Frugal Christmas Gift Giving: Friends

Gift giving is one of my favorite things. I love the shopping and careful planning that goes into each gift. I like to give gifts that are nice and that people will enjoy for a fraction of the retail price. To be able to give good gifts, there is one rule: Always be shopping. I know this is counterintuitive for those who are trying to cut back. But I didn't say always be spending, I said always be shopping. This means to visit websites and stores frequently while keeping an eye out for gift ideas and good deals. I have several posts to do on the subject of gift giving, but today's post is about gifts for my graduate school friends. This year they are ALL getting the same thing. I ran into a bit of a problem last year when some people gave me gifts and I didn't expect them to, and also one friend who gave me several gifts at different times, requiring me to feel as though I needed to buy more for her. I wound up spending ~$30 unplanned because of this. I vowed to be very prepared this year, so no matter what happens, everyone gets the same thing. Also, I am prepared with extras if need be. First, I purchased eight Christmas stockings for $1.35 each (originally $18.00! Who pays $18 for a stocking??). Next, I stocked up on several scarves at Gap (online) and Old Navy for $2 to $4 a piece. Then, I purchased the notepad and pen combos for $1 clearance at Walgreens. Finally, during all the school supply sales I stocked up on incredibly cheap filler paper (.15), notebooks (.09 for regular spiral and .75 for Five Star), folders (.02 to .05), markers (.68), colored pencils (.25 to .39), pens (.10 to .39 per pack), crayons (.15), etc. Since we're all students, I am going to give them each some supplies from my stock. For my friends that are not in school with me, I have more freedom to buy what I want since I don't need to do it in bulk. I'm not going to post about that, though, since some of them know about this blog. ;)