Sometimes the right Christmas gift isn’t about just finding a good bargain online. Maybe it’s the last minute, and you don’t have time to wait for shipping. Maybe you’re looking for something so old it’s not made anymore. Or something too big to easily ship.
Here’s a few other sources you might try…
Looking Local: Freecycle and Craigslist
You might be surprised how often people give away (or sell cheaply) a perfectly good ___________ simply because they don’t need it anymore and they want to get it out of their house! Anything from furniture to electronics, books to exercise equipment, appliances or even cars!
The Freecycle Network helps you find people in your local area who are getting rid of things for FREE. Sometimes it’s junk. Sometimes it’s treasure. You enter your city and state on the website and then find a group near you. Usually you’ll see an email list with online archives. You can then search for the item(s) you’re looking for in case someone nearby is giving it away for free.
Craigslist is like your local classified ads on Internet steroids. You click on the city or state you’re in and find the craigslistings nearest you. Then you use the search form to see if anyone is selling the item you’re looking for (or you can browse by category).
Major Retailers with Cheap Christmas Gifts
There are some excellent options these days, with all the cheap merchandise we get from China (slight joke there). If you haven’t stepped inside these stores, you might give them a try. You’ll find rock-bottom prices for some items — maybe even the ones you want.
Wal-Mart has a wide variety of things priced to sell. Everything from toys to electronics to clothing to furniture.
Target can be more expensive on some items — but the places inside Target you really want to check for cheap gift ideas are the $1 dollar aisle (usually towards the front of the store) and the bargain/clearance area (usually towards the back).
Discount stores are always a good bet, and although the names vary by city, you can find them under “Discount Stores” in your local Yellow Pages. Or use YellowPages.com – enter the category Discount Stores and then enter your city and state. Just be careful — many items sold in discount stores are very cheaply made and easily fall apart. Examine items closely for quality if you want to give a gift that will last.
Do It Yourself – The Value of a Homemade Gift
Don’t forget! You can always make a gift to give for Christmas. Hand-crafted gifts are very special, and there are lots of ideas for making your own gifts. See our Do It Yourself category for a few ideas.