Going online could save you time and also money

If you still haven't made up your mind on what presents to give this Christmas, Gulf News has asked the gift experts for some budget-saving ideas.

Shopping around for the perfect present can be time-consuming and utterly exhausting. You can spend hours walking through malls and souqs and still go home empty-handed. Besides, fighting for a parking space or dodging shoppers in mall hallways are too much a hassle.

To save yourself time and money, Kajsa Dokakis, managing director of Quick Dubai, suggests buying presents online. Dokakis says there are a lot of bargains to be had from the internet.

"It doesn't have to be expensive to send someone a gift online…You don't have to spend a fortune to show that you care. After all, it's the thought that counts," she says.

Among the budget gifts you can purchase for your loved ones are cufflinks, business card holders or towels which can be engraved or embroidered with a name or message, says Dokakis.

To make it more personalised and fun, you can also add talking tags to your gift.

This is more ideal for gifts sent abroad. It is an alternative to the written card, whereby senders record a personal message in their own voice.

cost-cutting tips

Kentessa, another online retailer in Dubai, has shared the following tips that can help you save:

1 Perfumes are hot-selling items in the UAE. Instead of buying high-premium fragrances from malls, buy heavily marked down items from discount online stores. Mall prices are generally marked up due to higher rent and operational costs. Reputable online store perfumes sell the exact perfumes at a fraction of the cost. There's another reason to buy online. A number of shopping portals like PurplePerfume.ae are offering free shipping as part of their holiday promotion

2 A trendy way to save on wrapping is to use glossy magazines lying around your home. Use pages from magazines related to your gift. For example, use Vogue for fashion accessories and clothing, Rolling Stone for music CDs, National Geographic for business traveller's gifts, and Wired for gadgets.

3 Make your own fuzzy greeting cards. Use your imagination and design your own card using only paper, scissors, glue, chenille stems, gems, glitter, or anything else you can dream up.

4 For the man who has everything, a picture frame would be an ideal budget-saving gift. Customise it with a family picture or anything you like best.

5 How about you make a body scrub? It's a great way to pamper both friends and family! By simply adding essential oils that you like, you can create a spa-like scrub.

6 For those who love sweets, you can give them a box of chocolate-dipped strawberries or a hand-made bouquet of chocolates. (Check www.gulfnews.com for a step-by-step guide on how to make these.)