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How To Shop for Christmas Gifts When You Are Flat Broke

As Christmas rounds the corner and you discover that only lint lines your pockets, you needn’t worry about not being able to provide expensive gifts for your loved ones. Keep in mind that the most memorable gifts are ones that money can never buy. Here are some tips that will help you get through this season with a smile on your face and hugs from your those you’ve given gifts to.

Spend some time making a collage of memories for your friend. Cut out pictures of your friend and frame them with various decorations. Colorful markers and construction paper in your desk can be the beginnings of a great gift. You can cut up the previous year’s calendar pictures and paste them with your collage. Enlarge words that describe how you feel about your friend and present this collage as a gift from you heart. Your friend will probably keep this longer than a store bought candle bought on a whim.

If you enjoy baking, this can become a wonderful gift to many people. Bake cookies and cake during a relaxing afternoon and wrap them up with colorful, festive plastic wrap. Tape each batch with a Christmas card and present this lovingly to your relatives who would love to eat your double chocolate drop cookies. If you have relatives who are always bothering you for the recipe, then print the recipe and tie it with your gift. You will receive plenty of hugs for this task.

Give coupons of service. When your friend is swamped with her four toddlers at home, give her a coupon to redeem an afternoon of babysitting while she goes out for a manicure or a movie by herself. If she is not willing to ask for babysitting, then just go to her house and say that you’ll help her with housekeeping without any comments on how messy the house is. She’ll definitely appreciate this gift.

If you enjoy writing, pen a few lines of poetry for your loved ones. Knowing calligraphy helps to make your poem look lovely, but if you don’t know this art, a nice font on the computer works well. Print out the poem and decorate it with your loved one’s favorite color and pictures that have meaning. Remember to sign your name at the bottom of the poem. You may get a few tears with this gift, so be ready with a nice box of tissues.

Give the gift of time to those whom you truly love. Write that your gift to them will be to spend the day sitting with them and doing whatever they want. After you write this promise down, follow through as soon as possible. Tell them that you are there for them and that you will listen to them. Even though this is just one day, your loved one will never forget this day and will treasure this gift for the rest of her life.

Make your friend’s favorite meal and enjoy it together. Print out a little menu and create the ambience of a beautiful restaurant. If you can get the help of your friends, have them serve of the wait staff to bring the menu and the meal. This way, you can just spend some quality time with your friend without the hassle of running around the kitchen to make sure everything looks perfect. If your friend doesn’t mind, then have her come over while you are making the meal, and you can make it together while you laugh and enjoy memories over the stove.

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