I will say historically in my adult life, I have not been a gift giver, not because I haven't wanted to give gifts, but one, because I was focusing on my finances, and two, I truly only want to give gifts that feel right that I know the other person will love. Like I never want to be in a situation where I'm trying to find a gift for someone out of obligation so I can just mark it off a list. And that comes from me really getting a lot of gifts over the years that I haven't really wanted or had use for and have ultimately just [00:03:00] ended up giving to Goodwill at some point and also just like the whole, you've heard it a thousand times, but just like consumerism is rampant. And I don't know. I'm like, please do not feel obligated to give me a gift just because you think you need to buy me something and I'm not going to use it. Like, let's just, let's just hang out with each other and that can be that. 

Um, so, that has been my general approach but over like maybe the last year or two, I have been circling back to this whole idea of like, wanting to give intentional, thoughtful gifts I know the other person will really, really love. And so that is where I'm at today.

Emily: I'm so glad you shared like your old perspective and putting a pause on gift giving while you were focusing on paying off debt and building your emergency fund. Because I don't, I don't hear other people really talk about that. But I'm curious, did, like, [00:04:00] did you ever get any, not pushback, but like, did people acknowledge that you were doing that? Was it ever, like, a topic of conversation?

Cassidy: I don't really have any conversations that pop out in my mind. I do remember feeling like my family might really judge me for not getting gifts, but I think that was just like a mental hurdle that I had to get over and just to give some context, like, I started getting my finances, quote, unquote, together when I was in college, and I think I gave myself permission then to not really worry about it because I was like, your family will just view you as a broke college student. Like, of course, you're not going to be giving gifts to everyone. I really started to feel the pressure when I got married because it was at that point where I was like, I am stepping into a newer version of adulthood and like, I have this other family to think about now and I really want to come across as like a thoughtful kind, like I got you this thing kind of gift. And so, [00:05:00] the very first Christmas I was married I felt the most pressure I've ever felt to give gifts, especially to all of my immediate family members and my husband's immediate family members. But I was also on a really tight budget.

So what I ended up doing was going to Goodwill, I went to several Goodwills over a several span, like several-month time period, and I bought every like plain white mug I could find and I can't remember exactly how many I needed, maybe like 15 or 20 and all of these mugs were like, a dollar, two dollars apiece, something like that. And then I went to a craft store. I watched YouTube videos on how to like, do initials onto a mug, and then make it permanent. So you could like, put the mug in the dishwasher, hand wash it, and the lettering would stay on there. And I like, bought the supplies that I needed, and I like, stenciled everyone's initials onto the mug, and gave that to them that Christmas. And maybe I ended up spending 30 or [00:06:00] 40 dollars on like 15 to 20 gifts. It really wasn't that much money. And that’s what I did my first year. 

But after that, I was like, it's not worth it. Like, just tell people that you don't need a gift from them, that you would rather share an experience with them, whether it's a meal or just hanging out at their house. And that way they don't feel pressured to get you something. You don't feel pressured to get them something. So that was my philosophy after that first year, like, moving forward. 

Emily: Yeah, I love that. I think a lot of people could benefit from that every once in a while, or at least at some point in their lives.

My approach to holiday gift giving has not changed a ton. I've always enjoyed giving gifts like, even as a kid. I've always been crafty and like, as a kid. I love making little, I would make these little things out of toilet paper rolls where I would like wrap them up in fun paper and tissue paper or cellophane and make them look like little [00:07:00] candies, but I would stuff them with like fun things like bubble gum or for my dad, golf tees or chapsticks. I don't know, whatever, just like little fun things. So I've always kind of loved making personalized gifts and giving gifts, but I totally agree. I've never liked when it has felt like an obligation and has just felt more like consumerism is, is making me do this. 

So specifically what it looks like today, my husband and I save throughout the year. Gift giving is, I'd say a part of both of our families. And so we do prioritize it to some degree in our budget. And then when the holidays come around, we usually make a list of all the people we want to buy gifts for and assign just like a, a ballpark estimate of how much we want to spend on each of those gifts, making sure that in total that money does [00:08:00] not exceed what we've saved.

Cassidy: Mm.

Emily: And then like when possible, I still love to give homemade gifts and sometimes that saves money and some, like, it doesn't always, like, for example, making quilts is not, not cheap. If you're, you know, buying a lot of fabric, that kind of thing, but. Still, it's more like, I love that aspect of gift giving, even if it's not a money-saving measure. 

And then I also love to shop locally. So again, that doesn't always save me money, but it's important enough to me that like, I'd much rather buy someone maybe a smaller gift that I got at a local shop or by a local artist rather than maybe a bigger gift from Amazon or like a big box store. So that's another part of my gift giving approach.

Cassidy: Yeah, even as a gift receiver, that's such a beautiful thing for someone to be like, someone in my local community made this thing. And [00:09:00] when I saw it, I thought of you. That, yeah, that just means so much more to me than something randomly off the shelf at Walmart. And I give that example because that, no joke is like, if anyone from my dad's family specifically is listening to this, I will throw you under the bus a little bit. 

But I remember in college, I would get the most random gifts from my dad's family specifically. And I could tell that they just went to Walmart and they were like, we've got to buy Cassidy something. Let's, let's see what's on sale. 

Like I remember one year I got a quesadilla maker. Historically, I do not like quesadillas. I love burritos. I love tacos. Give me Mexican food in a million different forms. Quesadillas are my least favorite way to consume Mexican food. And I was like, this I don't, I don't like this at all. 

And then I remember another year I have always tried to carry, like, all of my stuff in a carry-on bag. You know, I'm not, I, I never check a [00:10:00] bag. I'm a carry-on gal through and through. And I remember one year they got me the largest purple suitcase I have ever seen in my entire life, like up past my hip.

Emily: Like you could fit inside of it. 

Cassidy: Exactly. And I remember unwrapping it and being like, I would never use this. And I kid you not, on my way back to college, I dropped it off at Goodwill before I went back to my apartment. 

And this is like a decade ago, so it will go on the record. I feel comfortable telling them that now, but yeah, it's gifts like that where I was like, you clearly didn't think about me and what I would like, and I don't want to give gifts like that, nor receive them. So yeah, I love your philosophy.

Emily: I'm with you. I'm with you. When it comes to gift-giving advice, I am a firm believer in the gift receipt. I, and I appreciate [00:11:00] my family is, is on board with this. Like if you don't like it, that's okay. That's what the give receipt is for.

So I feel like that's the way to maybe like go out on a limb with a gift and like try to surprise someone, but like, know that you're not going to be wasting your money if it's not actually something they like or want, so.

Cassidy: That's so true.

Emily: Just a thought.

Cassidy: Mm hmm.

Emily: Okay, let's get into sharing some of the best gifts we've ever received or given that, since we're a finance show, didn't cost a ton of money or were especially, maybe untraditional.

Cassidy: Mmhmm.

Emily: You want to go first?

Cassidy: Sounds good. I know Emily and I brainstormed a lot of gift ideas that were inexpensive that we really, really loved, but for time's sake, we were like, let's narrow it down to our top two. So I have my list of top two. The first one is just a plant that someone else has [00:12:00] propagated.

And I, I do this too for gifts sometimes. Like if you know someone is a plant person, and you already have a plant, just cut off some of that plant, propagate it, put it in some water, let it grow some roots, and then plant it and give it to that person. And it, it can be a completely free gift if you also have like a cute little planter lying around. My mom just did this for me a few weeks ago. She flew over for Thanksgiving. She uh, brought me a little clipping of one of her plants and I'm currently propagating it. And…

Emily: That's so cute.

Cassidy: Yeah, it's just such a good gift. The second one, this can be a holiday gift. I received it on my birthday this year. Um, but two of my best friends printed out, I was turning 30 this year. They printed out 30 of their favorite photos of us together. And then they wrote little messages on the back of like what was going on, you know? 

Say we were at a restaurant, you know, and then they wrote a little note about, I don't know, maybe something we ate or like a conversation we [00:13:00] had or experience or something, just something about that moment that they really loved. And it was the most thoughtful gift I think I've ever received, and I don't know how much it costs to print off some photos at CVS, probably not much, but honestly, like, they’re photos that I will cherish forever. And it was just such a thoughtful gift. Like it meant more than anything.

Emily: Yeah, that's so sweet. That reminds me of one of my gifts I wanted to mention, something I coincidentally gave my husband for his 30th birthday, which was a book of photos and messages from his various friends and family. 

So I, leading up to his birthday, I contacted family members and friends and asked them to send me a picture of them with my husband and just like a little quick note, something they would scribble on a [00:14:00] birthday card. And I just compiled it all together into a single album and gave it to my husband as like, a giant birthday card. And it was so fun. It was so fun to make because everyone was just saying the sweetest things about my husband. And it was fun to see all these pictures. Like, some people sent, like, super recent pictures. And then some people sent photos from, like, college or high school or even earlier.

Cassidy: Ah, my heart!

Emily: So, it was so funny. And it was so fun to, like, surprise him in that way. So, that was for sure a favorite. And then something I received, that I loved. My friend is super crafty and creative. And a couple of years ago, she got into sewing clothes, which is something that, I don't know, I may want to dabble in someday, but for now I'm just sticking with quilting.

And she made these like fleece hoodies, [00:15:00] with like, a big cozy pocket in the front and they snapped up like this. And they're just, the one she gave me is in really fun colors, and she has one, and her husband has one, and we all just like, when we wear them around, get compliments from people, like, oh my gosh, where'd you get that, and it's so fun to say that my friend made it.

And I don't know, like, how much time it took her, or, I don't know, it's pretty impressive, but she kind of, I don't know, she's good at that kind of stuff, so I doubt it was, like, a huge amount of effort on her part, but it's so sweet, and every time I wear it, obviously, I think of her.

Cassidy: Yeah, I think that's the tradeoff. It's like if you don't want to spend a lot of money on gifts, but you're willing to sink some time into it, it can end up being the most precious and thoughtful thing in the world. Like the giant birthday card compilation thing that you did for your husband [00:16:00] or even like with the photos for me, right?

Like I'm sure it took you some time to reach out to family members to be like, hey, this is what I want to do and then to print those things off and compile them, but money-wise, it's like virtually nothing.

Emily: Yeah, right, that is kind of the trade off a lot of the time, I think. 

Well, let's move into some advice we have for making or purchasing gifts without emptying your bank account.

Cassidy: Yeah. All right, so we have five pieces of advice for how to spend smarter this holiday season without feeling like a Scrooge. Okay, and my very first piece of advice to you though, dear listener, is to know that you can opt out of giving gifts at all. 

And like I said earlier, this is what I did for years. If you need a script to tell people if someone asks you or tries to make you feel guilty, you can say something as simple as, “I'm focusing on paying off my debt and getting myself financially stable right now, so I won't be giving any gifts this year. [00:17:00] But I would love to have you over for dinner or spend the day with you.”

Emily: Perfect.

Cassidy: And that can be that.

Emily: Yeah, as simple as that. I love that advice. Okay, next, similar to what I mentioned before, I think if you are going to give gifts, It's often a good idea to set a budget and make a list of all the people you want to shop for. Not only will it keep you from spending a whole lot more than you intend, or spending more than you have, but I also just think it gives you a chance to be more intentional about who you want to shop for, what gifts you think would mean the most to these people. And if you do it early enough, it can, I kind of think it can help you save money in that you're going in with a vision, or you're at least aware of, kind of like what you're looking for, so that you're not, you know, five days before the holidays, like stressed, trying to do all of your shopping without [00:18:00] an idea of exactly what you're looking for. And like what you want to spend that you, like, in that situation, likely you will spend more than you want. And it probably won't feel good.

Cassidy: Yeah, you made such a good point. The budget, of course, is, like, a key component to making sure you don't overspend on holiday gifts. But, the biggest, like, ah-ha thing to me is planning out a list of people you want to buy gifts for and sticking to that list, because I have found that anytime I am in the gift-giving spirit, is so easy for me to spiral a little bit and to be like, well, if I'm getting a gift for this person, then I also need a gift for that person. And then I also need to get a gift for this person. And then pretty soon your budget's out of control and you're really strapped for time because you have all these extra people to buy gifts for. 

So just thinking through ahead of time, like, these specifically are the people I will get gifts for this year. And that will be that and here is my budget. So let me figure out what I can get [00:19:00] all of these people, given this amount of money. It's such a beautiful gift to give yourself, in terms of just keeping your stress levels to a minimum.

Emily: Well said..

Cassidy: Yeah. Okay. The third piece of advice we have for you is if you are going to give gifts and you are a person who uses credit cards for points or cash or whatever, use some of those points to redeem as gift cards that you can either give to someone else or you can use for yourself to buy gifts for people. And I'll give you an example. 

I love credit card points. Especially with my Discover credit card. I am all the time redeeming those points for e-gift cards. I wanted to crochet my mom a blanket this year, and even getting yarn from Michaels, a blanket requires so much yarn, it was gonna be like 100 dollars. So, I redeemed enough points to get a Michaels gift card with my credit card points through [00:20:00] Discover. And then I used that gift card to buy the yarn that I needed from Michaels to make her a blanket. So the blanket ended up virtually, being free. And so that is just a smart example of if you do have credit card points sitting somewhere, use them to your advantage.

Emily: That's really smart and something I've never done, but, great idea.

Cassidy: Yeah, a lot of times too, at least with Discover, you get a discount on the e-gift card. So it'll be like, buy a 50 dollar gift card for the equivalent of 47 dollars. You know, so..

Emily: Yeah, I was wondering.

Cassidy: Yeah.

Emily: Nice. Next tip, don't be afraid to get someone what they ask for. And this is something I have like felt differently about at times, like, as I was saying earlier, I love, creating surprises and making personalized gifts and, yeah, it's like the best feeling when you surprise someone with something they love and [00:21:00] had no idea was coming, but I would totally rather get someone something they, like, I know that they want, that they've asked for and that they will use and cherish than, try to surprise them without really knowing, like, what they'd love and just getting something that they don't want or they don't need and they're not going to use. So yeah, even if it feels like you're taking the easy way out, like there's nothing wrong with, getting someone something that they've asked for. Clearly they need it or want it and will use it.

Cassidy: Mm hmm. I also think along those same lines, don't be afraid to ask someone for like, a short list of three or five things they would love to have.

And I'll give you an example. I have not made a Christmas list for anyone since I was a child. Like, it, it, I feel like as an adult, it's just something you don’t do.

Like, when is the last time you have made a Christmas list of [00:22:00] things you would want for the holidays? I just don't think it happens.

Emily: Yeah. I mean, formally, it's been a long time. However, I will say my family is big on asking you what you want. Especially my mom.

Cassidy: Mmhmm.

Emily: So, she's, she's always asking. Like, leading up to the holidays. Yeah, like straight up, what would you like for Christmas?

Cassidy: Okay.

Emily: I, yeah, I don't always have answers, but usually she like, she will ask enough times to where it's like, okay, I better think of something because clearly she wants to get her shopping done.

Cassidy: Mmhmm.

Emily: And I will say my sister is really good at this. Like she, she is the person who wants, like, the most practical gifts. Like one year my husband drew her name in like our sibling gift swap and she wanted a lid for her cast iron pan. He got her a lid for her cast iron pan and she was thrilled, like…

Cassidy: Yeah,

Emily: And it's like the simplest things, but she's like, that is exactly [00:23:00] what I wanted. It may not be exciting, but that is what I want.

Cassidy: Yeah, when I was in college, I seriously remember telling my family, like, please get me a family-sized pack of of toilet paper or, I don't know, five tubes of toothpaste. Like anything that saves me money. Please. Um, yeah I asked about the Christmas list because this is the first year where we will actually be at my husband's grandma's house for, for Christmas, like we're waking up at her house on Christmas. And so she was texting us and she was like, since you're going to be here, like on Christmas morning, I would love to have a little something for you here to open, like before you leave. And she was like, so please send me a, like a Christmas list. 

And this was the first time, like I said, I made a Christmas list in my adult life. And at first, I was like, I do not know what I could tell you to get me. But as I started thinking about it, I did come up with a few things, like even though they were small things, they were just like things that I [00:24:00] would probably never buy for myself for one reason or another. I’m like, you don't need to spend money on this, even though it's something you'd really love. But it's like, if someone else wants to get it for you, sure. But yeah, I really appreciated that she was specifically, “give me a list of things that I can choose from. Cause I want to make sure it's something that you will use, love and enjoy.” And I love that.

Emily: Yeah. I agree. I think that's so helpful for everyone involved because, we were talking about this earlier, neither of us are good at, like, feigning excitement over something we don't like or want. I don't know. Obviously, it's the thought that counts, but it's also nice when someone really just hits the nail on the head.

Cassidy: Mm hmm. Yeah. I think there’s also a layer of it too, like if you know the other person maybe was put in a tough financial spot to be able to buy you something, and then it's something that you don't even enjoy or use, there's like a whole other layer of just like awkwardness and why are we doing this and [00:25:00] it feels wrong. 

Emily: Especially, if you're at all a money conscious person, I think it's like more than just the thing itself. It's like, what resources went into this? Might they have better be saved or invested? You know, there's all of that to think about. 

Cassidy: Right. And that goes back to like, even if someone does have the money to get me something that I would use and enjoy, I feel like, especially as I've gotten older, I really do just cherish, like, the quality time that I can spend with someone. And I really do mean it when I say, like, let's just pick a night where we're really intentional with our time, and we hang out, and we create an experience, even if that experience is watching a movie and popping some popcorn and you know, that just means so much to me. So if someone tells you that, trust them. Or if that's what you want, just tell the people in your life that too.

Emily: Just say it.

Cassidy: Hopefully they'll listen. Yeah.

Emily: Yeah. [00:26:00] 

Cassidy: Yeah.

Emily: Do we have one more tip?

Cassidy: We do, we do. And it kind of ties in nicely. If you are the kind of person where you’re like, I want this to be a surprise, I don’t necessarily want to ask someone directly what I can get them for Christmas but I still want it to be thoughtful and intentional and something that they’ll use. One hack that I have started to do is to keep a list in my phone of my loved ones’ favorite things. 

So, for example, as I’ve made friends as an adult over the years, you know, you have the person's contact information in your phone. There’s a little section for you to just add random stuff to the contact in your phone for that person, and I will jot down my friend's middle name, their favorite coffee order, some of their favorite restaurants, their favorite color or a hobby of theirs. I'll just try to keep a list of those things, um, but then as you go throughout the year, if you see something that you think they'll love, you can pick it up for [00:27:00] them.

Emily: Such a good idea. I have not done that, but I love it.

Cassidy: Yeah.

Emily: So smart.

Cassidy: Like one thing in particular, like, especially if your friends live in different areas than you do, right, they probably have a favorite local coffee shop that's like a family-owned thing or a favorite restaurant that’s like a family-owned thing. A lot of times you can still get gift cards to those places online, you know, if they have a website.

And so will, like for someone's birthday, I, instead of getting them, a gift card to Starbucks, I'll try to casually bring up in conversation a coffee shop that they really love to go to in their town and see if that place has a gift card that I can get them. And even that is so much more thoughtful than being like, here's a gift card to Target. Here's a gift card to Amazon.

Emily: Totally. We've done that a few times with siblings, because our siblings all live far away from us. With, like, bookstores, like, local bookstores, because both my husband and I are, like, big book people and love our local bookstore. So yeah, [00:28:00] that's a fun one, too.

Cassidy: I love that idea, leads us to our next part. We were gonna wrap this up by just kind of rapid-fire going through a list of gift ideas that are cost effective or low-waste if you're still needing some ideas for what to get the loved ones in your life. We're just going to rapid fire go through some options.

Emily: Cool. And I'm gonna be the first to admit I have not started my holiday shopping yet. And we are, less than two weeks from Christmas. So this is also benefiting me. The first item on our list is like food items. So whether it's homemade or not, some homemade things are that are like, go-to gifts for me are like a jar of nice granola I've made, candied nuts, like pecans, super easy to make and like such a great gift. Like people love receiving a little treat like that. Or like if you want to go the store-bought route, chocolates, candies. I live in the cherry capital of the world. And so we have everything cherry here and there's a great [00:29:00] store that makes cherry everything you can think of.

And it's all delicious and those make great gifts. So we often fall back on that or like a nice olive oil or just something that's like a little more special than what you would buy for yourself, but it still doesn't have to be expensive.

Cassidy: Mm hmm. For sure. I feel like especially if you don't really know someone that well, a food item is like the perfect thing to get.

Emily: Totally.

Cassidy: Okay, another thing on our list is homemade crafts if you are a crafty person. And this can be so many different things. As I mentioned earlier, this could be as simple as a really heartfelt letter, you're printing off photos with sweet memories attached, right? Like that can be the extent of the craft. 

But if you are someone who quilts like Emily does or who crochets or knits and you have leftover like fabric or yarn or whatever, see if you can repurpose that extra stuff into a really thoughtful handmade craft for a loved one in your life.

Emily: Love it. [00:30:00] I'm going to let you take it away on the next one because I think you added this to our list.

Cassidy: Fuzzy socks! Uh, Yeah, another thing. Especially if you live in a cold weather climate, just get someone a nice pair of fuzzy socks. I live in the Pacific Northwest, if someone ever comes to visit, and I want to get them a thoughtful gift and I know that they're the slightest bit cold-natured, I'm like, here's a pair of fuzzy socks for you to at least wear around my house while you're here so your feet stay warm and it ends up being a thoughtful gift.

Emily: That's a great, I've never thought about it that way, like, socks are such a classic, stocking gift, I think, in my family, but I love the idea of “welcome to my home, stay warm.”

Cassidy: Right.

Emily: That’s such a good idea, because I also live in a cold place.

Cassidy: Mm hmm.

Emily: Next, this is kind of your idea again, Cassidy, but coffee mug specifically. So this can go a lot of different ways. I'm a big fan of, shopping craft fairs and picking up, handmade, beautiful [00:31:00] ceramic mugs by local artists, but those are sometimes kind of pricey.

Cassidy: Mmhmm.

Emily: So there are other options specifically, like you mentioned, maybe picking up some like plain mugs, whether that's at Goodwill or a similar store and then customizing them or decorating them, making them special in some other way is a great idea.

Cassidy: Mmhmm. And you can also find a lot of handmade mugs at Goodwill if you give yourself enough time, right? Like it might be a rare gem, like someone made this mug or they bought it at a craft fair but no longer use it or whatever and it ends up at the thrift store. It might take you longer to find a mug like that, but they definitely 100 percent exist.

So it's like if you start your shopping early enough, you can be on the lookout for gifts like that.

Emily: Smart. Love that. Next.

Cassidy: This next one was kind of your idea. Do you want to talk about it?

Emily: Oh, sure. this is kind of for somebody you know really well and like, kind of know their tastes a little [00:32:00] bit. But if you have for instance, like a really pretty wall calendar or I don't know, prints are, you can get really nice, beautiful art prints for you know, not a ton of money depending.

But I love the recycled idea of using old calendars and have done this several times in the past, but just framing a really pretty print and wrapping that up and giving it as a gift is such a personal, inexpensive way to go. You can look for frames at Goodwill.

Cassidy: Mm hmm.

Emily: I don't know. It's kind of hit or miss depending on like the size you're looking for, but generally you can find inexpensive frames, especially with like a, a Michaels coupon that is always available.

But yeah, so I just did this. My friends were visiting. On their way, they were actually moving across the country and stopped by on their way and saw the calendar that was hanging in the office [00:33:00] and it was a really pretty painting of a place they had recently been in the past year in Patagonia, and like, pointed it out, and were like talking about their trip there.

And so immediately I was like, “Oh my gosh, I'm going to give this to them later in the year.” So it was perfect because they were moving to a new city, new apartment. And when the month was over, I cut it out, sized it to fit a frame and sent it in the mail. 

Cassidy: Yeah, that's actually what I'm going to do. I ordered a 2025 wall calendar from this artist, and each month comes with like, an eight by ten of her art that you can cut out and frame. So I will definitely be looking as the months go by for like, is there anyone in my life who would really love this, this piece of art, this like landscape portrait more than I would.

Emily: Mm hmm.

Cassidy: Or, I may just frame them and use them as art around my house too, which feels very exciting. It's like [00:34:00] dual purpose, either way.

Emily: Yeah. Right. We've done both. I have, I have various calendar art framed throughout my house, too.

Cassidy: Yeah.

Emily: It's a fun one. Oh, and speaking of that, that kind of ties into our next idea, which is a homemade calendar. And I've never made one of these, but I have received several of them. And they're so fun. 

My husband's family makes a calendar each year with just, like, pictures of various family members, like, really cute photos, and what I love is they also, my husband's mom puts this together. She adds everybody's birthday, all the family members’ birthdays, so, like, we hang up the calendar. We have everybody's birthday documented and see it every month when we change the calendar, so we have no surprises. We can, like, plan, you know, putting cards in the mail on time and that kind of thing. But it's just, it's really cute. It's really fun. Love that gift.

Cassidy: Yeah. [00:35:00] Okay. That reminds me of another idea. Um, whenever I was in graduate school, my family and extended family all took a cruise together and it was so cool that we all got to do that. But it ended up being like my mom, my stepdad, my aunt and my uncle, my other aunt and uncle, my cousins. And so what I did for Christmas that year, because I wanted to, and I thought it would be really exciting. Not because anyone was expecting a gift, is I ended up making like a little photo book of all of my favorite photos from our time together on that cruise. And then I just gave them all the photo books. Everyone had like this little tangible memento of our time together. So that could also be an idea if you've taken trips with people.

Emily: Yeah. Love that.

Cassidy: And then rounding out the list is candles and fancy soaps. And of course these can, and we do fancy and air quotes. Both of these can be as expensive or as inexpensive as you want them to be. Some of my favorite candles are the ones from Trader Joe's. Like they'll put out the seasonal candles and they're, I don't, I can't remember exactly, maybe $3.99, $4.99 for a [00:36:00] candle. But that can be a really inexpensive gift for someone.

Emily: Yeah. And, soaps are the same way. Like, little, handmade soaps that have, fun names and are pretty colors, I love for so many reasons. You are giving, essentially, a zero waste gift, that somebody is bound to use.

Cassidy: Mm hmm.

Emily: Like, everyone can use a bar of soap, and it smells really nice, it's pretty, and there is nothing left, once the soap has been used. 

Cassidy: Right.

Emily: No one has to, find space in their closet for this gift, or like, make room in their kitchen drawers, like, it's just a bar of soap that will be used and loved and then it's gone.

Cassidy: Mm hmm.

Emily: Similar to a candle, which it's not something that is like a burden to receive. It's lovely, it's temporary, and then it's done.

Either of those gifts I feel like make ideal re-gifts, like, if you don't use them. It's perfectly fine to, like, pass that along to somebody who would [00:37:00] enjoy it more.

Cassidy: So true. Yeah. So as we wrap up this episode, if you have any other cost effective or low-waste gifts that you have given in the past and would love to share them, please let us know. Our email address is hello@thefinancegirlies.com. We hope you all have a lovely holiday season and we appreciate you taking the time to listen.

Emily: That's a wrap on another episode of the Finance Girlies podcast. Nothing in this episode is meant to be taken as financial advice.

Cassidy: Please do your own research and talk to a professional if you need advice. As always, if you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe, rate, and review. Love ya. Bye.