Does the Amount You Plan to Spend on a Gift Matter?

Hello again, savvy savers! With the holidays quickly approaching, I wanted to post about an email I received from a blog reader, asking whether the amount that you actually spend out-of-pocket on a gift should be given matter. In other words, does your savvy-saving methods of finding discounted or free holiday gifts, make your gifts worth any less in the eyes of the gift recipient, versus a gift that you paid the full price for?

• It shouldn’t matter whether you spend $500, $50.00, or you get something free!
• The money that you put into a gift is a non-issue; the thought behind your gift, the ability to match a gift to a recipient is what truly matters!   
• Being able to shop, using coupons, deals, and discounts requires planning, budgeting, and a great deal of time and energy, making your gift often times more valuable that thoughtless, last second retail store gifts!

As well, I feel that if someone makes you feel uncomfortable in regards to a gift, perhaps you should not be offering them gifts this year! As a child, I was often told its improper to ask how much a gift costs, and to remove any tags from items, especially clothing, as no one should know how much you spent on a gift, or in the case that they spent less on your reciprocal gift, then should not be made to feel embarrassed, too! 

As a savvy saver, I often come across gifts that stock my gift closet year round. Sometimes me gifts are discounted. Sometimes the gifts are review items. Sometimes the gifts are purchased with earned survey cards. Sometimes the gifts were freebie items. No one knows how much I spend on any item, and honestly no one should ever have to! 

I purposely seek out steal-of-a-deal items so that my holiday shopping is completed by November 1st annually to beat out any holiday rushes, crowds, and chaos! 

In fact, I have a weekly gift closet and holiday savings post were I explain that each year I set aside a holiday spending budget of under $400.00 a year, and I generally am able to purchase items in excess of $2,000 annually; this year I spend $287.19 for $2,134,91! 

So for me… its the gift that counts, no more, no less! 

What are your thoughts on this topic? Do you agree or disagree with me? 

Here’s to saving,