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• 'Ungifting': Taking regifting to a lower level

  Posted Mar 24 2008, 12:28 PM by Karen Datko
  Filed under: Extreme savings, Family, Giving, Karen Datko
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  A letter to Dear Prudence at Slate so outraged "Feminist Finance" that she morphed into  advice-columnist mode and wrote her own response.

  The letter went something like this: The writer, who called herself "Not Made of Money," generously buys clothes and toys for her niece and nephew with the caveat that she'll get them back to give to her own children, whenever she gets around to having some. Surprise of surprises, she's hardly gotten back a thing. In fact, she found out that her sister-in-law actually sells outgrown kids' clothes and uses the money to buy new ones. "How do I remind her that I want things returned, other than writing 'Aunty wants this' on each piece?" Not Made of Money asked.

  Prudence, in her own response, wrote: "Regifting is a useful and economical practice, but you've taken it to a new level: ungifting."   Read More...

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• Stuff those socks: Cheap gifts that rock

  Posted Dec 17 2007, 09:53 AM by Donna Freedman
  Filed under: Extreme savings, Family, Giving, Donna Freedman
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  How much should a stocking stuffer cost? Not $25, I hope.
  

  Recently MSN ran an article touting "small treasures for under $25." It freaked out a Smart Spending message board reader named "surfacing."

  Surfacing, who has three kids, leans toward practical stuffers like new toothbrushes and cartoon character bandages. (Come on, who doesn't want a Dora the Explorer Band-Aid covering up his latest owie?) The reader wanted more ideas -- frugal ones.

  I'd be willing to bet plenty of us don't spend $25 total on stuffers for the whole family. Readers seemed to agree, and jumped in with suggestions.   Read More...

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• Don't like ecards? How about handmade postcards?

  Posted Dec 04 2007, 02:23 PM by Karen Datko
  Filed under: Extreme savings, Spending, Family, Giving
  Rating:
  

  Do you think e-mailed holiday "cards" indicate a lack of effort by the sender? David at My Two Dollars has an inexpensive and green alternative to traditional pricey cards. He and his wife made holiday postcards from scratch. They bought recycled card stock for $14 and spent another few bucks on rubber stamps and ink pads with red and green ink. They also saved 15 cents on postage for each card.   Read More...

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