Give Frugally, Show Love (Link-Up!)

With all the hustle and bustle of buying gifts and checking off lists, it can be very easy to spend far too much money during this time of year. Christmas is certainly not a time of year when frugality shines. So how do you stay within a tight budget and still be sure that you have satisfied everyone on your list and showed them how much you care?

Give gifts of love.

I have talked before about Dr. Gary Chapman's book on The Five Love Languages. Each person has a different "language" in which they express and feel love: acts of service, physical touch, quality time, words of affirmation or receiving gifts. The fraction of people who feel love primarily through giving and receiving gifts is quite small. Basically, that says that you can show most people how much you care this time of year by saving your money and giving them a "gift" based in their love language.

Do you know someone who lights up any time you run an errand for them? Then for Christmas, perform as many acts of service as you can for that individual. They will feel more loved and thought of than if you purchased them hundreds of dollars of gifts.

Have a friend that is always grateful when you are there for them? Shoot to spend as much quality time as possible this Christmas season. Get together and do their favorite activities or just enjoy an afternoon of coffee and chatting.

Do positive words set your loved one's hear aflutter? Write them a poem or letter expressing how much you care. To make it even more powerful, read it aloud to them set to their favorite music.

If physical touch is what makes your friend or family member feel special, offers a lot of hugs throughout the day. Cuddle up together for a movie. Better yet, offer a massage or backrub complete with aroma therapy.

Of course, there are people who feel the most loved by receiving gifts, so by all means give away! But remember that just because someone's love language is gift giving does not mean they are focused on the price tag. Most enjoy handmade gifts and bargain deals as long as they are thoughtful.

So this year, think outside the box. Consider each person's love language and decide how you can make them feel the most loved and thought of this season. Christmas is not about price tags or quantity of gifts. It is about sharing love for those around us in the best way we know how.

Find more great homemaking tips at: Frugally Sustainable, Raising Homemakers, To Love, Honor and Vacuum, Life as Mom and Women Living Well.