Making a Nice Christmas on a Budget
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Question:
Two years of medical setbacks have caught up with us and while everyone is finally well, it is going to be a lean Christmas. I have great crafting skills, can knit, sew, and cook, so I know I can make Christmas gifts. The problem is, my attitude. I just can't seem to get motivated to make Christmas gifts when I miss being able to to go out and charge the "right" gift. I'm feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of making a nice Christmas on a low budget. Any advice?Katie from Connecticut
Answers:
Baked Goodies
This year, my 4 and 5 year old daughters are going to do lots of baking. Most everyone loves homemade goodies! And most of the ingredients aren't that expensive.By Heather in Illinois
Share Your Love and Blessings
Re-frame your expectations. Compared to many others, if you have a roof over your head, your personal belongs and memories intact, you are indeed blessed. Set yourself the task of sharing your love and blessings by blessing others, and you will be more blessed than by buying expensive gifts. If you need to realize how much your homemade gifts are worth in dollars and cents, put a dollar amount on the value of your time, factor in your time and the cost of materials and I bet you find you are "spending" quite a lot on gifts!Snowman Soup Mix
Last year I found very large coffee mugs at the dollar store and made homemade cocoa mix, filled a small ziploc, placed a smaller ziploc filled with mini marshmallows, wrapped it all in cello wrap with a candy cane in the bow and called it snowman soup.Recipes for Snowman Soup: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf41317254.tip.html
The younger ones loved it. For the adults I did a chi tea mix and wrapped it the same way. Both gifts were a real hit and very inexpensive. People really do love homemade things made from the heart.
Chai Mix Recipes: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf259173.tip.html
By Annie.
The Best Gifts are Handmade
I wish I had your talent! I too love to shop for that "perfect" gift, but isn't it strange, that the things I've received that I love the most are things that have been hand made for me? As you craft, knit, cook and sew, think of the person you are making the gift for and I"ll bet you will find your lost "Christmas spirit"By Mary
Watch "The Homecoming"
Watch the old movie "the Homecoming". It was the movie that inspired the series, "The Walton Family". It was set in the depression and the kids received hand knit items (scarves, mittens). Everyone sooner or later has some lean times. Making your gifts with your talents can only remind us that it truly is better to give than receive and I'm sure you will make just the "right" gift for everyone and everyone will feel blessed at your personalized generosity.By Memere
Invite Someone to Craft With You
Use other people to motivate you. See if anyone else in your family or friends would like to bring their box of goodies over and get crafting with you. Coffee, chatting and creating together is equal fun and forms stronger friendships and you will find you get heaps more done and you can share skills.By cheekychops
Make a Tradition
I am making Christmas gifts also. My husband and I got married in April, I found out I was pregnant two weeks later and things haven't been the same since. We are moving into our first home in a couple of weeks. We have been living with his folks the last 6 months, we have to pay to have things fixed around the house so the landlord will take off on our rent. I can't work right now so money is MUCH tighter than it should be.What makes me feel good about the situation is that I know what my family likes and that makes it easier to make a certain kind of cookies or a hair bow holder for my niece and adopted sister. I hope you feel better about it. You could make it a new tradition and have your kids help as well.
By jennifer
Cookie or Brownie Mix
I give out brownies or cookies in a jar, where I mix together or layer the dry ingredients for the dessert, then I add a gift tag that provides the rest of the directions and wet ingredients. I give these out quite a bit around the holidays and people appreciate being able to bake something from scratch quickly.By Jenny
No Sew Fleece Blankets
You can make beautiful no sew fleece blankets (get fleece on sale). I made them last year for everyone on my list and they were loved by all.Here are Instructions: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf98170615.tip.html
By Jo-Ann
Bird Houses
Last year my sister and I were walking around a craft show and she mentioned how much she liked those bird houses on a poll with the Christmas lights wrapped around them. She did not have the money to buy on that day. My DH and I built her one for Christmas that year. We showed it off to family and we were asked to make them one also. So Christmas this year we'll make those bird houses to fit each person's decor. It does not hurt to ask what people like.By Diane
Listen to Christmas Music to Get You into the Spirit
You might want to start playing Christmas albums while you go about "creating" your lists and gifts for everyone. I would think the music alone would put you in the mood!By Luvyabye
Simplifying Can Be Satisfying
My husband and I got married very young, while we were still in college, and then he started his own business, and we had babies. So Christmases have always been lean around here. Our theory on gift giving has always been to make or buy a gift that will really bless a person. So we try to look at each person and get or make them something that will truly be a blessing to them.I have made quilted mittens, neck rolls, scarfs, we have bought A LOT of books. Each person generally only gets one or 2 things. Try to remember what Christmas is all about (not gifts). If you celebrate Jesus at Christmas (not trying to preach), try reading the Christmas story to get you in the mood, it is in Luke 2. Also, if you are a praying person, I tend to pray for the person I am making a gift for while I make it. I feel like it fills the gift with love. Sounds like this is an excellent opportunity to shift priorities and get away from the over done very commercial Christmas. Simplifying can be very satisfying.
By Kelly
Gift Certificates for Handmade Gifts
Perhaps 'retro' would be a good idea this year. Surely your family and friends are all familiar with all your crafts and talents. Why not give each a certificate for the item of their choice to be made by you after Christmas? Motivation will be a lot easier as they pick what they want and you realize how much you're appreciated.By Teri
Just Get Started
This may sound didactic, but I find that it's just like ironing. Once you get started, it's really not so bad. In fact, my enthusiasm grows! What the heck. Just start and see what happens!By Coreen
Give Your Time
You are the best gift to your family and friends. For elders how about pumping gasoline for them or washing their car. Maybe make a casserole for a rainy evening and enjoying it with them. Time is so valuable to all of us and is the best gift we can give to someone we love. Happy Holidays!By Tedebear
The Best Gifts Are From the Heart
The best gift is from the heart.When my husband lost his job a few years ago, money was extremely tight. With Christmas around the corner, we had no idea what we were going to do. What we thought was a bad situation has turned into a great tradition for our family. Our two boys, my husband and I draw names between the four of us. You then make a gift for that person. The one rule we set is that you can't spend more than $10 in supplies or materials.
There has been a great variety of gifts, a picture printed off the internet and framed, a small scrapbook, a car cleaning by the giver, doing the other persons chores for a week. As you can see, some of the gifts cost nothing. My boys, now 11 and 16 have learned the true meaning of Christmas.
For other family members, I have made placemats out of men's shirts that I bought at Goodwill for a quarter each. I have cross-stitched, made coupon books to run errands, Saturday clean up or just spend the afternoon with the person. I have bought boxes of greeting cards, stamps and pen for someone in a care center. I think the total cost for this was $5.
For a single or elderly person, make up homemade TV dinners that they can heat up. I did this for my Grandmother using whatever we had for dinner. I purchased some plates at the dollar store and she would give them back to me when they were empty, little did she know, this was a gift that I planned on giving throughout the year. Every couple weeks I would take 5 - 7 dinners to her so all she had to do was microwave them. This didn't cost me any extra because it was what I was already making.
Have fun with your gifts and truly, if they are from the heart, the recipient will love them.
By CRMom
A Movie Basket
One year I made no-sew fleece blankets for each family member. Then I made matching pillows. I then packaged each family's blankets and pillows together and added a family movie, popcorn, cocoa mix or pop, depending on whether I had to mail the box or not. (Pop is much heavier, therefore, costing considerably more to mail). I wrote a silly little poem about giving them a 'night out together spent on the living room floor.' It was a hit!! I would be glad to share the 'poem,' but most everyone could come up with something better.By grannyD
Buddy Up
I always come up with the "best" idea for a new craft project, and then I do nothing about it. Last year for Christmas, I buddied up with a friend, we went shopping (not BUYING) and got craft ideas. We spent days in the mountains and at the beach, wandering through gift shops. Then around October, we got started. From coasters to picture plates to customized magnets, the things we made were better than some of the inspiration pieces in the stores! In fact, I started selling the coaster sets after Christmas, getting orders from friends of the family who'd received them.So, my suggestion is: buddy up. it makes it more fun... and you can use the motivation!
Decorate Early
Jump start your Christmas decorations! That always puts me in the mood. We've had a rough year, also and I too am crafting my own gifts. I started decorating a few weeks ago with just little things, an ornament hanging in my kitchen window, a little tree on the bathroom vanity. This weekend I took out the stockings and hung them in my craft room/office so when I come in the door from the thrift shop, or finish a small project I can drop my treasures into the appropriate one. You'll be surprised how quickly the stockings fill up and you'll soon feel less anxious!By KathyNY
Daily Devotionals
You can also go to the Christian bookstores and find little daily devotionals cheap. I went there this weekend and found some for 2006 for 65 cents. I grabbed a bunch and plan to give them out. People understand when you can't spend a lot and do things like this, we've all been there. You can also get bath gels and some cheap scrubbies and wrap them together and give them to the girls. Hope this helps.By pgvidal
Homemade Items
One Christmas, early in my marriage, funds were low at Christmas time. I crocheted hats andr scarves as gifts. I also baked fruitcake and different quick breads as gifts. I visited my elderly neighbors bringing them a warm banana bread. We then had tea and a wonderful visit.By Betsy
Get Things That Are Needed
I come from a very large family and we are all very close so the drawing names doesn't work for us, everyone refuses. But what we have learned to do is ask what that family may need. For example: new kitchen towels, cookie sheets, good smelling candles, towels, all these types of things you can find in almost any store in the clearance section. Or make things like photo albums, calenders from old photos. These are just a few ideas.By Michelle
Christmas Poems
Last year I made Christmas poems on poster board out of candy for my nieces and nephews. It basically talks about santa flying over "fifth avenue" and the "milky way" and how he brings "skittles" of toys and loves the "snickers" and smiles he gets from children everywhere. You get the idea. I wrote it in different colored markers and glued the candy on for those words. I ended up working in 14 different candies in minis and full size. Everyone loved it and thought it was cute. I also gave each of them homemade christmas ornaments of burnt out light bulbs painted to look like snowmen and sprinkled with glitter. Hope this helps someone.By AMY MILAM
Homemade Means You Spent Time, Energy and Love
My husband has been unemployed since July and our oldest just got married so believe me things are tight at our house too! Try to remember that people love things you have made for them. It is easy to go out and buy something. But a homemade gift no matter what means you spent time, energy, effort and love putting something together for someone. I call those "gotcha" gifts! I can't think of anything I have purchased that has made anyone cry, but several things I have made as gifts have!By Ginger
Pillow Cases
What about making each one a Christmas pillow case. You could do bath-salts or gifts in a jar, recipe cards. Wheat or rice bags that you heat up for sore muscles. All of these are things you can find on the net. Best of luck, Have fun and Merry Christmas.By ygrandma1
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