Last year, the average American family spent $830 (S$1178.60) for Christmas gifts. This year, that figure is expected to increase despite the sluggish economy, and the spending frenzy will soon begin on Black Friday (25 Nov). As mentioned throughout this site, being frugal does not equate to being cheap, nor does it mean focusing only on the price of something. Frugality is about ROI, or Return On Investments, in which investments could be money, time, effort, or other resources. (more…)

Father’s Day is just around the corner, and for those procrastinators who have not gotten a gift yet (myself included), here are some gift ideas that are thoughtful yet frugal. Most dads, as I’ve been told, don’t really want ties and money clips. Instead, they secretly want gadgets. However, gadgets can be very expensive, and too many of them are bad for the planet as they contribute to the excessive amounts of ewaste. A lot of gadgets also end up underused and collecting dust on the shelf (the average drill is used only 12 minutes before it’s discarded) as technology evolves and new gadgets replace the old ones. Because of budget and ewaste considerations, my list includes primarily experiential gifts, along with some tech gadgets, all reasonably priced! (more…)

There are times when buying second-hand is not really an option; office or holiday gift exchanges are one of them. Here are my top picks for frugal gifts, all around $25. I’ve chosen these based on their thoughtfulness, utility, and value. As a gift giver, I don’t want to appear “cheap”. But I also don’t want to give something that is useless and creates more “stuff” in this world. Many of these are gifts that I’ve personally given to others, including in-laws and office colleagues. Today is also a good day to do some online shopping as many shops have a massive 12-12 Sale. (more…)