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The holiday season is in full swing, with people rushing to holiday parties and getting together with family and friends. To help you save some time and savor the spirit of the season, take a look at some of these gift-giving ideas!

Tips for Online Shopping

There are two really neat websites that help you compare gift prices, bizrate.com, shopzilla.com. Just type in what you’re searching for and it brings back a list of all of the online stores that carry your item and lists them by price. You can also do a generic search like “men’s watches” and it brings back tons to choose from.

If you find a great deal, open a new window and search for coupons at fabuloussavings.com. You can usually find codes for free shipping or sometimes a percentage off your purchase. This is one way you can save a lot of money this holiday season.

To keep the holiday spirit, make a purchase and donate to a worthy charity at the same time, go to goodsearch.com. It’s a newer search engine that takes part of its revenue and donates it to any charity that you specify. If your charity is not there, you can add it. They make their money from the ads that are on search sites like Yahoo and Google and just direct some of that money to charity.

Homemade Gifts

Keep those college students or first-time apartment owners in mind while holiday shopping this year. Create a post card that has the recipient’s name, address and a couple of blank lines to tell you how things are going. Then put a box with three choices, “This postcard is good for a treat when YOU want it. Please check if you want Chocolate Chip Cookies, Brownies or Oatmeal Raisin cookies.” The feedback will be yum, yum, yum!

Simply address the post card to yourself (since you’ll be doing the cooking) and include a stamp, so they can just mail it when they want a homemade treat sent to them. This makes a perfect gift any time of year!

This same idea can be used for holiday stocking stuffers using coupons, such as, “Good for One Free Massage,” or “Good for One Free Babysitting Night.” New mothers would appreciate this more than you can imagine!

Giving to Those in Need

Check out donorschoose.org, a nonprofit that connects teachers and students with individuals in the community to provide students in-need with basic supplies and projects. Like any retailer’s gift card, the DonorsChoose card has a specified dollar amount that makes for a unique holiday gift.

The recipient simply visits donorschoose.org, picks a project to donate the money toward and receives feedback from teachers and students about how their donation benefited them. Recipients pick what project to fund based on project descriptions and schools. Alumni can give back to their alma maters, and other recipients can search for projects based on personal interests (music, journalism, math, Shakespeare).

Changethepresent.org is another fantastic site that allows your inner philanthropist to shine. From adopting a penguin through Defenders of Wildlife to providing a month’s worth of water to a thirsty family, this site has a truly inspiring selection.

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