By Brianne Spinelli

Happy Holidays, Savvy Aunties! As the peak of this festive time of year quickly draws near, many of us are still stuck scratching our heads trying to think up the perfect gift ideas for loved ones, including our precious nieces and nephews. It can get very stressful! Compounded by the fact that this is a particularly expensive time of year, even the Savviest of Aunties can find herself Scrooging about how miserly she has to be. Never fear—we can help you find a gift solution that is both thoughtful and budget-friendly!

1. Put your talents to good use!

Sure, those three little letters “D.I.Y.” can seem pretty daunting, but if there’s something you love to do, the whole Do It Yourself aspect of gifting becomes a lot more fun. Do you excel at baking or have a to-die-for fudge recipe? Package some goodies up in decorated mason jars or take-out style containers. Handy with a needle and thread? One of a kind sock monkeys make charming gifts that will be cherished for years to come.

2. Plan a special activity!

Not everyone is craftily gifted. The popularity of Etsy, an e-commerce website specializing in handmade items, is proof of that. In that case, plan a special activity with the kiddoes! A movie night at home is always fun, especially on cold winter nights when no one wants to trudge out to a packed movie theater. Put together a package with personalized popcorn buckets, movie theater candies, and plush, cozy socks. Include “Your Choice!” faux movie tickets that you can print on your home computer, or a DVD or two of your own choosing. Target has a number of DVDs available as cheap as $5!

3. Take advantage of the Internet!

Get the most bang for your buck when you use your savvy skills to shop online. Ebates.com provides users with current promotions for online retailers around the web, and gives you the opportunity to receive a percentage of cashback on your purchases when you begin your web-shopping experience at Ebates. Another valuable tool when online shopping is to sort items by price. That way, you’ll be less pressured to go over-budget on something extravagant because bank-breaking items won’t even appear in your search results. Refinery29.com curates items from around the web and even provides lists of gift ideas, such as “50 under $50: The Ultimate Gift List.” It’s a great resource for shopping for your very fashion-conscious niece.

4. Give the gift of treasure!
No, we’re not talking the gold and jewels type of treasure (though, if you have any to share…). Aunties know that treasures come in many forms. Remember the scene in the movie Casper, where Casper’s treasure was an old baseball and glove? Maybe you have something special of your own that you’d like to pass on to nieces and nephews. In my own case, I gave my niece my copy of one of my favorite children’s books, Where the Wild Things Are. Now we read it together all the time, and even tell one another “I’ll eat you up, I love you so!” Heirloom gifts are wonderful because they don’t cost anything, and are some of the most personal, heartfelt gifts you can give.

However you choose to choose to gift this holiday, here’s wishing  you a happy and healthy holiday season overflowing with love, snuggles, and those enchanting nieces and nephews who brighten your life!

Brianne Spinelli is an “Auntie by Relation” (ABR) to Julia, Alexis, and Lucas. A life-long lover of pop culture, Brianne has taken her love of pop music, especially boy bands, through to adulthood and subsequently, into aunthood. Connect with her on Twitter at @freetobebree or here on SavvyAuntie.com, AuntBree.

Published: December 18, 2013