Frugal
Gift
Ideas
By Lisa Barthuly
Looking for frugal gift ideas? No matter the
occasion, with a bit of imagination you can give
special gifts without breaking the budget!
Does Aunt Mabel love coffee? How about a
special coffee mug filled with a cellophane bag
of her favorite coffee beans, tied up with a pretty
bow? How about a framed family picture for a long-distance relative
or family friend? Do you have a child in your life who loves to draw
and create? What about a nice set of colored pencils and drawing
paper? There are just tons of frugal ideas that you can customize for
the recipient, who will love to receive them!
Just about anyone would love a jar of home-canned jam and a
batch of fresh biscuits. How about a pair of movie tickets or a gift
certificate from a favorite ice cream parlor or a pound of candy from
a favorite confectioner? Ever thought of making up a “coupon book”
for a loved one? Your coupon book could include coupons for meals
or baked goods, housecleaning, babysitting, or animal care; the list
here is endless!
I love to do up “gift mixes” in a canning jar. These can range from
bath products (bath salts, a milk bath mixture, bath oils, etc.) to dry
baking mixes for cookies, soups, coffee drinks, muffins, trail mixes,
or a homemade bread mix. You could even do homemade chocolates,
popcorns, or nuts, topped off with a cute piece of fabric cut in a
circle, to cover your jar lid. Secure the jar with your lid ring. Add a
cute recipe card with instructions, if needed, or a note card with a
greeting for whatever the occasion, tied on with a pretty bow, and
you’ve got a nice homemade gift!
It’s fun to put together customized gift baskets for loved ones, and
you aren’t limited to “baskets”! You could purchase a nice pot and fill
it with pastas, sauces, and a wooden spoon for the pasta lover, or give
your favorite athlete a baseball hat or football helmet that holds a ball
and a favorite team T-shirt. Fill a golf ball basket with balls and tees.
Fill a vintage tin with a favorite anything Do you have a gardener in
your midst? Purchase a nice flowerpot and fill it with seeds and
gardening gloves! Do you know a candle lover who has a special occasion coming up? How about a gift of hand-rolled beeswax taper candles
With a little thought and ingenuity on your part,
you can come up with your own custom ideas.
