And what great frugal ideas do you have for Xmas presents?

[ironmaiden]

Here are some of my ideas:

Teaching an 8 year old or over how to knit/ 7years old crochet
Craft kit - left over yarn, fabric scraps, odd buttons, felt and directions or ideas on what to make.
For younger kids cut out shapes (houses, trucks, train parts, fish etc.) out of felt or craft foam and do a kit that they just need to glue the pieces.
Directions and supplies to make a puppet.
Pillow cases/Pillows - make one with kid friendly fabric or applique their name on it. My sister got my kid a flannel pillowcase and now it is his "cozy pillow from auntie!"
Bean bags - with a list of bean bag games. You could make these yourself.
Dice - with a book/list of dice games - you could teach them the games.
Marbles - teach them.
Cards - solitare, etc. My neice didn't know you could play without a computer!!

Oh, and here's a great one that I'm trying to get the grandparents and aunts to do...


Read book onto a cassette tape.

All those books on tape that we get from the library that we listen to on car rides are great. But they are just one story per tape - a pain to the driver flipping tapes. There are two kids in the backseat, so the "book" that comes with these things causes more trouble than it is worth anyway. So I'm trying to get the relatives to get books from the library and read them onto a cassette. That would be a half hour of stories read to them by someone who is special to them. Especially as the grandparents are in their 80's, that would be a truly wonderful present.

Lots of kids would rather have time and one on one attention (especially if they are part of a big family) with a relative especially when you know they will get a ton of presents anyway. Teaching a craft that may stay with them for life will be a lasting present.

Or taking a kid on an outing to mini-golf or to a paint a craft place, the zoo etc. is an idea that should be under $10 Throw in that ice cream cone. And set expectations for gift shops ahead of time.

Oh. Teaching woodworking.
Applique a truck, train, flower etc. on a pre-made sweatshirt.

[daddys3chicks]

Great ideas! I bought both my girls kids crochet hook sets. This will be a Christmas break project. We are also going to make and decorate cookies - we have a cookie cutter set that depicts the Nativity scene. Not really Christmas gifts, but the gift of time.

[sunshine]

I take copies of pictures of family members, pets, local sites- and put simple words with them for picture books for the little ones. (things like Mom, Dad, Spot, School, etc)

I print out 2 copies of small pictures of the above on card stock and laminate them for a personalized Memory Game

I recycle old clothes, and scraps to make puppets.