September Savings Day Nine: Get Creative With Gift Giving

I speak from experience when I say that an excellent gift for a bride-to-be is a tote bag purchased at Goodwill filled with travel sized goodies such as Kleenex, stain remover wipes, granola bars, Q-tips, deodorant and chap stick. And once you coupon for a while, you know that you should never actually pay for these things.

As for a mom-to-be, why not fill a wicker laundry basket with diapers, wipes, baby bath products, formula samples, onesies and bibs? You can see everything in the basket in the photo on the left. I got everything for free or less than $.50 with coupons or on clearance, and I topped it all off with white tulle and ribbon I had on hand.

If you coupon, a nice housewarming present could include laundry soap, dishwasher soap, cleaning supplies and other items from your stockpile. Those items add up quickly if you need them all at once, so help your friends out and send it over right away.

Baked goods in festive tins are great for a variety of holidays. And a nice candle or reed scent diffuser (bought with coupons, of course) is perfect for a hostess gift. These are items that I am always on the lookout for when they’re free with coupons (or if you shop at CVS, better than free after Extra Care Bucks).