Frugal Holiday Ideas

So, the holidays are fast approaching. Let's share some inexpensive ideas for gift giving.

• a basket of shampoo, brushes, conditioners and maybe a straightening iron for a teenage girl
• basket of nail stuff for teenage girl
• basket of outdoor toys - jump ropes, bubbles,chalk, frisbees, a football.
• A coupon for a homemade dinner for the bachelor/older person in your life
• a coupon for cookies every month
• layered soup in a jar
• loaf of fancy bread a month or every two months for a teacher
• a night of babysitting for your close friend
• errand running, grocery shopping or kid to sports delivery offer
• a magazine subscription - this one is probably my favorite - I LOVE magazines

What kind of ideas do you have?  What do you buy for the people who are difficult to buy for?  What kind of gifts are the most interesting, most exciting, most inventive, gifts that make you say, "Wow.  YOu are so thoughtful!"?

Comments

[Nobody]

OK, you say you LOVE Magazines. Other than Real Simple, what ones do you read regularly? Ocassionally? And only if you had more time??

[Kendra]

The hot new teen gift around here is a gas station gift card. I love it when my teen gets them-it's like giving ME cash!

[Dani]

Family Fun is a great magazine for moms.

[Donna]

My parents are impossible -- they just accumulate lots and lots of STUFF and the last thing they need is another THING. So now, I buy them a gift card to use at a nice restaurant in their town. It's not something they would necessary do for themselves, and it's not going to add to the clutter in their place. (OK, maybe it's not a *frugal* gift... but it works.)

[mimbles]

I'm making jewelry for people this year, so far I've done necklaces for my sister and sister-in-law. It's inexpensive and lots of fun.

[Pat]

Gonna show my denseness here: layered soup in a jar? Tomato, chicken noodle, cream of celery all in the same jar--you must mean something else. I can't picture how that would work.

[patois]

For the kids' teachers, each year I let the kids buy a Christmas tree ornament at a local store in our downtown area. I like to support small stores (although I definitely am not anti-Target). The kids pick out an ornament that they feel fits their teacher. And the teacher gets something that isn't total junk. (I also donate cash toward the class gift card.)

[kalisah]

Pat - I think she means you layer the soup contents - dried beans, rice, spices, etc. w/ directions for cooking.

That reminds me, Carmen - one year when My Kid was selling wrapping paper and other usless shit I bought a recipe book of layered cookie recipes.

You layered the flour, brown sugar, oats, butterscotch chips, etc. in a jar and there were little tear-out cards in the book with cooking instructions ("cream butter and eggs, mix in contents of jar, bake for 12 min at 350" etc.). I loved giving those.

[sarah]

Homemade baby blankets to those who've got kids ( squares of flannel with ribbons ), hats & scarves to the older folks in my lives, cookie tins for those who are special that I do'nt want to spend lots of money on, LOL.

Teenage girls : smelly soaps and lotions, trial sizes of expensive products, nail care boxes, manicure cards.

Teenage boys : gas cards, car wash certificates, help cooking dinner for a date.

Younger boys : coupons for a day at the park, a day at the movies, day at the museum. Rental of a movie, your couch, and popcorn for an overnight with his friends.

Girls : layered cookies, a "makeover" slumber party, help sewing with fancy fabric, a manicure, pretty paper and glitter pens as a stationary set, an art box.

Tots : Scented playdough once a month, Help baking messy cookies, edible paint lessons, free trip to the park, help building a snowman on the first snowy day, activity set, playsilks, dress up clothes.

[Beth]

How about for your parents (who probably already have everything) picking out a family on the "giving tree" and/or good neighbors organization to buy for in their name. Nothing says "I learned about charity from the best" than showing your parents you "got" the giving part. We do that with both sets of parents and it never fails to bring tears to their (and our) eyes!!!

[mbbored]

I do things like "soup in a jar" for my family: we're all young and living in too small housing, jobs with weird hours and some of us have kids. I'll make a soup mix, an instant bread mix, a cookie mix, and tuck it in a reusable grocery bag with a bottle of wine or 6 pack of fancy beer. Everything gets used up except for the bag which is actually useful.

[Brandy]

Ok, I'm sad. I am giving gift cards to my Dad and his wife this year. MIL and FIL are getting a combined gift, an electronic photo frame. (They take so many photos and this can rotate them for them as well.) MY favorite gift to receive? Gift certificate to the Bookstore! (I'm more than an AVID reader. *G*)