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| Inexpensive and Homemade Holiday Gifts... Give From Your Heart, Not Your Wallet By: Lydia Clark Christmas is right around the corner and if you're like me you're looking for a bargain on gift ideas for your friends and family. There are so many gift ideas out there until it is sometimes difficult to find the perfect gift that is meaningful, unique, inexpensive, great, and yet personal. So, I thought I'd hit the ground and do some searching of my own. Every gift should be personal for an individual leaving them with a lasting impression of thoughtfulness and creativity portraying how the gift was made. One of the best ways to save money and time over the holidays is by giving homemade gifts as well as personalized inexpensive gifts. Given your level of craftiness and creativity, these can range from easy baked goods to ornaments. Stay out of debt this holiday season and give the gift of giving that comes from your heart instead of your wallet. Find out the personal interests of your prospective gift recipients and try to cater their gifts to their personality, lifestyle, or hobby. Observe and ask a few questions. Do they have pets or family? Are they a reader and if so what do they enjoy? These simple questions can give a better idea of what the gift should be. Let's get started on some neat gift ideas that I found that will save you time and money while expressing your love to those who mean the most to you. -Scrapbooks - This is a simple yet creative gift idea. Make a book with quotes, pictures, stickers and lyrics that reflect the person. Insert comments, sayings and jokes in the book using different colored pens, pencils, markers and crayons. Make it portray the gift recipient with either bright and colorful or light and mellow attributes. -Coupon Books - These are an excellent bundle of savings that can be used for anyone such as grandparents, parents or friends. Design a browse or flip book and fill it chunk full with coupons the gift recipient can use. For example: To a best friend- put coupons for a specialty store or restaurant. -Gift Baskets - Gift baskets are thought to be expensive but it depends on where they are bought, their size and whether you make them yourself or whether you buy them already made. Making the gift basket yourself can be much cheaper and more personalized and tailored towards each gift recipient. If the person likes body lotions and soaps customize the gift basket with a feeling of softness and color along with flowers and other items of interest. -Yearly Traditions - This is an excellent way to stay connected with loved ones while starting a tradition that can go on for years and be passed down from generation to generation. Give your friends and family an ornament every year. The ornament could represent something the family member or friend is interested in or it could be something that reminds the gift recipient of an event that happened the past year. Be sure that this event is always remembered by marking the year on the ornament in a gold pen. -Gift Certificates - No one will be disappointed with this gift. It's cheap and easy to give, it requires only a computer and some paper and colorful markers/pens. Each certificate can be made to specify the needs of the gift recipient. Gift certificates can range from restaurant to home decor ideas. -Easy No-sew fleece blankets - Make a trip to your local craft store and buy 3-4 yards of plain colored or designed fleece and go to this website http://www.ehow.com/PrintArticle.html?id=4448963 for directions on how to make this fleece bundle, it's a basic procedure that anyone can do. Fabric comes in all different prices that range from $1 a yard to as high as you're willing to pay so remember to get the fabric when it's on sale. -The Book-Worm Gift - This is an excellent idea for the person that is always glued to his or her book. Start by searching for a couple books of interest for the gift recipient on www.amazon. com or thrift and used book stores such as Half- Price Books. There are many topics that are like new or gently used for $0.20 to $4. Amazon/ Half-Price Books has a very large selection that is very inexpensive. These books can be stuffed in a gift bag with an inexpensive mug, pen, tea or cocoa and decorative bookmark. -Service-Charitable Gifts - This is the type of gift that requires only the heart. If the gift recipient is on a budget or fixed income and you raise your own food that extra turkey in the freezer won't "cost" you hardly anything but can be a meal with plenty of leftovers for a person or family just getting by this holiday season. For the person who likes baking- eggs, flour, butter and milk are always needed and they will love this gift for the holiday season. This may sound old-fashioned and not important but for those who are struggling this holiday season, it will mean a great deal because every dollar counts. It's also one of the most inexpensive gifts that can be given -service-. I know this seems like a lot of gift ideas but making homemade gifts and purchasing inexpensive gifts are limitless. There are many gift ideas that will save you time and money but choose the ones that represent your gift recipient in a way that they will never forget. I hope these gift ideas are as fun for you to create as they were for me to learn and write about. Keep in mind it is not the size or the price of the gift that matters it is the thought that counts. Most of all give from your heart it is the season for giving and thanks. |
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