This is part two of the Meaningful Gift Giving blog series. We’re also planning to wrap up the series by posting the comments of our readers in a separate blog and possibly on the Abunga website. We will post only first names, last initial, city and state in the blog or on the site. So be sure to comment on the blog with all your suggestions and gift ideas, and let me know how you plan your gift buying!
Once you have generated enough ideas to get you started, you have to determine your budget. Do you have the money to spend on big gifts? Or are you working with a tight budget? If you’re spending a set amount on a list of people, you’ll have to decide how much you want to spend on each person. When you are working with a tight budget, you should always consider things like sales and bargain priced items that you can purchase in advance of the Christmas rush.
Then you’ll need to decide what gifts on your list are appropriate. To do this, ask yourself how well you know the person. Is your relationship close (or distant) enough that the gift you’re considering would be appreciated? If so, you can go ahead with your planning; if not, consider revising your ideas list.
Finally you should consider how creative your ideas are. If you really want to give the people on your list meaningful gifts, you should think about doing something like a do-it-yourself type of gift that you can create for someone. Abunga has plenty of ideas about what kinds of gifts you can enjoy working on. In addition, some people enjoy receiving more monetary gifts like gift cards which they can use to buy exactly what they’re looking for. Gift cards also cut down on returns and exchanges. You should also consider whether the person is interested in any non-profit organizations like Compassion Coalition, Emerald Youth Foundation, or Precept Ministries International. Through Abunga, you can opt to donate five percent of your purchase to the charity the person on your list loves.
Now that you have a good idea what you want to buy, it’s time to work on the last part of your plan: the actual shopping. In Part III, I’ll discuss the benefits of shopping online versus brick-and-mortar, and I’ll give you some planning tips to put in place before you go face the crowds.
Be sure to post your ideas and plans, and let me know if you have any great gift giving tips that need to be posted! Meaningful Gift Giving Part III comes out Monday, Nov. 1, so be looking forward to that as well.
-Rachel
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