I have a box in my closet. It's stuffed full of toys and trinkets, baby gifts and gifts bags.
All the items have one thing in common: a clearance tag. This is my gift stockpile. Whenever I see deeply discounted (75% or more) items, I snatch them up and stockpile them.
Just this month, we have 7 birthday's on the calendar, from cousins to teachers to best friends.
I love being able to grab gift bag fillers and on-the-spot presents, especially when the budget is tight. After holidays like Valentine's Day and Easter, I like to pick up the tiny toys for party favors or little gifts for my own kids.
Having a gift stockpile works for me! Please make sure you mark calendar for WFMW: Frugal Edition two weeks from today, May 6, the first Wednesday of May. (During these economic times, I thought it would be helpful to share a frugal/money saving tip for any area of your life!)
{Thank you for joining me for WFMW! You can read the guidelines here.}
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55 comments:
I have a gift drawer, but it is getting depleted, thanks for the inspiration to restock :)
I do the gift stockpile, too, and aside from saving money, I love that I'm no longer running out the morning of the party to get a gift!
This is one thing I've never done very well with. I don't know why! It sure beats spending big bucks at the last minute!
Don't know what I'd do without my gift stash! I think Christmas for my 15 nieces and nephews is already taken care of this year.
I've never been good about the stockpile. Maybe I'll try again. Great tip!
I promise, you and I are like sisters, parted at birth.
I thought I was the ONLY person who ever did this. My husband mocks me, my sister turns her nose up at me, but I get the last laugh when my Christmas shopping is done by August. Sometimes I feel just a teeny bit guilty for my "cheap" gifts, but there's a bit of a thrill that comes out of giving a $50 value gift that only cost me $5 or $10 dollars. Not to mention the the fact that I don't really have a gift budget. January and July are awesome clearance months, too. :)
I don't have children and I still have a gift stash. Some of the items are not from the clearance section, but are still a great deal :)
My problem is keeping the gift stash all in one location.
Just read your tweet! I hope you start feeling better soon.
My mom had a gift stash like this when I was growing up for friends' birthdays and the like. What a great idea to fill it with clearance items! I think I'll start doing this, too.
I do the same thing as I have the money. I find great deals at Tuesday Morning and Marshalls!
I love those after-holiday sales. I've found many cute items to give away as gifts (or, keep for myself).
I have 2 totes full of gifts items. I love being able to go to that and pick something instead of running out at the last minute and paying full price for something!
Yes, it is a great idea to have a gift pile-box. We use it often for hostess gifts or birthdays etc. I think I usually have some type of consummables for the adults like soaps or candles. This week on my blog, I am continuing to talk about hospitality and having people over for a meal.
Funny I just wrote a post last night about how to get deals on gifts all year long. Great minds! I have to take photos and then I will publish.
That's a GREAT idea!!
I totally do this, too! My best gift deal was the $.69 newborn outfit, brand new. I grabbed a few. These were Target overstock at Goodwill. Thanks for hosting this awesome party!
That is a great idea. I also pick up things I stash them away in the closet. From November to January, we have 5 birthdays and Christmas!
I do the same exact thing! I love having gifts that I can shop for in my own home. Currently all the gifts I have stockpiled are taking over the whole top portion of my son's closet. I think I go a little crazy sometimes, but it feels so good when I can just go to the closet for gifts that were on clearance rather than paying full price for something!
Great idea! I used to have a stock pile, but it ran out. Time to find some sales. Have a great week:-)
We have exactly this, it's called the present drawer... Lots of gifts get recycled into it too - nothing like consciously re-gifting!!!
I do the same thing, although my gift 'box' is a large (like, with wheels) Rubbermaid tote and a couple of shelves in the garage. I love not having to rush out to get a birthday party present. I didn't even need to shop for my own boys for their Christmas or October and January birthdays. That makes the Christmas budget go a lot farther!
I had some gifts that didn't get used for anticipated birthdays and such over the year, and I was able to give a good friend the chance to 'shop' my stash for her own 4 kids Christmas.
I know that makes it sound like I really over-do it, but I'm pretty good about even 'stashing' with a specific person/occasion in mind, and keeping the total under control. (Am getting better about filtering 'deals' through the concept "Is it really a bargain to spend money on something I won't use/don't need?")
I also keep a selection of Dollar store tissue and gift-bags on hand for wrapping those gifts. (Nothing like spending an unnecessary extra $5 on the wrapping for a kids' birthday present.) I also buy the non-Christmasy paper on clearance (preferably for 90% off). The plain red, green and blue can be decorated with stickers for personalized wrapping and the kids love doing it themselves.
It's harder now that the kids are older to do the gift stockpile, but it served me well for years! Great idea for a WFMW, because that gift pile sure worked well for me! :)
I am so with you on this one, however, I have been accused of not picking out individual gifts that are special just for that person!
I have a box for my daughter, son, husband, general kids and general adults!
I totally have one of those gift milk crates myself.....and I giggle out loud when I score items for a ridiculous price of 19 cents!
I have a gift shelf where everything is labeled with a name and occasion. I have gifts purchased through the end of the year for 95 % of my list!
The clearance racks are GREAT!
i totally do this too! just put together two "new baby" gift bags last night just from stuff i had on hand, including the bags and tissue paper i packed them in! love it!
I do have a gift box, but it is running low on supplies. I keep a separate box filled with wrapping paper and cards too.
great idea! preschool class b'days can nearly break the bank...wonderful tip!
I do the same thing. A lot of mine is stuff that my kids have gotten for gifts but already have or don't need. They are perfect for the birthday parties that the kids get invited to.
Great tips! I love this day. You learn so much that you can apply in your daily lives and pass on to others.
This is such a great idea! My mom does this too. I really need to do this, I just need to find the space in my house!
Toni
I have a huge gift stockpile in several Rubbermaid tubs in my basement. In fact, I probably have too much. Any gift I get that I don't really want goes into those bins. I like to "regift" quite a bit, because I absolutely hate clutter! But it does mean I always have housewarming gifts or shower gifts on hand!
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I do the same thing. Love it! Bought some Christmas cards yesterday for 75% off, $2/box.
Thanks for hosting!
~Liz
I love this idea! Yours is stocked!!! J just "found" my gift drawer last week. He called me at the grocery store..."Hey! Did you know we have a bunch of NEW games in the guest room? Can I open one?!?" I need to learn to hide better.
This is a wonderful idea. I have a big bag full of wrapping stuff but this would make everything so much easier. Thanks for sharing!
I have a gift trunk that I am slowly working on stocking... is it bad to admit that a lot of what's in it is stuff I'm planning to regift? I can really only use so many candles and packs of stationary!
That's such a great idea. I always had plans to start something like this--even going so far as to save the duplicate Happy Meals toys. It's never come to past, though.
Thanks for the reminder about gifts--I do this too, especially when I see something in a discount book catalogue that I think would work for wedding showers or new babies.
Not joining in this week [not organized] but I share your box in the cupboard tip although mine isn't anything like as full of goodies as yours.
Cheers
What a great idea. I am going to clean out the bottom of my closet today and get a box in there for just such shopping.
Having a gift stockpile is a lovely idea! Especially if, like me, you tend to remember birthdays VERY last minute!
I used to have a place in the closet that I kept kid theme toys and gifts.
These days I buy when needed.
Great post! Thanks for hosting WFMW.
Ok. This is just genius! I'm constantly having gift occasions but I'm out of money to buy the gift. I'm totally starting a pile. Woohooo. (i think i'm a little excited)
Yay for gift closets! I think everyone should have one. :)
I'm hosting a Mr. Linky for frugal Kid Bday Gifts next Monday at Moneywise Moms. Hope you can join me!
http://www.moneywisemoms.com/2009/04/frugal-fun-kid-birthday-gift.html
I used a stack of rubbermaid drawers for our gift stockpile. I especially like to use it for filler gifts. Also, I do the same after holidays for my kids...Christmas gifts and Easter.
I do this at my house too, and it is such a lifesaver. My stock is getting low, thanks for the reminder that I need to go shopping!
Love this idea! I'm a sucker for those little red tags anyway...
I do the same thing. In fact, Sear.com is having a clearance on dearfoam slippers, some as low as 1.99. I got 4 pair to put away for bdays and christmas. 4 pair shipped cost me the same as one pair regular price!
This is a great idea - I admit I stole it from another blogger (or was it you?) a while back. I don't have *quite* the stockpile you do, but its nice to have a few items on hand for all those darn birthday parties!
Love all these great tips, and a gift stockpile is an awesome idea. I always think about it but have never gotten around to doing it! I'm afraid I'd forget where I stashed or what was in there...
My aunt had one of these stockpiles in a special closet when I was little.She lived in a different town than me and whenever I got to come sleep over at her house she would always bring out a couple of items from this closet.
I'm sure she didn't have alot of $ in the items but to me they were always so special. It made me feel special and help creat memories of those times I'll never forget.
It's really helpful to stock up on these items specially if you have kids. These are great and can have lots of uses: as children's party giveaways, presents, emergency toy supply for your little one. Thanks!
I have similar stockpiles at home. I must confess I'm an addict to shopping and to giving presents... and I recieve a lot of those too.
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