Giving money for group gift giving is something everyone has experienced at work, with your friends or family celebrations. But when does the giving become too much? My running group at its inception had four members, and we all pitched in $10-20 every few months for a birthday gift. Then we grew to about 10 and the birthday’s became more frequent, and the contributions the same. Now we are well over 20 runners strong, and it feels like every week I am shelling out money for a gift. At what point can we stop giving group gifts? Does it make me seem uncaring if I stop contributing? It got me thinking about what other options we had to celebrate each other every month.

Three ways to save on group gift giving

1. Monthly or quarterly meals: Celebrating multiple birthdays at once is a great way to avoid having to spend extra cash. Depending on how many people are in your group, you could designate one day a month or quarter to bring in breakfast or go out to lunch to honor those who have special days. Since my running group meets in the mornings, bringing in bagels or homemade baked goods to the coffee shop would work splendidly for us!

2. Have a yearly party: Instead of buying birthday and anniversary gifts throughout the year, my running group has decided to have an annual holiday party with a white elephant gift. That way, you only have to buy one gift and everyone can participate!

3. Buy nothing!: Yep, you read that right. As adults, it is perfectly acceptable as a group to say, “Hey – we all like each other. We are all happy each one of us was born. We don’t need to give gifts to prove it – we just need to spend time together.” Spending time together and telling someone you care with a handwritten note or a hug can be FREE!

 

What are some creative ways you avoid group gifting costs?