can't afford Christmas gifts ideas

[Sara Noel]

Every year, there are families going through tough financial times and can't afford to buy gifts. Lets start a list of items they can give that are free or readily available in most homes to make or even resources that might help. Or even for one to five bucks.

We had a few rough holidays during our marriage. I've wrapped food for my kids before. Items like popcorn, cereal, hot cocoa, etc. I've also wrapped and given them gifts that were ours like our old digital camera.

What ideas can you share?

And please, I know for some people it's hard to not make a snarky comment about how everyone knows Christmas is coming and if they had planned for it, they wouldn't have this problem. While that might be true, it's not very helpful or kind when there's only a few weeks left before Christmas.

[dwnloom]

We have made coupon books to give to each other - 1 coupon will be for a free pass on doing a chore or 1 could be for doing a chore. These are especially good for a little one that might need some extra mommy or daddy time at some point.

[Ali Lee]

I am giving my 2 BFF's a basket (from the Goodwill) filled with pine cones (from my tree) tied with a bow made from a strip of material--from an old flannel shirt. I thot I would add a few (already have) bulbs for color. Be sure to pick up the cones now to let them dry & open up. (I have a can of spray starch under the kitchen sink, may starch the bow..maybe not..)

[NewLeaf]

For my kids their stockings are filled w/ items like: snacks, bubble bath, toothbrush and the favorite orange.

I have cleaned up and wrapped hand me down toys for my ds when he was too small to care or notice.

I have gotten toys from yard sales or Goodwill.

I have made homemade goodies for friends, teachers and family.
Amish friendship bread and cocoa. Homemade wreaths. Candles. Mixes in a jar..... cookies and candy.

My dh and I always get gifts for the kids first and then if there is any money left we either decide to buy something together, split the money and buy a small gift for ea. other or just wait until the sales after the holidays.

I have friends who give their teens money and take them shopping after the holidays.

The most important thing is the things you do together as a family that become your special traditions. Cookie making, seeing the lights, decorating the tree, going to church and visiting relatives.

[geckoace]

How about making extra of meals and freezing it in portions and giving some one "a night off" I know my mom lives alone and hates to cook cause shell have to eat the same thing for days so I give her a serving of soup when i make a big batch

[sunshine]

I wrote this a few years ago:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/art...money_and.html

[Sara Noel]

The ring toss is a cute idea.

[sunshine]

Decorations -

Ask the neighbors for magazines they are going to throw away or
recycle. Then,

Cut up magazines and make paper chains
Cut out holiday pictures from magazines, back with construction paper
or aluminum foil, punch a hole and hang on the tree.

No tree? Buy a cheap green garland at the thrift store, tape in shape
of a tree on a wall or door. Hang ornaments from the garland.
(approx. cost $1.25)

Buy a bag of peppermint candies (wrapped in cellophane). Tie the
candies together for a garland.

Cut out gingerbread men shapes from brown paper grocery bags -- use as
package decorations, tree ornaments or make into a garland.

snowflakes cut from any white paper.

[sunshine]

gifts:

ask the neighbors for those magazines they've been meaning to recycle.

cut triangle shapped pieces from the pages -- then roll up on
toothpicks to make paper beads. String the beads on yarn or thread
for little girls necklaces and bracelets.

http://crafts.kaboose.com/ball-catchers.html Ball catchers -- I'd
have them check at the dollar store for paint or colored electrical tape.

http://crafts.kaboose.com/bowling-game.html I'll have them ask around
for friends and neighbors to save the bottles. Fill with shredded
newspaper or magazines pages. Use the same ball as for the ball catchers.

Reindeer Fudge gifts:
Make the fudge as usual then pour it into a circlular pie pan. Cut
the fudge into pie-shaped wedges and wrap each wedge with red plastic
wrap. Leave extra wrap at the top, flat part of the wedge and tieeach
corner with curling ribbon-these are the "antlers." Now, glue two
googly eyes on the wedge and lastly glue a red pom pom at the very
bottom for the nose and Voila!!

Purchase inexpensive kitchen towels from the Dollar Store, and attach
this:

The Ordinary Towel
At first glance, one looks at a kitchen towel and thinks, "Wow, a
towel... I needed a new one. The old ones are getting stained and
worn." But have we ever stopped to think that for years, even
thousands of years, the towel has not just been used in the kitchen,
but for a variety of reasons? Take example the mother who wipes the
tears of a child to soothe the physical and emotional hurt, the
physician who binds the wound of a bleeding patient, the woman in her
home, wiping her hands as she moves from task to task, the weary
traveler who wipes his sweated brow. Some other examples would be the
manager of a boxer who "throws in the towel" to save the life of his
protégé or the young man wiping the grease off his hands as he fixes
his old jalopy. Notwithstanding all of the above examples, perhaps the
most significant use of the towel was about two thousand years ago
when our loving Brother took an ordinary towel in his hands and dried
the feet of the disciples only hours before his crucifixion. Sure, the
towel is a handy item with a myriad of uses, but it also has deep
symbolic meaning when seen in the hands of the Savior doing a work of
kindness for His fellow men. So take this towel, knowing it is given
with love, and do works of goodness with it, as the Savior worked
goodness with His so many years ago. With love,

[Sara Noel]

A few years ago, Michelle had mentioned making a bowling game with large coffee creamer containers. I saved a bunch of containers (powdered creamer) and made that one year. Pop bottles would be quicker but I like the shape of the creamer containers.

[Grainlady]

1. Fire starters. Dip dry pine cones (you can find them free) in melted wax. A good use for leftover old candles. Just be careful with melted wax because it CAN catch on fire. I melt wax in a glass 2-cup measuring cup on my candle warmer. It's hot enough to melt wax, but not so hot you can burn yourself on it, or catch the wax on fire. How to: http://www.ehow.com/way_5513376_maki...-starters.html

We also use scented pine cones to fill empty planters at the entrance of our house. Stick pine cones in a large plastic bag and add some scented oil. Allow to sit for a week or so to absorb the oil. MUCH cheaper than those expensive bags of cinnamon scented pine cones at the store, and you can use any scent you like.

2. Handmade paper from junk mail and newspapers.
http://www.ehow.com/how_4434427_hand...technique.html

This link has videos: http://www.pioneerthinking.com/makingpaper.html

3. Free Christmas Projects: http://www.allfreecrafts.com/christmas/index.shtml

[Missy]

I plan on getting a tin (inexpensivce if i wait for Hobby Lobby to have their sale they usually do a few times before the holiday) in that tin i place a HM ornament, hm cookies, and candies. makes a nice gift and they can reuse the tin later.

[nodmicks]

One year I made my Gram a card saying she was going to be picked up 3 times a month and brought over for a home cooked meal.
She loved it.

[MrsClaus]

One year I looked around our house and gathered things to give away...like new cookbooks I didn't need, candles I had been given but never used, brand new books I had held back for the kids.

I purchased mugs from thrift stores for $.25, added a packet of cocoa mix, a tiny bag of marshmellows and packaged it all up as "snowman soup"

One year I printed off coloring pages from the internet and added a box of crayons.

[monkeywrangler71]

Just another note on the coupons, once I gave some to my daughter that she could use to have me clean her room for her. It was the most excited I've ever seen her get over a gift. She was about ten.