Cheap Christmas Gifts

Christmas stockings - they are a joy to see stuffed to the brim with gifts Christmas morning, but those of us who fill them know they can cost a nice bundle (especially if you have more than a couple to fill). For those of us who are looking to keep our budgets low this holiday season, consider creating homemade Christmas stocking stuffers instead. They’re  definitely a cheaper alternative and will still put a big smile on the recipient’s face.

1. Wool mittens/scarf: If you’re handy with knitting needles then now is the time to put them to work. Personalize each of these with the recipient’s favorite colors. If you’re better than average, consider adding initials or designs to your custom creation. If you don’t know how to knit, this idea could still work if you substitute another material like fleece for wool – fleece creations will only require some sewing skills.

2. Cross-stitched bookmarks: Few people think of including bookmarks as gifts, but these are actually very useful for both prolific and leisurely readers. The best thing

3. Perfume, cologne or other beauty samples: If you’re like me, then you collect all these little samples from the mall or magazines and throw them into your bathroom drawer and forget to use them. These are perfect sizes for stocking stuffers. If you don’t have a collection of samples like me, it’s never too late to make a trip to the mall and gather a bunch of these – department store reps are always giving out these samples during the holiday season.

4. Handmade charm bracelets: This is a gift any girl is sure to love! All you need is a narrow piece of pretty string and an assortment of little items like buttons, single earrings, game pieces, etc.

5. Paper dolls or paper airplanes: There are links all over the web to sites where you can print out designs for these. Simple print out on sturdier paper and then the recipient can create their own toys Christmas morning. Here are example sites for paper doll designs and paper airplane designs… just print these out and you’re done!

6. Homemade treats: Like fudge or cookies. The best part is you can make these in bulk and divide up the treats among all the stockings you have to fill. Try to experiment with holiday flavors to give these treats an extra special Christmas kick. For example, add a couple drops of peppermint flavoring to your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and suddenly – ta da! Chocolate mint chip cookies.

7. Bag of tasty gourmet nuts: To the secret to making this gift extra special is how you dress it. Try wrapping nuts in a vibrant cellophane sheet and dressing it up with a pretty ribbon, just like how they do it at the mall. Also, try to find an easy candied nuts recipe online and make these treats extra delicious.

8. Homemade play dough: Check out this how-to for homemade play dough. Essentially it’s just baking soda and corn starch. The link even provides an all-natural version if you’d like to make a more kid-safe version.

9. Homemade bubble making solution and wands: Bend pipe cleaners into fun shapes and put the water/corn syrup/dish washing liquid solution into a colorful container

10. Chocolate-covered fortune cookies/graham crackers/pretzels

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Tags: all natural, baking, beauty, food, homemade, jewelry, scented, stocking stuffer

Budget is high on everyone’s Christmas priority list this year. Previously I shared 7 unique and inexpensive gift ideas for him this season. I decided it was only fair to create a similar list for men to give them  special gift ideas for their ladies. Check out my list below of easy-to-make and cheap presents for her that she’ll be sure to love. Plus she’ll be so impressed with your creative side!

For daring gentlemen (or anyone else who wants to try their hand), here are 7 lovely and inexpensive gift ideas for your girlfriend this Christmas:

1. Make bath salts: Sound intimidating? Don’t worry – it’s incredibly easy. Simply purchase small sea salts or Epsom salts at any craft store or Target. Also pick out a pretty shade of food coloring for the salts and a nice-smelling perfume or essential oil. Vanilla is very soothing and sweet while floral scents are a bit more romantic. Pick out a nice jar or satchel. Mix the amount of salt you would like to include with a few drops of food coloring until you get a nice color she’ll like. Then add drops of the oil in and mix. (Be careful! Don’t douse the mixture in oil – it will be far too strong!) Ta-da! Done. Letting the salts sit in the jar for a week before will enhance the smell.

2. Make all-natural potpourri: “All-natural” is a popular word nowadays! Give your girl the smell of autumn and Christmas in her home – few can resist the smell of alluring spices in the air. This Autumn Aroma article provides good recipes on how to make your own potpourri to present as a gift. My personal favorite is the “Apple Spice” version they provide. It smells so good you’ll have to fight the temptation to eat it

3. Decorate a jewelry holder or keepsake box: Find a simple one for cheap at Goodwill or some other discount store. Purchase some bright paint, gemstones, pretty fabric, etc. to decorate this box with. Let your creative side loose! (But maybe consult friends or the net for good design ideas or combination colors… if you’re worried.) Finally once you’re finished with your creation, put a picture of the two of you in the box and present her with this treasure. Also note that you should decorate this box according to your girl’s style – if she’s into decals, darker colors or more classic looks, don’t feel obligated to go with pink and butterflies.

Dressing up a plant is similar to this, but on a smaller scale

4. Dress up a potted plant: I bet you’re thinking what this even means. Go out and buy a pretty-looking orchid or some other potted plant with a long sturdy stem. Then, make a trip to Michaels and pick up some malleable wire or thicker string and fake crystals/other gems. You’re going to have to drill small holes in each of these. “String” the crystals on the wire and wrap aesthetically around the plant stem. It’s like giving the plant a luxurious make-over and definitely spices up a nice traditional gift.

5. Make her custom lip gloss: THIS IS SO EASY. Buy a jar of petroleum jelly like Vaseline. Melt at 30-second intervals in a bowl in the microwave. Take out at the end of each interval and stir, making sure it’s not burning or doing something funky. When it’s a fluid texture, either add powdered fruit juice mix or coca mix. Experiment with the portions and it doesn’t need to be exact depending on how strong a flavor you want. (And depending on the recipient’s preferences, choose either chocolate or some other fruit flavor for lip gloss.) Once the powder is mixed in, microwave for 30 more seconds and give it the final mixing to make sure everything is combined. Place in small jar and let it cool and harden. Every time she uses it, she’ll think of you!

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Tags: $10 or less, all natural, bath, christmas, pictures, plant, scented, toy

I know boyfriends are hard to shop for. You want to give them something personal and meaningful, yet useful at the same time. Let’s be honest – you can write the sweetest holiday poem in the world for your boyfriend, but it will most likely only be enjoyed for the moment and then stashed away in a drawer for the rest of the year. This is the predicament that all girlfriends go through when the holiday season hits. Plus, it’s important to keep in mind budget as well.

For lovely ladies everywhere, here is a list of 7 unique and inexpensive (and I mean really cheap!) gift ideas for your special man this Christmas. Put in the effort and give him a surprise he won’t forget!

1. Make chocolate-covered strawberries with sweet messages: Trust me, it’s super easy and they are a personal favorite! Everyone loves chocolate-covered strawberries Pick up 1 or 2 cartons of strawberries from any grocery (depending on how many you want to make of course) as well as large bars of chocolate for melting. The chocolate bars are usually in the baking aisle, or them come in chip form, pre-packaged in boxes. Type of chocolate is up to you, but I prefer dark chocolate and white chocolate. Melt the dark chocolate in a saucepan (low heat) and cover the strawberries completely. After chilling in the fridge until the chocolate crust is hard, melt the white chocolate to do little hearts and swirl patterns on the dark crust – this extra step makes them look store-bought and gourmet! Then obtain muffin holders and write sweet messages to your boyfriend on the bottom of each cup. Place one finished strawberry in each cup and present him with the batch. He’s sure to love this sweet treat.

2. Make him a custom game bowl or hard case: Find a hard suitcase from any Goodwill or find nice, large snack bowls from Target. Clean the surfaces of these items appropriately and then decorate with stickers or decals from his favorite sports teams or music artists. For the game bowl, choose his favorite team color and decorate randomly with stickers from his favorite sports team. This will be useful as a snack dish for when he’s enjoying games on TV. For the hard case, you can decorate with stickers, decals, or logos representing anything he likes so that he can have a custom and personalized carry-on.

It has such a cool, retro look

3. Burn your own special music: A classic idea originating from the “mixed tape.” Create your own special CD compilation with all of your special songs that you share with him. It’s a meaningful gift that he can pop in and listen to whenever to remind himself of you and inspire those loving feelings.

4. Design a picture frame with a special quote:  Purchase an inexpensive wood frame from Target or IKEA – just make sure it has a thick border to decorate. Paint and customize the frame with a quote or saying that’s meaningful for the two of you. A lyric from “your song” works well for this. Pick a picture of the both of you that looks great… print, frame and it’s finished!

5. Personalize a Christmas stocking: Buy a plain Christmas stocking and decorate with trinkets for a hobby he likes. For example, if your boyfriend enjoys computer programming or computer games, you can hot glue microchips, cables, old pawn shop video games, etc. onto the stocking. This idea turns out really cute and is useful for all the Christmas holidays to come. Finish off by stuffing the stocking with his favorite candies and Christmas treats.

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Tags: baking, chocolate, clothing, cool, music, toy

The holiday season is approaching which means that it’s once again the time of year where we focus on shopping and picking gifts for our friends and loved ones. In our extensive gift-giving lists, there are bound to be one or two items that call for presents on the cheaper end of the spectrum.

These are usually gifts for your company’s white elephant exchange or for a casual friend. We’ve all received gifts of this caliber: You can tell they’re cheap, they’re not very useful and kind of tacky sometimes. For these gifts we’re looking for the cheapest item we can find that says, “Hey, I tried.” If you’re lucky you’ll find a present that the recipient will look at for 5 seconds before putting it away, never-to-be-seen again.

Don’t look cheap and give a gift that will make your recipient smile (for real). Here are some alternative cool ideas for inexpensive gift exchanges. Try them out, all for $10 or less:

1. Holiday serving bowl or platter – Kitchen supplies are always going to be useful no matter what the season. Usually people won’t invest in specialty holiday serving dishes since they’re mainly used one season a year, but when that time comes you can be sure these come in handy. Ross or Target has plenty of these items under $10.

2. Fancy chocolate bars tied with a nice ribbon – Anything edible is sure to be used… particularly if it’s something as delicious as chocolate. Take it up a notch and find some really unique flavors or chocolate that is really good quality. You don’t need that many – maybe 2 or 3. Tie with a nice ribbon and you have a really elegant gift.

3. Gourmet jam, mustard spread, or maple syrup – Going along with the food theme, all these items are pantry necessities. A good gourmet spread is sure to be enjoyed by the family for a long time after the holidays are over. Maple syrup is one of those items that everyone has, but usually is just picked up at the local grocery store. The difference between the grocery store high fructose version and real maple syrup is staggering.

4. Movie theater gift certificate – There’s a stigma against buying gift certificates or gift cards for people but trust me, anyone will appreciate these. Considering the prices of movie tickets nowadays even one free movie ticket is sure to receive a lot of gratitude.

5. Jigsaw puzzle – These are fun and addictive, which are killer combos for a gift. If you choose a nice design, then they can be laminated upon completion and hung up on the wall as décor.

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Tags: $10 or less, casual, chocolate, christmas, cool, gift certificate, gifts, white elephant