Gift ideas that avoid the pressures of holiday overspending

SALT LAKE CITY — The pressure to buy gifts can feel overwhelming if you’re worried about overspending, but in today’s ‘Save More, Worry Less,” we’ve got some creative and festive ways to stick to your budget.

“The choice really is ours. We can opt-out of consumer culture’s pitch to buy more this Christmas. It’s ok to do things differently,” said Julia Ubbenga, writer of the blog Rich In What Matters.

She said you’ll be happier and less stressed if you don’t let gift-giving dominate the season.

Ubbenga suggested some ideas on how to enjoy the gift-giving season a bit more.

• Participate in a Secret Santa gift exchange. Instead of buying gifts for a lot of people – stick with just one person and set a dollar amount on how much to spend.
• Purchase wrapping paper at discount stores. After Christmas, you can stock up on clearance wrapping paper a year in advance.
• Send a thoughtful Christmas card instead of gifts to show people you’re thinking of them.
• Talk to friends and family about spending time together instead of exchanging gifts.

“Could you invite them on a walk? Could you invite them over for coffee? Or could you write them out something meaningful? That might be even more meaningful than scrolling through Amazon,” Ubbenga suggested.

Another way to show you care is by giving gifts of service. Create redeemable coupons for services like cooking dinner, a free car wash, or doing the dishes.

Ubbenga said people would appreciate these kinds of acts more than a store-bought gift.