DEAR ABBY: If your office or family has a $20 limit on gift exchanges, and you find a $20 gift on sale for $10, is that considered a $20 gift or a $10 one? -- PINCHING PENNIES IN OHIO
DEAR PINCHING: Prices are so fluid during some of the holidays that no one really knows the true "value" of what's being purchased anymore. If there is a $20 limit on what you're supposed to spend, it means you shouldn't spend any MORE than $20 -- and not much less than $20. If you find something marked $20 and can get it for less, you are a wise shopper -- not a piker.
P.S. You can also just buy a $20 gift card and avoid the uncertainty.