Christmas is coming but my wallet isnt getting fat

Hello Laglen. What a great ideal. We do this every year we live on a fixed income. But we make all kinds of things for the family and like you give out baked goods to our friends. We make things that people can use. We both are carpenters and make wood trash can's and shelves and stuff like that. Hope your holidays are great have a great day!

I have to be careful too. I am going to make mittens and wrap them with tiny ornaments that I plan to make out of felt. For some people, I am going to buy gifts with gift cards I have accumulated through rewards programs. I find things to make on www.oneprettything.com. I also wrote an article about homemade christmas gifts here: http://quazen.com/shopping/gifts/handmade-christmas-gifts/

well, i have been making shadow boxes for everyone in my family (yes, i know they are dust collectors but have turned out really nice) i have also made gift tags to sell and give away as presents. i am also planning to make soup in a jar as well as hubby is making remote caddys for family members out of wood.

I like to make jellies. I also like to make quick breads like zucchini bread. I once made my husband a memory book and put a few pictures from each year since the kids were born he really liked that. Coupon books are always nice where you make a book of coupons for people promising them certain things when they turn in a coupon like a hug or a kiss or fun things like "I will make you cookies if you give me this coupon." My kids liked the coupons marked "One pudding cup on demand." which meant I had to give them a pudding cup no questions asked or no objections if they gave me the coupon. The kids and I are going to make my husband a fluffy pillow and the kids are going to use fabric paint to decorate it for him.

It sounds like you are going very far on a limited income and me and my family have always gotten together on Christmas and had a Christmas dinner,and we do not really do presents anymore but my parents always get me and my wife something,and me and my wife are gonna get both my parents,our two best friends,and each other something which thankfully I have a job that pays decently,and my wife will have a job soon so we will be able to afford all of the Christmas gifts this year,which it will be really nice to get everyone something,because last year we could not afford Christmas gifts because we had no money.

The first thing that we've done this year to help out with our Christmas budget is to cut the fluff out of who we are buying gifts for. LOL. We used to buy gifts for all of the extended family, but last year the decision was made to not buy gifts for the cousins and instead enjoy a Christmas dinner together. It was actually really nice. Then, for the few friends that I buy gifts for, I also try to make either ornaments or baked goods. And, like one of the other people mentioned, I earn gift cards online as well and I've used those for my actual shopping.

same here.. hahaha.. i have had lots of bills and i just noticed Christmas is coming. though i don't give lots of gifts but i do spend during christmas for my family. Sometimes i'll provide more food and fun. sometimes i'll buy something unique for everyone. though i'm not going home this coming Holidays but i'll be sending something for sure..

What a great idea - I am however not so good with these ideas - I wish I were. It just show that you put your thought into the gifts you make, and not something that you quick pick up at at store somewhere. I hope your family member appreciate what they are given.

I sometimes bake cookies or sweet breads to give out for the holidays. Money is usually tight in our house.

if i think of christmas, it means time for giving but the problem is, you dont have the budget... presents is not important as long as your family are present on that special time of the year... just make simple handicrafts made from the heart...

Those sound like great gifts. I would appreciate them. I am really cutting back on my list. Co-workers will get things like baked goods. Fortunately I still have a job but I still have to cut back. I really like the cook book idea. I have also seen people who put together cooking kits. Like the ingredients for cookies tied up in pretty baggies in a basket. Calendars with family pictures is a nice touch too.

I still have no idea about that.I gave one of my friends a cook book .Thanks to its practical,he used it everyday.

I have no idea on the gift on Christmas Day, I often buy the gift from shopping.

Hi. A scrapbook filled with important events in your family or previous christmases would be nostalgic plus reserving spaces for christmases to come. Handmade pen holders, jewelry boxes or cd holders made out of shoeboxes and beautifully decorated for me would be nice.

Hiya laglen..we really don't do gifts. I'm not into making stuff and we just don't have the extra cash to buy stuff for each other or our daughter. She's used to it and it won't be no biggie for her if she just gets a few clothing items. I did put an outfit on layaway for her and going to get her several pkgs of underwear and socks.

The best gifts are always from the heart. I don't have any original ideas. But there's this catalog I get called "Collections Etc" that I shop out of for great novelty stuff. And it's all really cheap! For instance, my mother's a HUGE M&M character fan. She loves the commercial where the guys are going down the register belt or whatever those things are called (conveyor belt?). Well, this place has a set of M&M character salt and pepper shakers for $10. To her, the gift would be priceless. For other family members and friends, sometimes I give a great card or something. Heck, I don't know. I'm sure most people would love to wake up with a red-ribbon-adorned Lexus in the driveway, but they may be happy with a gift that makes them smile. I've never done the homemade thing, but gettin' some chocolate covered pretzels would definitely make me smile! Need my address? lol GL

We are always constantly slammed with the sales catalogs in the mail this time of year, so I am putting them to good use and creating ornaments out of the pages of many of them. I like doing orgami and found that the cranes make lovely ornaments when you can add them with other findings you may already have like beads and such. I use paperclips straightened out to creat fancy hangers for each of them adding the beads to the ends. They have really turned out lovely. I also give crochet items to members of the family, for the little ones that are running around, I tend to make slippers for them. You can never have enough slippers around the house. I also make scarves and hats as well. These are quick and easy to make. If you hit the nearest 2nd hand stores around your area, you can usually find a lot of yarn that can be used to make these items with. I like to make jewelry as well so I keep a lot of beads laying around. It is amazing what you can come up with. We also tend to do a lot of baking which always make great gifts for everyone. Just takes a little time. Other great gifts to make if you are handy with crochet are stuff animals. You can find a lot of great patterns on the web. I have made teddy bears for everyone one year.

Great ideas you have. If you add me as a friend I can send you some other recipes for candy and fudge. I have bread recipes as well. I will be painting ceramic ornaments, a santa claus and a sled. I am planning that everything will cost me between 15-20 dollars. I get coupons for craft stores and this will cut costs significantly.

Making baked goods is a great idea. I will be doing this as well. If you want I will add you as a friend and we can exchange recipes. I think home made gifts are great because people seem to appreciate them more. I also buy the ceramic ornaments (if you look at places like Michaels and JoAnn's) they go on sale. I bought 6 ornaments and spent 4.00. I have recipes for fudge, cookies, bread and candy. I hope these will help you.

Not something to collect dust, but practical? Ahh darn, I was going to say that I read somewhere that you can actually use dryer lint for knitting! Here's my idea: Go to a discount bulk foods store and get a big bag of white chocolate disks and a small bag of hard peppermint candy (the kind that's got stripes like candy canes). Then go to a dollar store and get some fancy cellophane and a roll of glittery ribbon. Melt the chocolate; crush up the candy (not too small) and mix it up. Spread on cookie sheets (lightly oiled) and let harden. Then break it up. Wrap up a few pieces in cellophane, tie with a nice bow, and you're set. People LOVE this!