Mom shares brilliant tip on what to do if you're too broke to afford Christmas gifts for everyone and it's on-point

Come the festive season, everyone is up and at it with much fervor. With the lights, sweets and gifts, there are overwhelming expenses that become financially straining for many. In such cases, to keep up the holiday spirit becomes challenging. A woman named Sam (@shawtgal49) revealed simple tips to keep it real and wholesome this holiday season. The mom explained that gifting can become unaffordable and burdensome but it doesn't have to be so. The mom shared tips to have a jolly Christmas and also not go broke overspending on expensive gifts. She highlighted pointers that can make it simple to gift even when you’re dreading the season financially. 

The mom opened with an honest statement saying that no gift guide as such can help in strenuous situations. “I have no suggestions because I’m just honest with people. Last year, we were so broke that we couldn’t afford to buy gifts for people,” the mom said. She revealed that she simply communicated the fact to them and was stunned to know that the feelings were mutual. “You’d be surprised at how many people were like, ‘Ugh, that’s so great because I don’t want to buy you a gift either,’” Sam noted. She further suggested buying gifts only for “people you’re responsible for,” and first on that list is children. Sam went on to point out that gifting kids too, doesn't have to be dreamy and fancy. 

“I’ve learned that kids don’t need a bunch of sh*t. Anything they want or need can also be thrifted,” she remarked. The mom shared that with the current state of the economy, several families are financially struggling and gifting in the holiday season is a challenge to them too. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with telling people the truth. And if, for some reason, you don’t want to tell them the truth, you can always thrift something. You make gifts,” she explained.

Sam mentioned that making something like baked items or so is an equally thoughtful gift that is always appreciated. “I have no problem with telling people I couldn’t afford gifts and showing up with something I made for them, something I baked or cooked,” she said. The mom added, “To me, that screams, ‘Wow, she couldn’t afford anything and she still tried.’” She suggested being “honest” this Christmas season. “You never know who you'd be helping. You don't know who was embarrassed to say that they couldn't afford something for you this year, and you saved them by telling them that you're not doing gifts,” Sam remarked.

People were impressed with the mom’s upfront and humane suggestion. “I’d prefer a little realness over another mug anyway,” the mom wrote in her caption. @varonica17 wrote, “Honestly, it would make me feel terrible if someone I knew was struggling and got me a gift. I’d rather you not and spend it on what you need.” @abbysinger8 added, “Instead of giving family gifts they don’t need, I adopt a senior citizen from a charity and gift them something from their wishlist.” @wreynmarie remarked, “I’m going to get creative this year. I love to paint so I'm going to do homemade cars, cooked goods, etc. We got this!”

You can follow Sam (@shawtgal49) on TikTok for more content on parenting and lifestyle.