Christmas – an exciting time of year, but it can also be one of the biggest headaches when you’re trying to figure out what to buy and how much to spend on gifts. Well…you can end the headaches and hassles by creating your own gifts! The homemade Christmas gift ideas below will help keep more money in your pocket during the holiday season while providing a personal and memorable gift to that special someone.

TIP: I have a Dollar Tree Store nearby where everything’s a dollar – if you have one near you or something similar you can save BIG money while creating great gifts!

Homemade Christmas Gift Ideas:

Christmas Candles – pick up some plain pillar candles (white or red are great choices) and then decorate them with ribbons, plastic berries, or gift tags. Pick up some fabric and dress up the candles.  Another idea is to purchase small votive candle, votive holder and a wide glass vase.  Partially fill the vase with Christmas decorations – plastic holly, fake poinsettias, red/green/gold glass beads, etc. – and then place the votive in the small holder in the bottom.  You can find all kinds of decorations that will work – just use your imagination. You can spend less than $20 at a local dollar store and make up to 10 candle gifts, now that’s how to keep more money in your pocket.

Christmas baskets -  purchase a large, plain, wicker basket and any type of Christmas fabric with a small print.  You will need to purchase 2 to 3 yards of fabric.  You will need fiber fill material and a 2 yard strip of elastic.  Place the fiber fill material in the bottom of the basket.  Sew the strip of elastic around the edge of the fabric.  Place the fabric in the basket so that the edge with the elastic sewn in it is covering the outer edge of the basket. These baskets are great for carrying cookies and other goodies.

Christmas tray - purchase a plain wooden tray from a craft supplies store.  Decorate it with paints and premade Christmas designs.  (You can find all of these items at the craft supplies store.)  Another idea is to paint the tray a solid color, then place a photograph in the center of the tray.  Cover the photograph and the bottom of the tray with a thin sheet of glass.  (This will make it waterproof.)

Christmas ornaments - you have many different options for homemade Christmas ornaments.  One of the easiest ways to make homemade ornaments is to buy the plain wooden, ceramic, or glass ornaments from a craft supplies store and then decorate them yourself.  You can also make ornaments from paper.  Another idea is to get plain glass ornaments and cover them with swirled paint or use decoupage techniques to cover them with decorative paper.

Visit our Homemade Christmas Ornaments Recipes page for a creative way to make ornaments!

Photo ornaments – purchase scrap booking supplies and several sheets of card stock.  You can use premade scrapbooking picture frames and use the card stock as the backing for the ornaments.

Homemade Christmas gift ideas are a great way to let your creativity and thriftiness shine through during a very special season of the year.  Making your Christmas gifts by hand will ensure that your gift stands out. The only thing that limits you is your budget and your imagination.

Check out these Ideas for any of your Gift Giving events:

Gift baskets:

These are always a good choice & are one of the least expensive gifts to create. Plus, you can make them unique to the person or event! 

• Pick up a basket or container – check out your local dollar store or Wal-Mart. These can usually be purchased for less than $5. Purchase a cheap basket either at a dollar store or some other discount retailer. You can easily find a nice basket for less than five dollars.
• Add some filler (tissue paper, newspaper, popcorn, etc.) – Put just enough in the containter/basket to make it look fuller (the items won’t sink down into the basket).
• Mix in a few larger items to fill the basket – throw in some inexpensive items too such as bath and body products, candles, etc.

Make the gift baskets unique to the person or event – if the person is a golf junkie put together a basket with some balls, tees, a glove, etc. If you need a gift for a pet lover, you can get an inexpensive gift of items for their pet. Purchasing five or six treats, toys and other items can make a very thoughtful gift.

Rainy Day Box:

This cheap unique gift idea is more for the moms on your list or the familes – tailor it to fit your particular need. Pick up a large plastic bin and load it up with some toys 5 to 8, add some bubble bath, candles, candy, crayons, paper, a deck of cards, and maybe a movie or two. Add a card that states “Open in Case of a Rainy Day.” When the fam is stuck inside – bust out the rainy day box – entertainment for everyone!

Coupons:

Another gift idea that doesn’t cost you a dime is coupons, not ordinary coupons, but coupons you create for things such as babysitting, mowing the lawn, cleaning the house, painting the shed, etc. These are great gift ideas for parents and also people who might need help around the house (the elderly, etc.). Simply type up the coupons on your computer using a basic word processing program and print them out. Put the coupons in a nice card and present them to the recipient. (Nothing will bring a smile to a parent’s face like a stack full of babysitting coupons – trust me.)

Other cheap unique gift ideas are homemade cookies, cakes and other treats (we do this every year for our neighbors). You can even bake a large amount and then package it so that the recipient can freeze it and enjoy it later. If you do this make sure that you let the recipient know that they can freeze what they don’t eat right away (you don’t want anything to go to waste unnecessarily). Make it unique by putting the treats in a hand painted glass jar or other container.

Just because you don’t put a lot of money into a gift doesn’t mean that it’s not thoughtful. A few minutes of consideration can make any gift special, no matter how much you spend on it. Use these cheap unique gift ideas to help brighten any type of special occasion.

Cash is so yesterday…give a gift that is both convenient and easy-to-use – Prepaid Visa gift cards are for anyone on your gift giving list and are especially attractive to college students! They’re accepted anywhere a debit Visa card is accepted and you can use them to buy items in person or online.

When you’re stuck with the same old “What to get the Person Who Has Everything” - a prepaid Visa gift card is the Answer! You can purchase them at most Big Box retail stores like Wal-Mart or you can purchase them online – Amazon.com offers a great choice in gift cards, they can even be downloaded to your computer & print them out!

Another bonus with prepaid gift cards is the fact that you can go online and see exactly how the funds are being used or you can call an 800 number – 24/7 your balance is available to you! 

Prepaid Visa gift cards make great gifts for teenagers & college students.  They’re safer than cash, but can spent however they want.  Teens also enjoy having the feeling of owning a debit card instead of just cash.  They are great Christmas stocking stuffers.  Another fun idea is taking the Visa gift card, putting it in a small gift card box, and then putting it inside of a larger box.  It will certainly keep them guessing.

Gift cards can be purchased at most major retailers. They can often be found at gas stations, grocery stores, and discount stores. You can get them in a variety of denominations, such as $25, $50, and $100.

Prepaid Visa gift cards are a convenient last minute gift idea and they’re safer than cash..  Visit your local retailer or grocery store or learn more about purchasing a prepaid Visa gift card.

If you’re like me…the Internet has saved my butt many times at the last minute – I am a procrastinator at heart, so it’s not uncommon for me to miss a gift giving opportunity. Thankfully, I can get online just about anywhere and order a gift to have it delivered or as an instant download.

Gift certificates or cards are a great gift idea as you don’t have to make the decision on the gift and wonder whether or not the person will like it – with a gift card or certificate they can “Shop for Themselves!”

Before Buy Gift Certificates Online make sure you do your research – here’s a few tips to keep in mind -

• Only deal with reputable companies: Amazon, Wal-Mart, etc…
• Check on delivery details (is there a cost involved?), instant download, etc.
• Does the certificate have an expiration date?

Caught in a quandry with no gift – then don’t fear – take the easy road and buy a gift card or certificate online and you’ll done in no time!

Where can you find a Wal-Mart after Thanksgiving Ad? Typically, the ads will come through the mail or you can pick them up from the store itself, or even Better…you can visit them online and get up-to-date information on in-store sales as well as what I call – under the radar offers…

Many retailers list special offers on their website that they DON’T publish in their sale ad!

It’s become a tradition for me and some members of my family to grab the Wal Mart after thanksgiving Ad and plan our strategy for Black Friday. Not only do we grab the Wal-Mart Ad, but all the others too like Best Buy, Sears, Toys R Us, Tiger Direct, etc.

We start planning on the Wednesday evening prior to Thanksgiving – then on Thanksgiving we review the strategy, verify the purchases or deals we want to make.

Black Friday morning at around 4:00 am we awake to hot coffee, some doughnuts from Dunkin’ D, and we hit the road to find the best in deals. Usually, we have more fun watching the crowds as that is a show in itself. Last year though I was able to grab a WII Guitar Hero game with 2 guitars for $89.99.

Who knows what this year may bring, but I know it all starts with a Wal Mart after Thanksgiving Ad and others like it!

Happy Shopping!

Don’t get caught in the hype of keeping up with everyone else when purchasing gifts. Sure…you want to make it special, but there’s no reason why the Christmas gift you buy can’t be economical and special. The key to not breaking the bank is stay away from making purchases using your credit card – interest & fines can add to the total cost.

If you’re in need of some ideas to make your dollar stretch further,  then these Cheap Christmas Gift Ideas are for you:

Gift Certificates – these have always been one of our popular choices during the holidays. McDonalds & Subway are at the top of our list. Subway is limited in its offering, but is great for teenagers & college students. McDonalds is good for children of all ages with its offering of burgers, fries, ice cream, & more! $5.00 dollars goes a long way and they also make great Christmas Stocking Stuffers.

Gift Baskets are the ultimate in cheap gift ideas. My wife and I have used these for years – best of all you can customize them for anybody and any occasion! One of our favorites we put together is Movie Night Basket (DVD or coupon for free rental, popcorn, drinks). You can even customize these even further like man movie night, romantic night, family night, kid’s night, etc. Other ideas for gift baskets are coffee lovers, candle lovers, tea lovers, etc.

Giving coupons – make your own homemade ones that say stuff like you’ll mow the lawn, babysit, bring breakfast in bed, give a back massage, foot massage, or whatever your imagination can think of…ideas like this are limitless and most them only cost a little time! You can easily create some printable coupons using Microsoft Word or some other program and then place them in a nice Christmas card.

Remember the old “cliché”? It’s the “thought that counts!”

Maybe you can add to these Cheap Christmas Gift Ideas with some of your own – feel free to post some below!

Never thought of giving fresh cut fruit gift baskets as a gift before? Consider these reasons why giving this kind of gift basket may be for you:

Convenient: You’ve got a couple of options here – go online and place your order (avoid the hassle of going to the store – no crowds, no lines, easily place your order from the warmth of your own home!). The other option is to visit a local store – for instance I can go to the Jewel grocery store and they offer fruit gift baskets, BUT…I need to deliver it.

Cost: These baskets are relatively inexpensive and if you take the time to create your own you can save even more money, but why do that when you can SHOP online? You’ll find a gift basket to fit any budget.

Health: Give everyone’s New Year’s resolution a kick-start with fresh cut fruit gift baskets. Many people choose to start living a healthier lifestyle in the New Year – fresh fruit is a great alternative to candies or other sweets.

There you have it – stuck in a pinch with trying to figure out what to get that special someone or need that last minute gift – consider fresh cut fruit gift baskets and start a new gift giving tradition!

Ebay is should be the first place you start when seeking out an auction for last minute holidays. It is the largest and best-known online auction site.

To find those last minute deals what you want to do is search for an item or product using a keyword –

• like “Nintendo Wii” then you would want to sort it by
• “Time Ending Soonest” this will give you a real time look at what’s available and when it’s ending – the best deals at the last minute.

Always review the seller’s feedback and make sure you get an accurate quote for shipping & handling, shipping times, taxes, and any other fees associated with your purchase.

You may not think of shopping for the holidays at the last minute using an auction would pay off, but you don’t know until you try it – I purchased a digital camera at $60 less than what I would’ve paid for it at the store, plus I didn’t have to pay taxes!

Good luck in your quest for last minute deals and savings!

We decorated our Christmas tree a few days ago and as we unpacked boxes we found the ornaments we had made when the children were younger. We laughed as we looked at them, imperfections and all, we wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world (as the commercial says “Priceless!”).

Take some time this year – gather together your children and use this Homemade Christmas Ornaments Recipes to mix up your own memories:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

• 2 C. flour
• 1 C. salt
• 1 C. water

Mix salt and flour together. Add in about half the water and add the remaining water in slowly mixing until dough is smooth (5 – 10 minutes).

Roll the dough out flat (like making cookies) onto some wax paper.

Break out the Christmas cookie cutters and start cutting out your decorations. 

Use your imagination – use a toothpick or a small knife to add features to your ornaments, roll pieces of dough together and make snowmen or snowwomen, wreaths and more. To keep the dough from sticking dust it occassionally with some flour.

Use a straw or nail to make a hole for hanging the ornament on your tree.

Once your ready bake them for 1 to 2 hours or until dry (times may vary based on thickness).

Let them completely cool before you decorate them.

Use brightly colored paints, beads, glitter, etc. whatever you can think of to decorate use it – make it fun and memorable.

To preserve the memories throughout the years use an acrylic varnish over the completed ornament (once all the paint has dried). I hope you find this Homemade Christmas Ornaments Recipe useful – if you have anything to add please leave a comment below in the space provided.

Dog or Cat Lovers: Don’t forget the pets – through together some treats, gourmet cans of food, chew toys, etc.

College Student: Forget about the basket and get your hands on a storage bin or some other handy container. Then load it up with note pads, pens, pencils, gift cards (like Subway), throw in a few packages of Ramen Noodles (good for those tight budget times), coffee, tea, hot cocoa, and anything else a college student would find handy.

Wine Lovers: Get some good wine, crackers, cheese, summer sausage – place them in a nice basket and you’ve got a great gift for the wine lover on your list!

Naughty Night Baskets: These can be really fun to share with that special someone. Be creative, include a coupon to be used at your discreation. Fill the basket or box with sexy underwear or nighties, massage oils, flavored lubricants, candles, chocolate, and more for those nights when you want to be naughty.

Other ideas, movie lovers, popcorn lovers, man basket, kids basket, etc. – the possibilities are unlimited!

As you can see the ideas for last minute gifts are only limited by your imagination & budget – but don’t forget – you don’t have to spend a lot to make a gift memorable – Use these last minute gifts baskets ideas for any occassion!