Christmas Giving on a tiny budget

We've tasked ourselves with spending as little as possible this Christmas while still giving awesome gifts!

This is something we've been planning all year, but it's not too late to start. Here's some of the things we've done:

1. Stockpiled yard sale/thrift store/consignment gifts. Most are new in the box, but for a much better price than the store.

2. I've been using my Paperback Swap credits to get books for friends and family that I know they'll love. I put anything that they don't have on my wish list, and have gotten several books that way. If you're a reader, join now!

3. E-bates. We do not like to shop, so we do as much as possible online. When we order something we need, we pop over to Ebates to see if the store is listed. We've saved shipping costs AND gotten cash back on many purchases- the cash back will help pay for our Christmas. If we're going to get it anyway, we may as well earn money on it!

4. Swagbucks. I earn Amazon gift cards using Swagbuck searches. A $5 gift card is 45 Swagbucks, and I can earn that in a month doing basic searches. If you have a blog or a lot of friends, you can earn even more through their affiliate program. Sign up now and get 3 free Swagbucks! We have a bunch of Amazon gift certificates waiting for our Christmas order!

5. We watch for deals like this. The $40 gift card will go to sending flowers to a hostess who is having us for Thanksgiving. A gracious, beautiful gift...free! (Hurry- it expires 11/30/09). This is only one example of how points can earn rewards that can turn into gifts. I watch frugality blogs and freebie blogs to find things like this.