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Gift Ideas from Cheapskaters
With Christmas just 40 days away, it's time to get serious about those gifts, especially if you're on a budget.
If you are planning on making some of your gifts this year, and haven't started, don't panic. There's still plenty of time to make gorgeous, budget friendly gifts - if you start now.
First things first though: make things easier and have a theme for all your gifts. Perhaps baskets (they can be personalized to suit), plants, beach holiday, holiday entertainment, barbecue etc. Having a theme allows you to plan, shop and create all your gifts and know where you're up to.
Here are some quick and easy gift ideas, that won't break the bank and can be made in an evening.
Personalised Plants
I have a great gift, which I love to give to my family and friends. It is an anytime gift. I grow all my own cuttings of easy plants such as jade, nodding violets, any succulents etc. Just put them in some potting mix and they grow so easily. When they are ready I pop them in a cheap pot (Ikea have very nice, very cheap pots) and I take it to my friend when we have lunch or if they have been feeling down. They love it and I feel great giving it.
Contributed by Brenda
Cheap Fun Stickers!
Children (and some adults - I'm guilty!) love stickers. A fun and economical alternative is to purchase some rolls of 'contact' and cut out the printed shapes - or draw shapes with an indelible marker on plain contact and cut out....the possibilities are endless. There are some really cool designs available that are perfect, as the images are repeated and are often perfect for cutting out. You can even buy 'contact' (sticky-backed PVC) by the metre at many hardware stores. I used to buy the fuzzy-felt red (used to protect furniture from scratching floors, etc) and cut out heaps of red hearts for Valentine's Day and give them to my friends and loved ones. CHEAP & FUN & CREATIVE - the perfect combo! Get the kids excited about it these coming holidays on all those miserable rainy Spring days!
Contributed by Kate
Candle Bouquet
Candles are really popular at the moment and they come in some really lovely fragrances. A simple gift idea is to gather 4 taper-style candles together and tie them with a large ribbon bow. Use wire-edge ribbon to make the bow stand out. You can use light green candles (pine scented) and tie them with dark green ribbon with a gold edge. Add a sprig of holly to the bow and voila - a lovely, inexpensive and useful Christmas gift. These are great teacher gifts or lovely hostess gifts to give when you're invited to a Christmas party. Total cost for the ones I made - $2.00 ($1 for the candles, 80 cents for the ribbon and 20 cents for the sprig of holly).
Contributed by Cath
Themed Stockings
These are great to give instead of the usual gift basket. Buy large socks (the extra-large sports socks are ideal) and fill them with your theme items. Fill the toe of one sock with the rolled up other one of the pair. Using your imagination, decorate the stocking or sock with fabric paints, sequins, glitter spray or embroidery. Personalize with name and year and then have fun filling it.
Some ideas are:
Movie theme: a packet of popcorn, a box of Jaffas, a video or dvd, some vouchers for a video library, a packet of chips and a bag of mixed lollies.
Coffee Lovers: a nice coffee mug, some flavoured coffee (see Flavoured Coffee for ideas) or a coffee syrup, chocolate coffee spoons, a packet of shortbread.
Flavoured Coffees
For little girls: bubble bath, hair tidies, hankies, pretty glycerine soaps, face washer, hand towel, brush and comb.
For little boys: small cars and trucks, mini packs of Lego, playdough, bubble bath (boys like bubbles too!), plastic dinosaurs, spiders, animals etc.
For teenagers: movie tickets, CD/Video/DVD vouchers or the actual items if you know their taste or phone cards (if they have a mobile phone, these are a really good idea).
If you're still gift shopping, put have a look at these ideas, then put your thinking cap on, and make them your own!
If you are planning on making some of your gifts this year, and haven't started, don't panic. There's still plenty of time to make gorgeous, budget friendly gifts - if you start now.
First things first though: make things easier and have a theme for all your gifts. Perhaps baskets (they can be personalized to suit), plants, beach holiday, holiday entertainment, barbecue etc. Having a theme allows you to plan, shop and create all your gifts and know where you're up to.
Here are some quick and easy gift ideas, that won't break the bank and can be made in an evening.
Personalised Plants
I have a great gift, which I love to give to my family and friends. It is an anytime gift. I grow all my own cuttings of easy plants such as jade, nodding violets, any succulents etc. Just put them in some potting mix and they grow so easily. When they are ready I pop them in a cheap pot (Ikea have very nice, very cheap pots) and I take it to my friend when we have lunch or if they have been feeling down. They love it and I feel great giving it.
Contributed by Brenda
Cheap Fun Stickers!
Children (and some adults - I'm guilty!) love stickers. A fun and economical alternative is to purchase some rolls of 'contact' and cut out the printed shapes - or draw shapes with an indelible marker on plain contact and cut out....the possibilities are endless. There are some really cool designs available that are perfect, as the images are repeated and are often perfect for cutting out. You can even buy 'contact' (sticky-backed PVC) by the metre at many hardware stores. I used to buy the fuzzy-felt red (used to protect furniture from scratching floors, etc) and cut out heaps of red hearts for Valentine's Day and give them to my friends and loved ones. CHEAP & FUN & CREATIVE - the perfect combo! Get the kids excited about it these coming holidays on all those miserable rainy Spring days!
Contributed by Kate
Candle Bouquet
Candles are really popular at the moment and they come in some really lovely fragrances. A simple gift idea is to gather 4 taper-style candles together and tie them with a large ribbon bow. Use wire-edge ribbon to make the bow stand out. You can use light green candles (pine scented) and tie them with dark green ribbon with a gold edge. Add a sprig of holly to the bow and voila - a lovely, inexpensive and useful Christmas gift. These are great teacher gifts or lovely hostess gifts to give when you're invited to a Christmas party. Total cost for the ones I made - $2.00 ($1 for the candles, 80 cents for the ribbon and 20 cents for the sprig of holly).
Contributed by Cath
Themed Stockings
These are great to give instead of the usual gift basket. Buy large socks (the extra-large sports socks are ideal) and fill them with your theme items. Fill the toe of one sock with the rolled up other one of the pair. Using your imagination, decorate the stocking or sock with fabric paints, sequins, glitter spray or embroidery. Personalize with name and year and then have fun filling it.
Some ideas are:
Movie theme: a packet of popcorn, a box of Jaffas, a video or dvd, some vouchers for a video library, a packet of chips and a bag of mixed lollies.
Coffee Lovers: a nice coffee mug, some flavoured coffee (see Flavoured Coffee for ideas) or a coffee syrup, chocolate coffee spoons, a packet of shortbread.
Flavoured Coffees
For little girls: bubble bath, hair tidies, hankies, pretty glycerine soaps, face washer, hand towel, brush and comb.
For little boys: small cars and trucks, mini packs of Lego, playdough, bubble bath (boys like bubbles too!), plastic dinosaurs, spiders, animals etc.
For teenagers: movie tickets, CD/Video/DVD vouchers or the actual items if you know their taste or phone cards (if they have a mobile phone, these are a really good idea).
If you're still gift shopping, put have a look at these ideas, then put your thinking cap on, and make them your own!
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