Gifts the frugal way!

**Shell** · 09-19-2003, 12:26 AM

When it comes to gift giving what limit do you set? How much do you spend on your friends and how much on family? Perhaps you only make your gifts. Gifts are supposed to show you care . . . not how rich you are.

**homesteadmamma** · 09-19-2003, 10:11 AM

Years ago we stopped giving gifts to relatives or friends. We only give a gift to my mom at Christmas, and for all other occasions she gets a card.

For our immediate family (6 kids, 8 grandkids), we make all our gifts except when it comes to purchasing books for them.

For gift giving, we don't spend more than $200.00 a year. That includes birthdays and Christmas.

Dh and I seldom purchase gifts for each other.

**simplemom** · 09-19-2003, 11:34 AM

I realized just lately, that we spend too much on gifts, even if I did spend wisely and bought gifts all year round on sale...

I buy gifts for 9 nephews and neices for x-mas and bdays, each year. (5 to 10$ each)(one of tem gets $30 because he is our godson-this year we gave him opened him a bank account-$100.00)

I buy gifts for my parents and Pierre's parents on x-mas.($10-15 each)

I buy small gifts for my sis and her dh, and Pierre's brother and his wife for x-mas. ($10 each)

I buy gifts about 10 times a year for kiddies parties. ($8 each)

My kids get about 50$ worth on their bdays nad the last two years, we have been spending 500.00 $ at X-mas for them...

This year, we had two weddings, $100.00 and $50 we gave the couple...

I find we spend way too much for gifts...

I have now, decided to make all my gifts, as much as possible, even for kiddies parties. I'm working on finding ideas to make nice gifts for kids. I'm even sure they will like it, because it will be different from the typical toys. I'm even wanting to work on finding ideas for teen-agers...

Home-made gifts are special, original and show we love and care as much as if we bought it. Right?

You are right Shell. Gifts are to show we care, not how rich we are...

Let's start sharing our ideas on making gifts...

**pip** · 09-19-2003, 02:49 PM

Here's an idea that I haven't tried yet, but it sounds kind of cool. Melt down old bits of crayons into *crayon cookies*. Has anybody tried this, and do they look good?

**mylittle4** · 09-19-2003, 04:29 PM

We cut back last year but this year we are doing even more. This is for budget reasons and also I have come to realize that my kids have too much stuff.

**Missy** · 09-19-2003, 04:45 PM

If you can find cookie cutters in letter shapes, then the crayon cookies are a fun thing to do...get the metal cookie cutters if you plan on doing this a lot. lay the cutters on a wax lined sheet. slowly pour a little bit of melted wax in the shape.(pouring slowly allows the melted wax to "set up" a little around the edges so it doesn't leak under the cookie cutter so bad) Melt some more colors, pour in and swirl or layer the colors. Use letters from the childs name. Its fun for kids and personalised too. If you cannot find the cookie cutters, sometimes you can find candy or soap molds. those work too!

**slowtypinwoman** · 09-19-2003, 05:06 PM

I have done the "cookie" thing and it is fun to get candy molds too. they can be made in many shapes and the kids almost never have a set of Aquatic animals crayons. LOL
Another fun thing alex and I have done is get some fabric with a childs theme or in the colors of their room and make a pillow. Alex made one for a little friend of hers, She loved being able to brag that she sewed it herself. The child was an avid reader. The pillow ( big oversized) along with a book and book mark was a hit with her friend. last year for Alex's B- day instead f sending home goodie bags with a bunch of "stuff" We made purses from old jeans and personalized them with the girls name in fabric pen. Filling them was a push pencil, gum, (left over from the town parade) a push pencil, and a candy bar. My friends gave me old jeans that couldn't be salvaged as wearable jeans any longer. the whole cost of that was about $3 for the pencils and $2.50 for the fun sized cany bars.

This year we are on a major $$$ crunch. So if any of you ladies have a CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP project such as these, I'd love to hear it!

**mustang80** · 09-19-2003, 05:15 PM

I'm using my AC Moore 40% or 50% coupons to get stuff for my SIL's gift basket this year. I'm doing a cookie theme. I just got her a real nice cookie press (Wilton) for $10.00 with my coupon. Will also add some Betty Crocker pouch mixes when on sale. I also got some Wilton cookie cutters for $2.00 with 50% off at Michaels. I will slowly fill the basket ($2.44 at AC MOORE) with goodies, hopefully very cheaply.

I'm finding I'm sick and tired of spending money on certain people (inlaws) only to find my gifts stuffed in the basement or garage, never used.

I'm going to make MIL a basket with teas, jellies, etc. for when they go to Florida for 3 months with the motorhome. I know that will be used and appreciated. Since they are never home, they really don't need anything for their house.

The kids aren't getting much because we are going to Florida in Oct. They already have too much anyway, and are fine with this.

Mom and Dad are asking for a Lowe's gc-nice and easy!

**Mom23boys** · 09-19-2003, 06:19 PM

I have already bought everything for inlaws and nephew and nieces this year, but next year I plan on cutting way back and only buying for my own family and the 8 nieces and 1 nephew. If it wasn't alreayd purchased and put away, I wouldn't be doing it this year either.

**captclearance** · 09-19-2003, 06:36 PM

I give many gifts, I buy so many bargains and make so many of my gifts it really isn't a bit expense...... Shipping is more of and expense than anything, so we send less now.....

**Jeanna** · 09-19-2003, 06:45 PM

We spend to much on gifts. Although we have stopped buying for every child we know that graduates and every person we know who gets married. I think we buy for way to many people at Christmas and Birthdays. My side of the family has quit buying for grownups at Christmas and Birthdays. However, my husbands side of the family thinks we should buy for everyone everytime. I have tried making gifts and my mom and my family love them, but my inlaws do not appriecate them at all. So I quit making for them. I was joking with my husband because we just moved and my mil and sil were helping me and they kept making comments about all my books (neither one of them reads or does any hobbies at all) and so I told my husband I thought I should buy books for his side of the family this year.