5 Gift Giving Tips
Islam regards gift giving as part of good manners. It is a wonderful way to maintain, strengthen even repair relationships with family and friends. However, when someone is in debt or facing financial difficulties this can become a challenge.
Here are five tips to help you continue giving gifts while reducing the burden on your wallets.
1. Decide on an amount for a gift and stick to it. It is not often that we set out to buy a gift with a set amount to spend in mind. Make a conscious decision of how much you will spend. If possible take that amount of money with you before you head out, so that in the process of bargaining you can even say, without lying, that this is all the money you have.
2. Plan for unplanned gift giving. If you find, in the midst of a sale, items that can be used for gift giving, then buy them in reasonable quantities so that you can give them later. I picked this idea up from my mother who does the same thing. It is also a great way to make gift-giving a pleasure, rather than a chore or a stress.
3. Budget your gift giving all year round. Have a specific amount set aside every month only for gifts so that you have something to work with, should the need arise.
4. If you are adamant about giving a gift that surpasses your budget, then do a joint gift with a friend or family member. Dividing up the cost will help you both.
5. Be creative. Make a gift basket. They are very inexpensive to put together, depending on what you intend to fill it with and where you get them from. Or, offer a service instead. If you are good at painting, massaging, tiling, etc. offer to do it without the cost of labour.
Remember! Only you know of your situation and how much you can afford, so be honest with yourself and spend on gifts carefully and wisely. Don’t hesitate to stop gift-giving for some time if your situation requires it. The key is not to lie to yourself about what your financial situation will allow.
InshaAllah the tips in this article will help prepare you for short and long term gift giving and will keep you from over spending and financially burdening yourself at the last minute. May Allah Subhana waTa’ala protect us from debt and increase our wealth to spend it in ways that please Him Subhana waTa’ala… Ameen.
Wasalaamu Alaikum WaRahmatullah.
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