Most newly weds don’t have a lot of extra spending money around when it comes times for gifts. The good news is that most of the traditional gifts in the first few years are not all that expensive. The bad news is that as time goes by (and children come into the picture) the gifts become more expensive and there seems to be even less money to go around. Here are just a few ideas that are free or nearly free.

1. Massage – invest a few dollars in a massage technique book (or borrow one from the library) and some massage oils. Give your spouse a full massage without setting a timer (or expectation of something in return).

2. Dinner and a movie – surprise your spouse with a tray of treats, a couple of movies and the kids gone for the night. Just time alone is sometimes all the gift you want.

3. A book – get an empty journal (or make one yourself) and write something special – a moment, a memory or something you love about your spouse – on every page. You might want to start this one several weeks before the big day.

Gifts do not have to be expensive to be cherished. It is often those that cost the least (and required the most time and effort) that are treasured the longest.

You’re a procrastinator. You still haven’t purchased gifts for long-distance relatives, let alone shipped them off at the local post office. Rather than forking over big bucks for last minute shipping in order to get it there in time for Christmas, try a gift you can e-mail. Here are a few suggestions.

Restaurant.com

Sign up your friend or family member for the Dinner-of-the-Month Club at Restaurant.com. Choose between 3, 6, and 12 month memberships. Each month a $25 gift certificate will show up in their inbox. All they’ll have to do is print it out and head to the restaurant for a free meal. Plus, you’ll get rewarded with a $10 gift certificate with a three month subscription, $25 with six months or $50 with a year.

GiveAnything.com

Shop in hundreds of thousands of stores. Pick the one you want, select and amount and with a couple of clicks your gift is on its way to your loved one’s inbox. It will even arrive with an electronic greeting card with a special message from you.

Charitable Donation

Buy a dozen chicks, a goat or a cow. At OxfamAmerica.org you can purchase animals in the name of a loved one, and people who really need the animals will receive them. Do something good and make a donation in honor of your family member. Gifts are at all different price points so you can spend as much or as little as you want. Send the recipient an e-card to notify them of the purchase you made in their honor.

I found this and thought it was funny enough to share:

Cathy Cartoon

I have been able to snag some great deals for Christmas presents this year:

*Buy one get one free symphony tickets
*A winter coat for $12.50 for a charity gift
*Half-off a sweat suit, plus a $5 off purchase coupon
*And of course there’s that free Entertainment Book I told you about

Even though I do get excited about my bargains, I don’t think I would tell someone who just opened a gift from me what a good deal I got on it. How about you? Do you like to share your bargain-hunting success stories, or keep them between you and other frugal-minded folks?

Here’s an option you may not have considered for holiday shopping: layaway. It’s a practice that was popular before credit cards found homes in just about every wallet. It basically allows the shopper to set aside the item they wish to buy by giving the retailer a small amount of money. Then the shopper makes payments towards the item when they have the money. But they don’t walk out of the store with the item until it’s paid in full.

Since banks are lowering credit limits and consumers seem more hesitant to rack up credit card debt, the Detroit News reports that layaway is becoming a popular option once again. In fact, Sears started offering layaway again for the first time since 1989 and it’s been a good move this holiday season. Kmart has had layaway for decades, but started an advertising campaign in October promoting the service prominently. So far it’s paid off.

There are some things to know before trying layaway according to creditcards.com:

1. Does the retailer provide full or partial refunds if the layaway is not completed? (Many stores charge a penalty for not completing the purchase. Kmart, for instance, keeps 10% of the purchase price.)

2. Does the retailer provide store credit toward future purchases if the layaway is not completed?

3. What is the payment amount?

4. When is it due?

5. How often must the payment be made — weekly, every other week or monthly?

6. Are any service or layaway charges added to the purchase price?

7. Are there additional charges, such as for shipping?

8. Will the layaway item be physically separated from other store merchandise, or marked “sold”?

9. If the item is not in stock and needs to be ordered, under what circumstance (such as once half the purchase price has been paid) will the order take place?

10. What are the product’s details (color, size, stock number, model number, trade name or manufacturer, etc.)?

There are also websites that offer layaway services including lay-away.com. Shop for the item you want and lay-away.com will help you buy it without using credit cards. They don’t charge a fee, because they make money off commissions from selling certain products. So if you’re giving up credit cards, but you’re a little short on cash, layaway may be a good option.

Gift cards are a popular present. Usually when I receive a gift card it’s for $10, $15, or $20. And usually the thing I want to buy with it costs more than that. There are ways to amplify your gift cards so that you can get more from your money. For instance, I recently received a $15 gift card for the Yankee Candle Company. I can easily double the value of that gift card by taking a few minutes to do a little online research.

One of my favorite sites for finding printable coupons is this one. Search through categories for apparel, books or automotive. I happened to find this coupon that gives me $10 off any $25 purchase at Yankee Candle. That means my $15 gift card is now amplified to $25! And since the gift card is good until 12/27 I’m guessing I could find some great clearance items that will make my spending power even more amplified.

I know Christmas is not about the gifts. It’s not about what you get or even give for that matter. But let’s be honest– there are some crappy Christmas gifts circulating this time of year. They are things we get that seem like a total waste of money and resources. Here is my list of the top five crappiest Christmas gifts. I’m sure your list is different so be sure to add your crappy Christmas gifts to the list.

1. Lottery Tickets. I’d rather have the money, thank you. Sure there are some people who might argue that it’s just a fun game, but I see it as a waste of money. Rather than buy me $5 or $10 worth of scratch tickets just give me the cash to throw away in a manner I would enjoy more.

2. Another Coffee Mug. Here’s the thing, I love coffee. It’s sort of my passion. And friends that know that like to buy me coffee mugs. Cabinet space was so sparse at my old house coffee mugs had to stay in the dishwasher cycle after cycle because there was no other room for them. Maybe you have a collection of something that people like adding to over and over and over. I wish I had the answer of how to stop the multiplication of my mug collection, but any options I can think of would just be mean. Thankfully now I have more cabinet space.

3. Body wash, scented lotion, bubble bath etc. For women, this is kind of the go-to gift. Sure, it’s nice and all but I’ve got about 3 years worth of lotion stocked up. I could fill a bath tub with the stuff.

4. Ped Egg. Have you seen these things? It makes me gag a little every time I see an ad for one. Plus I imagine it seems more like a torture device for anyone who is ticklish.

5. Nose Hair Clippers. Now I’ve never received this as a gift myself, but it seemed worth a mention. Not only is this a crappy gift to get, but it’s also kind of mean. Basically you’re saying to the person, you may not have noticed but you’ve got some funky stuff going on that needs to be taken care of! This would be an especially bad gift for a female.

Now it’s your turn. What crappy gifts would you like to add to the list?

There are a lot of organization that are working to help feed people and families that are struggling. The Angel Food Ministry is one of those organizations. It started on a back porch in Georgia and now is distributing groceries in communities across 34 states in the United States.

The best part about this program is that all are welcome and encouraged to participate. The food is quality meats, frozen vegetables, fruits, dairy products and much more. There are even special boxes of steaks, chicken and fresh fruits and vegetables available to those participants who purchase a regular box.

The cost of a regular box is only $30 and it is designed to feed a family of four for one full week. The menu changes each month and you have to have your order in by the first of each month with delivery at the end of the month. The great thing is there is no limit to the number of boxes that can be ordered so it is a chance to pass on the blessing by buying an extra box for someone that you might know in need (or work with your local distribution center to see if there is a family that they know that might need the groceries).

Utilizing groups and organizations like the Angel Food Ministry is a great way to stretch your grocery budget and to share in something special at the same time.

While the downturn in the economy may mean fewer Christmas presents or more meals at home to us, there are millions of people who can’t afford to heat their homes or keep their refrigerators stocked. That’s the idea behind the $1 Give.

For the month of December, The One Dollar Give will be featuring a different charity each month with hopes that you will give just $1 to that charity. Do you have an extra $31 to spare? Then you can help dozens of worthwhile organizations. So far the site has featured Compassion International, Bakersfield Rescue Mission, and the Children’s Miracle Network. Even if you aren’t able to give, be sure to visit the site regularly to learn about great charitable organizations.

As Black Friday and Cyber Monday approach, many of us are thinking about Christmas gifts. If you’re looking for Christian merchandise to give this holiday season, here are a few deals to check out:

Clothing

At JesusBranded.com sells creatively designed t-shirts and clothing with the mission of support The Orphanage Project, a vision to create a world-class school and orphanage in India. Support this project and save 10% off your purchases with the coupon code email07. You can also save big on bold Christian clothing this week at C28.com. Just check out their Thanksgiving sales.

Books

Leslie Ostrander’s life changed in four seconds. That’s how long it took for a drunk driver to force Leslie’s mother into the path of a van, causing a head-on collision. Rescue workers plucked four-year-old Leslie from her grandmother’s lifeless arms and she spent the following months in a hospital bed. A spinal cord injury left her paralyzed from the waist down and scarred vocal cords meant she was unable to speak above a whisper. Now you can read Leslie’s story in her new book In His Hands. For a limited time all Ambassador International books, including Leslie’s, are 30% off with the coupon code LIVE30. Receive 30% off your entire order of Christian books at Ambassador-International.com. This offer expires 2/2/08.

Children’s Items

There are plenty of items marked down at BigIdea.com. They sell VeggieTales DVDs, books, toys and much more.

Nativity Sets

Choose from lots of decor items and nativity sets at Nativitysets.com. Save $15 off your order of $150 or more with the coupon code KC-6983.

Dave Ramsey Resources

Know someone who needs Financial Peace? All of the products at DaveRamsey.com are just $10. And if you buy ten you’ll receive two free books. Any orders over $65 will get free shipping. Expiration unknown.

Need a frugal gift idea? Here are five gift ideas that will set you back $5 or less.

Coffee: Give three perfect potfuls of coffee for just $3.50. The packages of coffee come in a cute silver tin that you could embellish with stickers or ribbon to add your personal touch.

Soap: Give a beautiful bar of soap for just $5. Try one of the limited-edition holiday scents. The purchase supports a mission group bringing clean water to third world countries.

Beauty: Give a cute makeup bag and even some items to fill it for $5. At E.L.F the makeup bags are 75% off with the coupon code “75off”. That means you’ll have a few bucks left over to buy $1 nail polish or $1 eye shadow to stuff inside.

Food: Give a restaurant gift certificate. At Restaurant.com a $10 certificate only costs $3. Choose one of their favorite local joints.

Grocery Bag: Give a reusable grocery bag like this daily tote. It’s just $3.50 and comes in three color options: red, black and royal blue.