Gift giving for grandparents can get expensive, especially when you have a big family. We talked about giving family gifts on Day 5 and Day 6 of this Frugal Festivities series, but today I want to share some additional ideas for meaningful gifts that grandmas and grandpas can give to their grandchildren that don’t cost much, or cost nothing at all.
Before I get started I want to remind you to sign up for January’s Frugal Fresh Start Challenge. Every weekday in January we’ll be tackling a new way to be more frugal. Learning to be frugal and manage your money will help you no matter what your financial goals are. When you sign up for the challenge you’ll get the workbook emailed to you for free!
Okay, now let’s talk about gift giving for grandparents. I’m a mom of 6 who won’t be a grandma for many years, but I do have lots of experience being a granddaughter. I’m going to give you three basic ideas that you can run with and make your own.
Share Your Personal History
Share your personal history with your grandchildren! This one doesn’t cost anything but is a labor of time and love. You don’t have to write your entire life story this Christmas, but you could start with the first few “chapters” of your life and leave them ready for more to come in the future.
Write down the stories from your childhood. Share the memories that shaped who you are. Add in pictures, if you have them, to help bring your story to life.
If writing isn’t your cup of tea, how about video? Record yourself sharing your life stories!
This will be a priceless treasure for all of your posterity and will surely outlast any toy or game you could give them. With this one, you do the work once and you can gift it to all of your grandchildren, no matter how many you have.
And don’t even tell me that your life isn’t interesting or that your children and grandchildren won’t care about your life. It is and they will.
Special Homemade Treats
Another idea for granparents to give their grandchildren is to make special homemade treats for your grandchildren. The parents (your kids) will appreciate getting a consumable gift that won’t contribute to post-Christmas clutter and your grandchildren will enjoy the consuming!
My mother in law loves making fruit leather with the fruit from their garden and orchard. Every year the grandkids look forward to unwrapping grammy’s special fruit leather.
Whatever your specialty is, share it with your grandchildren. If there is a story behind it, be sure to share that with them too. It will make it that much more special!
One-on-One Dates
Finally, if your grandchildren live near you, schedule one-on-one dates with them. You don’t have to do anything costly on your dates. Make cookies, play games, do art projects, read books, go on a hike. The important thing is that you are giving of your time and yourself. You grandchild feels your love and senses his or her importance.
How about you?
I would love to hear your ideas for gifts that grandparents can give that don’t cost much.
What frugal gifts have you given as a grandparent or received as a grandchild?
Last christmas my grandpa send a gift like a santaclose. I am very happy that day….
My great-grandpa was a beautiful man. He was the glue that held the family together, simply by virtue of his gentle goodness. One year he went to a professional photographer and had his photo taken, and gave us all a copy for Christmas. It’s one of the best presents I’ve ever received. We always think of getting professional photos of our kids, but grandparents never think of getting them of themselves. But a nice studio shot – it’s the sort of thing your grandchildren can have forever.