Buying birthday gifts on a tight budget can be difficult. Whilst not all meaningful gifts have to expensive, it’s hard to say no to certain expensive gifts that you know will make an impact. Here are just a few tricks for making birthday gifts more affordable.
Consider borrowing Birthday Gifts
As a way of extending your budget, it could be worth borrowing some money. There are short term loans with easy repayment that could prevent you getting into too much debt. You could also buy items on credit card – doing this may also protect your purchase if the product is faulty or not as advertised and you want a refund.
Joint buy gifts
For big expensive birthday gifts, it may be possible to get other friends and family to chip in. This could prevent you having to borrow money to buy these gifts. It could even benefit your friends and family – rather than buying a cheap meaningless gift, they can feel more assured that their contribution will be appreciated.
Shop for coupons and discounts
It’s worth looking online for retailers that may be offering discounts. There are comparison sites and guides out there for everything from toys to experience packages. Coupon sites are also worth perusing through for deals – you may find a voucher code for a limited time only that allows you to buy that perfect gift at half the price. Annual sales such as the January Sales and Black Friday are also worth taking advantage of if there’s a birthday on the horizon.
Opt for Vintage Birthday Gifts
When it comes to physical gifts, you can almost always save money by buying second hand. Even if you’re looking for a new product, you’re bound to find someone who’s selling it cheap because it was an unwanted gift or a something they won (the product may not even be used). You could visit second-hand shops and flea markets to find these gifts, or you could shop online on second-hand sites. When considering the latter option, make sure that pictures and seller information offer a clear indication of the product’s condition so that you don’t get ripped off buying something damaged. Local online selling sites and apps could allow you to pick up the product in person and judge its condition for yourself before purchasing.
Start planning early for future Birthday Gifts
To avoid being limited by a tight budget, it’s worth planning for birthdays early. This will give you enough time to save up for big gifts. Alternatively, you can buy lots of small gifts over a longer period of time so that you’re not having to buy them all in one big go. Planning early may also give you more time to hunt for discounts and take advantage of sales. For example, you may find cheap summer clothing in winter and gifts in the January sales that you can then give to someone for a summer birthday – waiting until summer could cause these gifts to be cost you a lot more.
