Okay, so we are down to the wire and you just don’t have the budget to buy any more gifts even though you have more people to buy for.  So, what are you going to do? Well, my friends, I do have some ideas for you. You can choose one of these 5 low-cost gift alternatives to finish our your holiday strong without putting you in financial distress.

1. Food. Yes, I know I talk about food gifts a lot, but it’s true!  Just bake up a batch of their favorite cookies, baked bread or candies and you have a ready-made gift!  One year I actually made homemade syrup (much easier than you might think), packaged it in a mason jar with a cute ribbon and presented them as gifts and the people that I gave them to loved them!  They were thrilled.
2. Date night. If it is your sweetie that you need to buy for still, write them up a little coupon for a date night in the future.  Chances are you guys are past-due for one anyway.
3. Babysitting services.  Are you looking for a gift for someone that is a parent of small children?  How about offering a gift of your babysitting services. Trust me, they probably need it.  I have a toddler at home and the idea of a babysitter is quite exciting to me.
4. Game night invitation.  Why not, instead of a gift, you create an experience gift for friends or family?  Invite them over for dinner and a game night. I think there is an expectation that experience gifts have to be expensive and difficult.  This is not true at all. We love to spend time with our friends and family and we love any opportunity to do just that, so a gift such as an invitation like this sounds like an amazing time.

Have you ever been in this position before? No extra money, but still needed gifts?  What did you do?