I know it is still technically Sunday, but the little one has me still awake, so I am going to go ahead and post the contest for this week.
More Christmas themed questions, but I guess this could be considered just a gift question as well.
What is your favorite inexpensive present to give? We have done everything from baking and hand-delivering cookies to personalizing gift baskets. What is your best suggestion? And how do you get your children involved?
My older daughter, who is 6, helps me each December to bake for friends and family. "Cookie Day" is a favorite tradition around here. Hand decorated cookies with cards written in kindergarten script are definitely something for everyone.
So, what about you? What do you do?
I will choose a random winner on Saturday afternoon. See you then. Good luck!
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A typical gift from me is a customized photo gift. It's frugal and personal!
Here is a picture of something I just made for my Mom http://letterstoelijah.blogspot.com/2008/07/happy-birthday-mom.html
I second the photo gifts! We get prints made of our photos, and then we stay on the lookout for inexpensive but nice frames. What grandparents don't love a picture of themselves and their grandchild together? Also, shopping in advance- like starting now, in August- is huge for saving money. That way you have months to shop the clearance racks, especially this time of year as stores are clearancing lots of items for the season change and to make room for Christmas displays.
My frugal gift would be homemade cookies in a pretty container. My son loves to help me and nothing is better than something from the heart of the home . . . the kitchen!
One Christmas, I made my sister a simple quilt out of squares made from old jeans. The jeans were old and worn so the blanket is very soft. The best part was that the jeans were free. I just had to cut around any holes or stains. The only expense was the thread and a couple yards of inexpensive fabric to add some color.
Every Christmas we love to give our nieces and nephews a disposable camera in their stocking, and then develop the film for them. They have a great time taking pictures of the family throughout the day! It's so much fun. =)
Sandi
iamFROG77 (@) yahoo .com
I love to make pre-packaged, homemade recipe gifts for friends and family. For example, I prepare my favorite cookie recipes, minus the wet ingredients, in a mason jar or cellophane bag and decorate it with ribbon. I also attach the actual recipe (like a gift tag) w/ instructions on how to make the cookies. I always get rave reviews and people seem to appreciate it more than store bought gifts!
Let you child take a photo , and frame it. I am always amazed at how well their pictures turn out
I usually make fudge for my neighbors and close friends. It;s easy and inexpensive.
brninaz at yahoo dot com
A frugal christmas gift for me is a photo book with a homemade christmas tree ornament tied on top. After all the holidays are over with they have some place to put all those pictures they just took!
We like to assemble goody bags for my son's babysitters. We usually include a bouquet of pretzel rods dipped in white chocolate and then covered with sprinkles, mini m&m's, or nuts. They look really pretty and are easy (and cheap). Of course, we purchase the white chocolate after Christmas for next year and keep it in the pantry. We also include homemade hot chocolate mix that we put in repurposed salsa jars with homemade labels.
I also like to give photos! I find a really good photo I took of that person or our family or something meaningful to them that year and I put it in a frame I buy on sale (with a coupon, too, of course!) and wrap it nicely with a handwritten card. It's always appreciated!
We don't have much experience in this as we've only been married a year and a half. :-) But one thing we did last Christmas was make movie baskets...we made three of them for three different families. And we bought snacks and soda. In two of them we included a $1 DVD with old tv shows on them and in the third one we put a Blockbuster gift card. :-)
I like to give out a jar with all the cookie making ingredients! Just add water/egg/oil for fresh baked cookies!!
I love shopping clearance during the year for great presents. For homemade gifts, I have done scarfs for my nieces and scrapbooks (which can be done inexpensively) for other family members. This year I am making family birthday/address boxes for everyone.
Well, since I'm a stay at home mommy and photographer, my inexpensive gifts to close friends and family usually include photos. I love to take photos of all the grandkids from throughout the year and make hand made calendars for my mom and mother in law. These are a HIT!
This Christmas I plan to give out Christmas ornaments with our daughter's hand/foot prints on them. I just go to the art store, pick up some bake-able clay, and make a huge batch of them. It's inexpensive and fun to make, and easy to mail as well.
Mmmmm...this year I am going to give several photo pockets for gifts. They are sold by One Step Ahead for $9.99. I have one on my refrigerator and can display several photos in it neatly. It is very practical and it neatens up the photo display on the fridge.
I'm a new mom, but I've helped my niece make gifts for her mom (my sister). We had her paint/color a blanks sheet of paper with whatever she wants. Then, I frame it in a nice frame and we wrap it up. She has framed artwork for each year. It's really cute. We also painted little pots and planted flowers for her grandparents one year.
Okay, we definately do alot of baking as well around Christmas. You can find cute little baskets at the dollar store to put them in. All year long I am on the lookout for Christmas gifts though, we usually do a "themed" gift. So everyone that we know gets a really nice little basket of cookies and their gift all together. so, for example, I found some avon items like nail polish, body wash, etc. for pennies a piece, and we throw those all in the basket for all the women. Men may get body wash, golf balls, etc.
The kids and I make sugar cookie cutouts and frost them. And we make candy to give.
For each of my kids' 1st Christmas, I did homemade molds of their little handprint. I poked a hole near the top before they dried, then tied a small red ribbon to hang a hook from. On the back I wrote their name and the date with a red paint pen. Relatives loved them. Some even changed out the ribbon to match their home decor and hung them on a wall year round!
My son is 13 and my daughter is 11 - every Christmas they draw/color a picture. I go to the dollar store to get a frame and this is their gift to their Grandparents. My parents have a wall of these pictures. You can see how the pictures change over the years. Now I have my youngest (2) the grandparents are starting yet another wall.
msmemphismeadow @ yahoo.com
We like to give homemade treats, marshmallows and baklava have been favorites lately.
we help the children write an perform plays for the family members. we started with them just singing xmas songs then it took off from there. its a great gift for those family members that don't live close by. the plays are free--the tapes are easy an cheap to copy but the memories are priceless. every x-mas eve we watch re-runs of past performances. its a great tradition that i look forward to making every year
My husband and I try hard to make Christmas gifts to help save money. We stock up on fleece and fabric when it is on sale then make blankets, scarves, quilts, etc. I also crochet or knit scarves, blankets, throws, etc. This year I am knitting dishrags for everyone on my shopping list that has a house!!! Another good tip is to use clothing to make quilts then you are recycling as well as creating a precious keepsake especially if the person has passed away.
My favorite very inexpensive gift to give is a coupon organizer from the dollar store full with a starter supply of coupons in it. I start saving back a few good ones around October, (usually ones I get in the mail) and then the week before Christmas I buy an extra paper for each organizer, and include all of those too. Total cost = $2.50
A homemade coupon book is always appreciated, especially if it involves spending time together. For example a coupon book I made for my mother had coupons for "lunch together at---", " a trip to the botanical gardens", etc
Ooh i love coupons ! Thanks,
smiley_2516@yahoo.com
I buy fleece when it is on sale, then help the grandkids make no-sew presents such as scarves & blankets. It much more memorable to make a gift then to purchase it.
I like to give photobooks, especially ones I got for next to nothing with my coupons/online discounts/my points/my coke rewards!!!
My favorite frugal gift is to make a calendar for next year. You can add photos and any other special misc. You can also fill in special notes and dates. It is inexpensive and everyone loves it.
we make goody plates with a variety of christmas treats. it's a fun way to make memories with your kids and teach them how to give. -hayley
Pick me!v pick me! ha ha :)
To be honest, I'm new to the world of frugality & coupons - but it's overdue! I've never worried about being frugal with my presents - but this year will certainly be different! I've enjoyed everyone else's suggestions.. I have given pre-arranged flower centerpieces for the holidays though - not too expensive. You buy some flowers, seasonal greenery, and use old ribbon, tree decorations, jars etc.... Can be nice...
melissa
melissaannbrowning@yahoo.com
I recently found a decorative tray that holds photos in it to give to my mom. So pretty, and it was on sale for only $7!
We like to do gifts with photos, too! I guess that's popular!
Its a tradition here in our neighborhood to give neighbor gifts, which can get really expensive fast so last year we used our free buddies soaps to give to families with little kids and put a tag on it saying "washing" you a merry christmas.
My favorite inexpensive gift is a mini scrapbook of the year for my dad. By mini, I mean big enough for 12 wallet-size photos, roughly. He has the three I've given him so far lined up on display.
I enjoy giving a teacup and saucer with a box of tea wrapped nicely. You can find orphaned cups and saucers at most thrift stores and they make a thoughtful gift for a friend.
my email is on my blog
www.thehomemakersresource.com
Ok, this is quite involved so bear with me...
For neighbors, There's a brand of tea called "good neighbor tea" it comes in lemon and other flavors that are great for the winter flu season. We put that with fudge in a Christmas container from the season before at 70-90% off (thank you Michaels!)
For Grandparents, Stepping Stones. Again, Michaels or JoAnn's with a coupon. We save the molds so it comes out to be $3.50 for a stone and it is fun for the kids to see their hands and feet for years to come!
lkziegler (at) gmail (dot) com
I love to make photo gifts for my family. This past fathers day I made a plaque for my husband. My twin girls are only 2 so we got the finger paints and put their handprints on a piece of paper. Then I put a picture above each handprint of each girl with her daddy. I framed this is an inexpensive frame that I bought from WalMart. He loved it and the girls had fun making it.
I like to do counted cross stitch. Last year I gave everyone bookmarks. They work up quickly and I enjoy making them and giving them.
I'm pretty classic -- I give homemade cookies. But everyone always seems to enjoy them, especially when they don't have time to do it themselves.
I love doing "themed" baskets for the entire family! Game night, movie night, etc.
We have made tins of cookies or my grandmother's tea cakes as gifts. Sometimes we will throw in a couple of scratch off lottery tickets just for fun.
Thanks for your giveaway! I am brand new to all the stuff you girls do like coupons, CVSing, etc. I found your site through Deal seeking mom. You go girls are amazing! I sure hope I can learn enough from you all to be as good at shopping as you all are. Take care! Kristi
I always bake cookies! I use my mom's banana oatmeal cookie recipe, and then go to the dollar store or Target's dollar section and buy some cute tins to package the cookies in! They're a hit with everyone in my family! My son loves helping me, because it's easier to mix in the oats with your hands, and we get all gross and he loves it!
One of my favorite gifts to give a friend is an ornament for the tree. I have one friend who has a tree with only pink ornaments. Most of the time I can find really cute ones for under $5.00.
Andrea
amattes@aol.com
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