Written By Nate. On Dec 02. In Holidays

This year a lot of families are undoubtedly struggling with finances and trying to juggle the holidays.  While there are a lot of ideas to avoid the traditional gift giving retailers count on, there are ways to reduce your financial and environmental impacts.  If you are truly set on giving gifts this year consider these bright ideas.

Limit the number of gifts you purchase by drawing family members names for a gift exchange.  Sure one gift isn’t as exciting as receiving multiples but do you really need to spend that much money or receive that many objects?

Recycling or reusing items for a Christmas gift might make you bawk but think again.  Antique stores are often treasure troves of unique gift ideas for just about everyone on your list.  Think about the items finding another life instead of just being tossed into the dumpster.

A lot of retail items come heavily packaged which is a huge environmental waste.  As you consider purchases also consider their packaging and whether or not components can be recycled.  You can also buy items like gift cards or show tickets to reduce the overall impact at the landfill.