The following is a brief thing I wrote for a contest...
Let me know if it's worthy of winning. The point was to write some ways that are best for saving on gift giving during the holiday season...

"It may seem there aren't many ways for saving during the holidays- there's always someone who sneaks out of the woodwork that you have to buy a last minute trinket or two for. However, here are some things I've picked up along the years of being on the program and needing to save as much money as possible! 

First- you can make an online photo album for close family and friends and they can choose to print out copies of pictures if they enjoy them! If you're like most people, you have some availability to a digital camera, or a local pharmacy that will make you a photo cd (which aren't as costly as they seem) and you can upload the prints (or if you're a little less computer savvy, enlist the help of a friend) and there are plenty of sites out there that will let you create FREE albums and SHARE them with people on you email lists! It's a great gift because pictures can say a thousand words without spending a THOUSAND dollars!  

Another option is to bake! I work at a school, and therefore I have two departments' worth of colleagues. I like to go and make them my special sugar cookies! Because they are made with LOVE! Most of us already have the basic ingredients, such as, eggs and butter, so just buying the mix shouldn't set you back too far! Also, I just cam e across a friend who made chocolate covered pretzels for next to nothing!  

Lastly, I like to get back to basics. Remember how when you were a kid, your teachers would give you construction paper and have you make cards for your family? Well, this is something like that. You can choose to buy some simple stationary and write some heartfelt holiday wishes for your friends, family and co-workers, and dazzle them up by decorating them! It doesn't have to get too over the top, even if you just have construction paper, markers, scissors, and glue you can go a long way. Think about the person who is getting it and decorate accordingly.  

People will love their personalized gifts and enjoy that you put effort into getting them something rather than passing by a store and ordering up a gift card or a dozen! That can be costly and it shows lack of imagination. These are some of my favorite ways of saving for the holidays. Enjoy!"


Let me know what you think!