Today I’m writing about something I struggle with when it comes to gift-giving and trying to live a frugal money-saving lifestyle. You might have the same problem as me, do you suffer from gift guilt?

Even before embarking on a frugal lifestyle, I had an enormous sense of guilt surrounding the gifts I gave people for their birthday and for Christmas. I never felt like I had bought them enough no matter how much I spent.

I never stuck within a budget. In the past, I have misinterpreted people’s awkwardness when giving them a gift as a sign that what I had given them wasn’t good enough. Now I realise that some people just feel embarrassed by being given a gift and it was probably nothing to do with what I bought them at all.

Sticking To A Budget

Fast forward a few years and throw into the mix that I now HAVE to stick to a budget. That and the fact that I’ve had to stop buying gifts for some people due to cutting back and my feelings of guilt are at an all-time high.

I’ve read some brilliant advice about being frugal in the ways of gift-giving. It still doesn’t stop that awful guilt from surfacing when it’s time to buy. Could I really give someone a cake I made? Could I stick within a very low budget and buy them something useful instead or extravagant? Would I feel bad about the children having a small pile of gifts on Christmas morning as opposed to a huge one? these are all the questions I have been struggling to answer lately.

I wrote a post about paying for Christmas by using the extra money I have made. I did this by completing surveys, focus groups and selling our unwanted items. I’m very happy that I have done this. For once I feel really good about the gifts I have bought for the children. I’ve not gone overboard and each gift was carefully thought about. I have a few people left to buy for and this is what I’m struggling with.

The Simple Truth

The simple truth is that we are limited in our budget. Any gift I can give someone does not and will not ever reflect how I feel about them. I can only truly show that in my physical gestures not with anything material and I need to keep reminding myself of this.

The situation has come to the point where something has to change, I need to find a new perspective about it all.

Do you have any ideas on how I can better deal with the stress of giving gifts ? have you been in the same situation ? what do you think?

FOR MORE MONEY-SAVING POSTS LIKE THIS SEE OUR FINANCE ARCHIVE.