ALT-1 How to Save Money when Buying Christmas Presents
Christmas is nearly upon us again and this year we are probably going to feel the pinch even more than last year because since last year a whole lot more people have become jobless and the ones that are still working are wondering for how much longer will they be able to keep theirs.
So I think the idea of giving presents this year has to be thought of from a different angle which is basically to buy things for people which you think they need or can use and not from the angle that we used to use which was trying to find things that were original, fun or too expensive and at the end of the day weren't very useful and most often after Christmas got stored away in some cupboard never to be looked at again!
Instead it would be better to give to the people that you know are going through a hard time a food hamper, though not one of those expensive ones that you see in department stores, just one that you make up yourself. You only have to choose the size of wicker basket that you want to use and just include several items that would help them to eat well over Christmas. A few suggestions of what to put in could be: 2 cans of soup, a tin of liver pate, cracker biscuits, tin of olives, bottle of wine, large tinned ham, powdered mash, large can of green beans, some walnuts and figs, and a few mini chocolate bars.
Then just wrap it up with florists' transparent wrapping paper and tie it up with a big bow. It won't have cost you much more than € 10 although it will look as if it was worth much more, be a lovely gift in presentation to see and will certainly all be very useful to a family in order to celebrate Christmas.
A funny video is also a nice present to give to anyone that is going through a hard time in an attempt to make them forget their worries for a little while. They say that worrying about a problem won't make it go away in fact you more often solve your problems by taking a step back, having a break (during which you do something enjoyable like watching a comedy) and then come back to it and view it with refreshed eyes and a refreshed mind. It's more or less like an artist who has got stuck with a painting that he can't seem to continue with and yet when he steps back and looks at it from another angle he can usually come up with the way of finishing it.
Another present that springs to mind is a voucher for some sort of luxury treatment or even a visit to the hairdressers because it is obvious that when anyone is going through a hard time the last thing that they are going to spend their money on is on anything superfluous. They need every cent that they have to use on the fundamentals of life like food, rent, petrol and paying the necessary bills. So to be given the luxury of spending even half an hour in a massage parlour, a sauna, be given a manicure or pedicure or even a visit to the hairdressers will be very very welcome, because nobody on a tight budget is even going to contemplate spending money on these sorts of things so if someone gave them a voucher and they could go for free it would be a very welcomed gift as apart from the luxury of being pampered for half an hour or maybe even an hour, they could also disconnect from their problematical world and it's so important to disconnect every now and then.
Another idea would be to give some tickets to the theatre or to see the latest film in the cinema followed by a voucher to a Macdonalds. This will mean that they have a complete night out - entertainment followed by a meal and it might even take them back to their younger student days when this was the order of the day for entertainment.
I would also suggest buying a clear plastic zip up bag and filling it with cosmetics like a bubble bath, hand cream, face mask, body lotion, moisturiser, a pale beige nail varnish, a light cologne, tinted moisturiser, a brown eye liner pencil, a blusher and a brown mascara. With this, you give to your friend all the necessary items in order that she can change very easily the way in which she looks, because at the end of the day it is very easy to improve your general aspect with just a few items of make up. Make the most of yourself and always be the best that you can.
Also remember that older women can still be beautiful, they have lived life, they have experienced a whole load of things which have made them wiser and have got to know themselves even more. There is nothing wrong in having a few more wrinkles so long as you maintain the sparkle in your eyes! Enjoy life until the end of your days and know that with each day that you live you get that much wiser and you get to know how to enjoy your life that bit much more! Go for it all!
And going back to the tips for Christmas presents remember not to give anything that will just sit on a shelf as an ornament.
