If you are like me, you want to give presents to everyone you know… after all, Christmas is the time for giving and nothing makes us feel better than to give.  But it’s just not possible to give gifts to everyone.

So, not being able to buy something for everyone, we are left with the daunting task of figuring out just who do we buy for?  So how do we do it?

If money is tight this year you have no choice but to limit your gift giving.  The years when my wife and I have little or no disposable income, we concentrate of getting gifts for the kids.  When our kids were younger, they were easy to buy for, we have actually put wrapping paper and bubble wrap in a box, wrapping the whole thing and putting it under the tree… I think the kids had more fun with a box full of paper than they did with the new toys they received.  Now that our kids are older, a box of paper won’t cut it.

Okay, so you know you have to buy for the kids, you and your spouse can agree not to get each other any gifts in order to buy gifts for others.  But watch out for this one guys… whenever we do this my wife inevitably gets me something.  So I have learned to do the same just in case.

The best way to figure out who to buy gifts for is to make a list.  But before making your list set a budget on how much you have or are willing to spend… on everyone.

So begin making you list like money is no issue.  Write down everyone’s name whom you would like to give a gift.  Next to each name, write down what gift you would like to give and the cost of that gift.  If there are multiple gifts you would like to get one person, write them down.

Now once you have your list complete, total the cost of all of the gifts, be sure you sitting down when you do this, you will likely be shocked when you see the total.

So, does the total match your budgeted gift giving money?  I didn’t think so.  If it does, you are in the minority, or you are a lousy gift giver. 🙂

Well, it’s obvious you can’t afford to buy everything that you would like to, so start adjusting your list.  Go over your list, either adjusting the gifts and amounts and/or start eliminating names until the total meets your budget.

It is likely that while eliminating names from your list, you are keeping the people who mean the most to you.  If there are people that you just can’t seem to cut, consider giving a card or some type of home-made gift.

The holiday season can be extremely stressful if you let it.  Don’t fall victim to the guilt of not being able to lavish everyone you know with expensive gifts.  For the people you decide to give gifts to, if you take some time, and put thought into their gifts, they will feel the love that your are intended to convey.