If you’re strapped for cash or you’re simply saving every penny you can to meet a financial goal, there is no shame about not giving people expensive gifts for the holidays. And there isn’t anything wrong with telling the charities you normally support that you’re scaling back some for the foreseeable future.

You can still help out charities and give your loved ones great gifts without opening and emptying your wallet. Here are some gift ideas that won’t leave you feeling sorry for being so generous.

Volunteer

Many organizations need volunteers willing to pitch in their time and effort as much as they need money. Habitat for Humanity, for instance, always needs people who are willing to help build homes. Even if you don’t have any experience with that kind of work, you can learn on the fly.

You’ll feel good about the effort you’re putting forth, whether you’re spooning up food in a soup kitchen or working for the afternoon at the local food pantry.

Money is nice and organizations certainly can’t survive without some funding. But hands-on work is just as important and sometimes harder to come by.

Lend a Hand to Family

Maybe in the past you’ve helped your grown children with their household expenses now that they have a family of their own to take care of. That’s great you’re willing to help and hopefully, they appreciate the financial assistance you’ve been giving them.

But if you need to scale back or perhaps not offer any money at all, there are other ways you can help them. Offer to babysit free of charge whenever you can if they’re at work or if they just want a fun night out. That way they won’t have to pay a babysitter and you’ll be able to spend some quality time with your grandchildren.

If the money you’ve been giving them has helped them with their grocery costs, you can go old school and grow some produce in your backyard during the nicer months to give them. Not only will you be sharing healthy food with them, but you’ll be saving them some money too. To make sure they have additional food for the winter, you can do some canning or freeze some of the produce that keeps well.

Give Them Heirlooms

If you’re considering downsizing or you don’t mind parting with some furniture or family jewelry, you can gift them to your relatives. Maybe your grandpa’s antique desk isn’t getting much use from you these days and you know it would look great in your child’s house. Or perhaps your daughter has had her eye on some of your nice jewelry for a while.

If you don’t mind parting with some of these things, it can be a great alternative to spending money just for the sake of purchasing a gift. Your family members will get a meaningful gift and you’ll be happy to see some of these items changing hands to the younger generation in your family.

Personal finance books can be a great way to teach yourself about better ways to handle your money, open your eyes about your finances, and even help gauge what’s important to you.

But not all personal finance books are helpful. Some might have great concepts, but they’re so boring you can barely keep your eyes open to read them. If you can’t convince yourself to read it, you’ll never learn anything.

If you’re looking for a personal finance book that manages to be entertaining and informative, we’ve got you covered. Here are our favorites.

The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach

My copy of this book is almost worn out because I’ve read it so much. It’s easy to follow along with, breaking down finances in the most understandable way possible.

David Bach outlines the simple steps you can take to become a millionaire with very little effort on your part. You’ll set up some automatic accounts and then forget about them as you become richer and richer year after year.

Bach will help you find painless ways to cut enough corners that saving enough money to invest will become a piece of cake.

How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free by Ernie J. Zelinski

If you’ve never bought into that much-touted figure about how you need at least a million dollars to retire well, this is the book that will back you up in that conviction.

This book is more about teaching you how to live well on the money you’ve set aside. It also isn’t one of those finance books that tells you to put off retirement so you can maximize your social security earnings. It encourages you to pursue early retirement if that is what makes you happy.

The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

Dave Ramsey has arguably become one of the most popular personal finance gurus on the planet.

His books have helped many Americans dig themselves out of the financial holes they’ve created for themselves. If you have a serious debt load you want to tackle, this is the book you should be reading.

He doesn’t sugarcoat anything, so if you’re looking for a book that’s going to make you feel good about your past money mistakes and overspending, this isn’t it. But if you stick with the program, you’ll start paying off your debt.

Your Money or Your Life

This book is the ultimate testament to frugal living and all its perks. It is more about pursuing happiness than financial status symbols. What good does that fancy sports car really do for you if you feel like a piece of your soul is dying each time you head to work in the morning.

The main idea of this book is that every purchase you make is costing you your time. You had to put in the time to earn the money to buy that item. Because of that, you need to make sure it’s really worth it in the long run.

You’re trading your life minute by minute for your purchases and that’s a powerful message this book conveys beautifully.