Frugal Friday- Shopping for gifts throughout the year

I am the oldest of 11 children,  several of those have children of their own now. My mom has 8 grandchildren; 6 grandsons and 2 granddaughters.  I also have some cousins now that live nearby  and other relatives that need birthday presents  and  sometimes Christmas presents. Then of course there is  baby shower gifts, wedding presents, secret sister gifts and whatever throughout the year.<p> My income is very limited  so  it is difficult when something comes up to go and buy a gift.  Besides, I like meaningful gifts! <p>  So, one thing I have been trying to do ahead of time, especially since  several sisters have birthday’s around the holidays and I hate shopping around that time. It is so crazy in the stores and I hate waiting in line.  <p> I had to order a couple things from CBD
and in order to make the postage worthwhile, I looked around at their bargains. They have some really neat stuff online. I found  a couple of things for small birthday gifts for relatives having birthday’s soon and at the fraction of the price they would be in the store. I encourage you to go and take a look. Sometimes also they have deals where if you spend a certain amount you get $5 or 20% off your order.  That can be like getting free shipping. They ship fairly fast also, so  you get your order  within a week.
<p> Think outside the normal gift box as well!  Try to think of the person, and what kind of thing they would like and use.  I gave my one sister a  gift  when she graduated 8th grade. It was sort  of a "Relax through the summer bag". It had flip-flops, a sun hat, a book, a hair clip and I think maybe a nail manicure set. I spent less than $10 on the bag and she was thrilled! <p> For a wedding gift I did recently, I bought a cookbook holder, a pretty photo album and wrote out a bunch of my favorite recipes to slip into it. (I like to use photo albums instead of recipe card files as they are easier to find and read recipes) When I calculated it with the gift bag, I spent less than $10 on the gift, more like $8.  I went bargain shopping though using stores like TJ  Maxx or  Ross Dress for Less. Of course, these gifts were a little more than I usually spend on a small birthday gift<p> When I find something on clearance and I think, "My sister would like that."  if it is a a good price, even if it a long time away, I buy it and stash it.  I try to for most birthdays for my family spend less than $10, but make it worth more. So if it may have cost $5, but was worth $10.  <p> I learned this from  my grandmother, she would do this throughout the year and always had a gift when she needed it. <p> JoAnn Fabrics is another place I like to look for gifts. They often greatly discount their  things after a holiday, including candles, baskets, and other things! If you sign up on their website to receive flyers, they send you coupons also which greatly discount their stuff. Scrapbooking stuff, crafts, or whatever! <p> I have also found rare books online that i know my sister likes, but it takes time to find them. You can sometimes find them cheaply if you watch Ebay
for them and have patience. <p> I like to make homemade gifts that mean alot too and they do not cost much at all, but mean more, because of all the time you put into it.