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One of the most expensive parts of the holiday season is the gifts.
On the one hand, we want to give the people we care about something special. However that doesn't mean we should empty our checking account or overcharge our credit card in order to express our love for friends and family.
One of the best ways to give a inexpensive gift that still carries a lot of meaning is to make it yourself, especially if you have more extra time than money. Here are a few holiday gifts that can be made with items from around the house, or from a quick trip to the craft store:
Edible baked goods/food items
Everyone loves a tasty treat. One good thing about giving consumables as presents is that once they have been enjoyed, there's nothing left to clutter anyone's home.
- Chocolate truffles can be very expensive when store bought. At home, you can make a large batch using quality ingredients and save tons. Be sure to gift them away quickly while they are still fresh.
- Gingerbread houses are festive, fun and easy. If you're not confident in your engineering skills, there are kits available that take out all of the guesswork and leave you with a classic design.
- Made-from-scratch cookie sets are a good way to avoid the freshness dangers that come with truffles and other baked goods. This way the recipient can enjoy your homemade treat at their own pace.
- Homemade apple jelly and other canned preserves are a great edible gift that will last as well. Ideally you could use produce that you recently harvested from your garden, or that you have extra of around the house.
Personalized gifts
- Heat bonded patches can be applied to towels, hats, shirts, bags & more in order to add personalization and character. Just be sure to wash them with cold water, or else they might come off.
- Printable calendars are an easy way to share the photos you have collected over the years with your loved ones. If you have a printer, ink & paper, this can be a very cheap gift to make.
- Compilation CDs are a great way for the computer whiz in the family to put their skills to work. Raid your family and friends music collection and compile CDs of all of their favorite tracks.
Crafts
Crafting is a great way to create cheap holiday gifts. Plus, JoAnn Fabric & Craft Stores has a coupon for 40% off any item during the month of December!
- Knitting someone a warm hat, scarf, blanket or even kitchen/bath cloth is a wonderful way to make an inexpensive gift that is useful at the same time.
- Jewelry can be very expensive depending on where you buy it. But with the proper tools and parts you can construct your own pieces for a fraction of the cost.
- Ornaments, buttons and pins require much less skill while still being personal and hand-crafted. If you don't have experience with jewelry making or knitting, this might be a good place to get your feet wet with crafts.