01What you need
- The gift money: their savings, money you give them, or both, in an envelopeHave
- A sheet of paper for the gift plan, with columns for name, idea, price and spentHave
- A pencil and eraserHave
- A phone, laptop or store flyers for price checksHave
- Supplies for one handmade gift: paper, markers, a jar, things from the pantryHave
Where: Any table with room for a sheet of paper, a phone or laptop for price checks, and the gift money in an envelope.
Before you start
- You do any online checkout. Kids pick, you pay. The FTC says to pay by credit card when you can, and a seller who wants gift cards, wire transfers or crypto is probably a scam.
- Slow down on "free" and too-good deals. Free offers and one-click buys can cost money without anyone noticing. Look the seller up together first.
- Keep receipts and order numbers. They help you get money back if something never arrives. Tuck them in the gift-money envelope.
02Steps
Set the amount
DadDecide the total before you sit down and say it plainly: "You have $25 for gifts this year. That's the whole amount." Put it in an envelope with their name on it. The number is yours to choose; what matters is that it's fixed.
List the people
KidDown the left side of the paper, they write everyone they want to give to. Ask: "Who matters most to you this year?" If the list is long, ask them to star the ones they really want to buy for.
Check real prices
TogetherFor each name, write one gift idea. Look up the price in two places, online and a store flyer, and write the lower one. Round up a little for sales tax. Say: "It's a good habit to compare before you buy."
Make it fit
KidAdd up the prices. If it's over the amount, ask: "Do you want one bigger gift for someone, or a few smaller ones? Who could get a handmade gift instead?" Let them erase and change until the total fits. Don't fix it for them.
Plan one handmade gift
KidPick one person who gets something made, not bought: a drawing in a frame, a coupon book of chores, a jar of cocoa or cookie mix. Write what supplies it needs and set a day to make it.
Track every dollar on paper
KidEach time they buy a gift, they write what it cost in the spent column, subtract it from what's left, and cross off the name. Rule: "If it's not on the list, we don't buy it." Check the sheet together after each shopping trip.
03If it stalls
- If they want to spend it all on one friend, ask who'd be left off and let them decide. It's their list.
- If they come home from a store with an idea that isn't on the list, write it down and look at the total together before buying it.
- If they run short, point at the handmade gift option before you offer more money.
- If a kid gets upset about how little the money covers, show them the list: every name has something, and that's the plan working.
04Variations
Ages 6–8
Keep the list to four or five names and use store flyers instead of websites. You read the prices; they write them down and do the adding.
Ages 9–14
Let them find prices on their own, set aside a bit for tax and wrapping, and keep the running total without help. They show you the sheet after each trip.
Two or more kids
Same rules for everyone, with an amount that fits each kid's age, and each kid keeps their own sheet. No comparing totals.
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05Sources
- Gift lists, tradeoffs and handmade gifts. A 2017 CFPB blog post says older kids can help with holiday planning by making a gift list and setting a budget together, suggests discussing tradeoffs and priorities with older children, says the creativity in making a gift matters for younger kids, and warns that kids shopping online may not know some 'free' offers are scams. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Checked Oct 15, 2026
- A holiday spending plan. A 2017 CFPB blog post gives five steps for holiday spending: set a budget, make a list of gifts and cross them off as you go ('If something isn't on your list, don't buy it'), get creative with gifts like homemade mixes in a jar, decide how you'll pay, and track your holiday spending. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Checked Oct 15, 2026
- Comparing prices, ages 6 to 12. The CFPB's Money as You Grow shopping page for school-age children and preteens says it's a good habit to shop around and compare prices before you buy, suggests checking a toy's price online and in stores, practicing rounding up for sales tax, and pointing out one-click purchases and 'free' offers as times to slow down. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Checked Oct 15, 2026
- Safer online holiday shopping. The FTC's November 2025 consumer alert says to search the seller's name and website before you buy, pay by credit card when possible, treat a seller who will only take gift cards, wire transfers, payment apps or cryptocurrency as probably a scam, and keep your receipt and order confirmation number to help get your money back. Federal Trade Commission Checked Oct 15, 2026
Filed under: Money
