Picking out the perfect birthday gift takes some thought. A gift that doesn’t at first require a lot of consideration but can allow gift givers to add their own personal touch are birthday flowers.

Birthday flowers can be as simple as you want them to be, or extravagant with many types of flowers in an arrangement that can make them stand out from the crowd.

No matter how well you know someone, finding just the right birthday gift that they’ll really enjoy can be difficult. When you first get a birthday invitation, deciding what gift to get them can be the first thing that pops into your mind.

Birthday flowers can easily solve that problem. Since birthday flowers are a unique gift, you may be the only person at the party to bring them. Or, you can have the birthday flowers sent before you arrive, adding a fun surprise to the celebrant’s day.

A bouquet of flowers can fit anyone’s budget. You can pick them up at a grocery store or florist on your way to the party, order them online and have them delivered, or pick them from your yard or in a field nearby.

Ribbons, colorful paper, small gifts, food and other items can be added to a flower arrangement to make them more beautiful.

Birthday flowers by month

To make the gift of birthday flowers a little unique, select flowers that correspond to the birthday month being celebrated. Here are birth flowers by month:

• January: Carnations
• February: Iris and Violet
• March: Daffodil
• April: Daisy and Sweet Pea
• May: Lily of the Valley
• June: Rose
• July: Larkspur and Waterlily
• August: Gladiolus
• September: Astor
• October: Marigold
• November: Mum
• December: Narcissus, Holly, Poinsettia

Picking flowers that are in season is important. It will ensure the gift flowers are the freshest available, providing beauty and scent that will last for a long time.

If you can’t find birthday flowers that correspond to the person’s birth month, no worries. Ask the florist for whatever is freshest. Adding red roses and violets can make the bouquet stand out more, as can chocolates, balloons and other things.

Does everyone want birthday flowers?

You may think that birthday flowers are just for girls or women. Flowers are a traditional gift for women, and one that many men may not give much thought to. What’s easier than picking out a few flowers to give to someone?

Flowers may also not be considered a great birthday present because they only last a week or so in a vase, then have to be thrown out.

All of these assumptions are wrong.

First, flowers are one of those gifts that just exude caring. They smell and look beautiful, so giving birthday flowers to a man is just as much of a caring gift as giving him a case of beer. Neither will be around for long, but the flowers will be a much more appropriate gift in the long term than almost anything else they’ll receive for their birthday.

Second, while flowers won’t last forever, they can be left to dry in the sun and then pressed in a book to preserve the memory. If that isn’t a consideration, then chances are the memory of flowers as a birthday gift will linger a lot longer than anything else that is used for a while and then forgotten.

The bottom line, I think, in giving birthday flowers is that they’re a thoughtful and unique gift on a birthday. That’s reason enough to arrive at a birthday party with a beautiful bouquet.

Birthday Flowers Can Make the Perfect Gift is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

While we spent what I considered to be a reasonable amount of money, I was a little surprised to learn that men spend more on wedding gifts than women do, according to a survey by Ebates, a cash back and coupon website. I’m frugal, and I’m not fond of shopping. Am I more likely to spend more on wedding gifts than my wife? I don’t think so.

Men spending 2X on wedding gifts

The survey found that a majority of women said they spend $25 to $100 on wedding gifts, or about half as much as the $50 to $250 that men said they spend.

Women, however, shop smarter than men, with 32 percent of women using coupons and cash back to buy wedding gifts, the survey found.

Other ways survey respondents said they save money at weddings include restyling dresses and suits (21 percent), and teaming up with a friend to split the cost of an expensive gift (19 percent).

Most Americans (59 percent) said they will attend at least one — and as many as five — weddings this year.

Weddings full of stress

That’s a lot of gifts to buy, and a lot of stress to deal with. Finding the right outfit is the biggest stressor for women, while men are more concerned about running into people they dislike.

Here are the biggest causes of anxiety that the survey found:

Stressors for women

1. Finding the right outfit: 44%
2. Losing weight: 28%
3. Spending too much money: 28%
4. Seeing people I dislike: 27%
5. Finding the right gift: 24%

Stressors for men

1. Seeing people I dislike: 31%
2. Spending too much money: 29%
3. Finding the right outfit: 27%
4. Finding the right gift: 24%
5. Losing weight: 21%

Men are also three times as likely as women to feel stressed out about finding the right date to a wedding — 14 percent of men vs. 5 percent of women, the study found.

While the survey didn’t get into how men and women feel about going into debt to buy costly wedding gifts, we can only imagine the stress that’s added to attending a wedding when that gift is sitting on your credit card and waiting to be paid.

Who Spends More on Wedding Gifts? is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

Was holiday gift giving a disaster last year? Did your Christmas giving go way over what you initially budgeted?  Maybe it was as simple as looking in the eyes of your adorable kids and your loving spouse and you just couldn’t say “no.”

Months later you’re still dealing with the aftermath of your Christmas giving and by the time you finished paying off Christmas 2014, Christmas 2015 is just around the corner. 

Avoid Christmas debt

Every time you look at your credit card statement you see that you’re still paying off your daughter’s Tickle Me Elmo. The question now becomes how do you manage your 2015 gift giving so that it doesn’t linger into 2016?

You have to actively manage your family’s holiday expectations. There are a number of ways to do this without killing the holiday spirit. How to do this? Here are three pain-free ways to manage your family’s holiday expectations:

• Schedule a family meeting and discuss what you would like the holiday to be like.  Talk to your loved ones about what is important to you in terms of what you would like to experience during the holiday. Would you like lots of little gifts, one big gift, a dinner party, or a trip.

• Talk about gift giving price limits, events you would like to attend, should everyone give one gift or three, white elephant gifts, or homemade? Having a half an hour conversation will create clear expectations and eliminate any negative surprises.

• Talk to your friends about your expectations for the holidays. They will most likely embrace anything that allows them to save money — but still have a lot of fun. Suggest alternatives to what you normally do. If you exchange purchased gifts suggest a gift-giving alternative or host a themed pot-luck.

• Set family goals and be clear about the role your holiday related savings plays in the bigger picture. If it’s not clear why you’re making these changes then it will be difficult for your family to buy into the idea.

Communicate Christmas expectations

The key to managing your family and friends’ gift giving expectations is to communicate. People aren’t mind readers and need a certain amount of guidance and reassurance about a change from the normal status quo.

Remember that it’s an ongoing process. Some of your family members will be resistant to the changes if at least the majority of your family is onboard it’s still a positive situation.

Remember that practice makes perfect. After Christmas talk to your family and friends to see what they like and disliked about how you celebrated the holidays. What would they change and how? Were they surprised by the outcome?

Finally, spend some time looking at your budget. Did you save money? Where were your highest levels of savings experienced? Was it food and alcohol because you had a budget? Or, was it in the gift category? How would you adjust your budget so that next year you can experience an even higher level of savings?

Taking time to ask these questions and examine your results will help you have a fun and relatively stress free holiday season.

This post on Christmas gift expectations was written by Michelle Jackson, a personal finance and lifestyle blogger sharing her story at The Shop My Closet Project. Her goal is to help people cultivate their best life. When she’s not blogging or podcasting for Girl Gone Frugal you can find her riding her bike, going for coffee, or hiking in the mountains.

Managing Christmas Gift Giving Expectations is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

The holiday season is here and there are many people wondering what they should give to their friends and family. There are some surprising gift giving options that shouldn’t completely take the place of normal gift giving but could supplement the gifts you’re able to give. For the frugal spender affiliate shopping is a great option.

Affiliate link referrals give initial sign-up money bonuses that can be found for almost every type of digital service.

What exactly is an affiliate link? Basically, an affiliate link is a link to a good or service that a friend, family member or trusted blogger recommends to another person. That link usually will offer a small or mid-sized monetary credit per referral.

You may come across these shared links via Facebook, Twitter, or emailed to a list of friends. You may have referral links that you can share with your friends and family and might not even know it. Please note: the referral links are typically for first-time customers.

Affiliate link referral programs

Here is a short list of companies that offer a range of different services and really nice initial referral credits:

• Uber. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Uber, it is the company that is driving taxi companies crazy. Users download an app and order a car to pick them up and drive them to whatever location they are going to. The great thing about Uber is: they have to pick you up! And, you can get an estimated price for the trip that you’re going on. There is no cash exchanged and you will have a picture of your driver and your driver’s car information is also given to you. If you share this link with friends new to Uber they will receive a $20 dollar credit toward their first ride. Referrers will receive a $20 credit as well.

• ThredUp. If you love clothes, then you’ll love ThredUp! ThredUp is an online thrift store with very high quality clothing items. They sell: shoes, coats, kids items, etc. You can also do what ‘s called a “closet clean out” where you are shipped a ThredUp bag and you can clean out your nice gently used items. Then ship them back to ThredUp. The current referral credit is $20 for new customers. Referrers receive a $20 credit as well.

• AirBnB. If you’re a traveler then you’ve probably heard of AirBnB, which is a great way to find local housing options when traveling. When first-time travelers use their friend’s referral link they will get $25 off their first AirBnB stay. Referrers will receive $25 once a referral completes their travel and $75 for a completed hosting gig.

You may already be using affiliate link programs

There are a number of other affiliate link programs that you might already be a part of and not even know it. Check out the different services that you’re currently using and see if there is a way to leverage their affiliate programs and help friends out at the same time.

Affiliate link programs are subject to change and the amounts listed as a referral bonus can change at anytime as well. Again, these affiliate bonuses should supplement and not take the place of gifts that you would normally give. Also, be aware of how and to whom you offer these referrals to.

This post was written by Michelle Jackson, a personal finance and lifestyle blogger sharing her story at The Shop My Closet Project. Her goal is to help people cultivate their best life. When she’s not blogging or podcasting for Girl Gone Frugal you can find her riding her bike, going for coffee, or hiking in the mountains.

Using Affiliate Link Referrals to Supplement Gift Giving is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

When it comes to weddings, you may consider me somewhat of a “guest guru.” Since the summer of 2012, I have attended 15 nuptials in over a dozen cities, four states and one international destination.

Considering the average guest spends over $670 to attend just one wedding as reported by the American Express Spending & Saving Tracker, finding ways to save in crucial so you don’t go broke or rack up debt. Luckily, you can toast to the newlyweds without burning your budget by following my budget-proof savings tips.

Travel for wedding guests

Travel represents your biggest cost when attending an out-of-town wedding. While reviewing the hotel rates negotiated by the bride and groom is a good idea, don’t assume it’s the best deal in town. I recommend comparing accommodation rates at Hotels.com or Kayak, or rent a more economical condo or house through VRBO with a group of friends.

Gifts

With spending on wedding gifts averaging $75 to $150, finding the perfect present without breaking the bank can be challenging. My first tip is to compare prices when shopping for gifts on the couple’s registry. Wedding guests might find the same blender from Sam’s Club costs 20% less, or that pricey knife block is actually affordable through Amazon.

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter where you purchase the gift or how much you spend; just be sure to let the couple know to remove the item from their registry if you purchase it elsewhere.

You can also enhance your savings on registry items by purchasing discount gift cards to use as your payment method. For example, wedding guests shopping for a couple who registered at Macy’s can purchase a discount gift card through GiftCardGranny.com for 10% less than face value. Then, search a site like CouponSherpa.com for coupons to Macy’s, like 20% off bed and bath items. Using these savings strategies together will save you a ton.

Attire

Wedding guests spend an average of over $150 on new apparel and accessories for weddings. If you have several weddings to attend in one season and want to wear something different each time, this expense can add up.

For formal weddings, avoid spending your paycheck on a floor-length gown and rent a designer frock from RentTheRunway.com. You can find a beautiful dress from the likes of Nicole Miller, Badgley Mischka, Ralph Lauren and more for just $70. For the guys, consider buying a tuxedo or nice suit secondhand for sites like MyOwnTuxedo.com, where you can find barely-worn tuxes for cheap.

More informal ceremonies including those hosted in a garden or on the beach don’t require as much structure. A maxi dress bought on the sale rack or from discount retailers like TJMaxx is a great choice, and guys can get comfortable in khaki shorts or pants with a linen button-up. You should also consider buying clothes on consignment or borrowing garments from close friends and relatives for an even cheaper alternative.

A Budget-Proof Savings Guide for Wedding Guests is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.

Some say that they are not personal enough, or that they don’t convey the same meaning as a hand-selected gift.

Let’s look at that for a moment:

Gift Cards

There are thousands of stores in any given town. Millions of businesses. Probably trillions of different products out there. If somebody is going to pick out a gift card for a friend or family member, they have to decide from which store to purchase that gift card.

Picking out the right gift card takes some thought and time.

Some of the coolest gifts I have gotten is gift cards to places that I love to shop – because the giver thought about where I’d like to shop. I’d absolutely die if I got a gift card from Modcloth, but not everybody likes Modcloth or even knows about it.

When you buy a gift card for somebody, you think about what they like. You may not pick out a dress for them, because you trust that they know their body type and preferences better than you do (and this is true for almost everyone); but getting them a gift card to a store that they really like takes, a lot of thought.

One Christmas, my mom and stepdad gifted me and my boyfriend a gift card to Walmart in a significant amount. We were moving two months later, so that gift card was well thought out and an amazing gift; when I moved (broke and maxed out), I used the gift card to buy a futon for our under-furnished apartment, and groceries to get me through to the next payday.

Think about it for a second; have you ever received a gift card and been disgruntled because the giver didn’t put enough thought into it?

Just don’t do this:

Cash

Cash is an all around desirable thing to have.

Cash is a little trickier, because it’s hard to remember who gave it as a gift. But, unless it’s my dad, who forgets about my birthday until I remind him, upon which he promptly pulls out his wallet and hands me a few bills, I’ve never been disappointed with cash as a gift.

Cash typically gets the worst rap as a wedding gift, but I don’t think it’s tacky at all to ask for a cash as a wedding gift and here’s why:

• Wedding’s are freakin’ expensive
• It’s not 1952.

What I mean by that last point is that people usually live together or at least live on their own before they get married. The point of wedding gifts, originally, was the set the happy couple up for moving in together after their wedding.

That is, by now, somewhat of a moot point. Most couples I know live together before their weddings and have usually accumulated toasters, bed sheets, towels, dishes, etc.

There are always things that people want, and that is where the wedding registry comes into place. But, if you are a last minute shopper, and the registry has been exhausted by all other guests, and a gift card is not an option, I am sure the newlyweds would be more than happy with cash.

I have no qualms about giving cash if the couple doesn’t have a big gift registry. But I’m not going to just hand them a wad of bills

How to Give Cash and Gift Cards as Gifts

Since the concern is that cash and gift cards aren’t personal enough, the goal when giving these things as gifts is to personalize it as much as possible.

You can:

• Designate the cash for something (Ie: I didn’t know what size you were, but I remember that you really liked that ring at XYZ store, so I thought I’d give you cash toward it instead)

• Go through the store that you bought the gift card from and make a collage of things that you think your friend or family member would have liked from the store. Put it in a card, and say something like “I couldn’t decide, but here’s what made me think of you”

• Buy something personalized to put the money or gift card in. It doesn’t have to be anything big, but make sure to think of the person you’re giving it to.

• Since cash is less acceptable than a gift card, give the recipient cash in a gift card form – ie, a prepaid Visa card.

What do you think – is cash and gift cards an inappropriate gift? Why do you feel the way you do about it? Any other ideas to give cash and gift cards tactfully?

Myth Breaker: Gift Cards and Cash Are BAD Gifts is a post from: When Life Gives You Lemons. Did you like the post? Follow me on Twitter, like me on Facebook, or hop on over to my blog and leave me your feedback.