Want to give some Christmas gifts this year that won't ruin your budget? Try some of these homemade gift ideas.
* This idea will need to be planned out at least a month before Christmas. If you have a large family or a large group of friends that all know each other, send out a letter that asks them for their favorite recipe. Ask them to not only write out the recipe but also to include a story about why this recipe means so much to them. Perhaps their grandmother gave them this recipe or maybe this recipe was a family tradition? Once you receive all of the recipes back, compile them and type them out, adding graphics or pictures and using fun fonts. Write an introduction to your family or friend recipe book and package them all up to hand out as gifts. This will be a homemade gift that your family and friends will treasure for years to come.
* If you have some friends or family members that love watching and renting movies, make them a movie night basket. Buy some baskets from garage sales or flea markets and buy movie-inspired items. You can get a few dollars worth of gift certificates for movie rentals or a small $5 gift certificate to a local theater. Put in a few bags of microwave popcorn, a box of candies and a drink or two and you got yourself a movie night in a basket.
* One of the easiest and least expensive homemade gifts to create is a gift of bath salts. Know those expensive bath salts they sell at department stores? If you only knew how much they truly cost to make, you would never buy them again. First, at dollar stores, garage sales or flea markets, scout for some chic-looking glass containers that have tight lids. In a bowl, mix two cups of Epsom's salt and one cup of sea salt. If you want your bath salts to be colorful, add a few drops of food coloring. Mix this all together. Add a quarter of a teaspoon of glycerin and a few drops of a scented essential oil, like Mango or Patchouli. Be sure to mix this very well and then pour into your glass container.
* Are your friends going through the same budget issues as you? Get together and have a cookie and brownie making party. Each of you can come prepared with a recipe to make and then you can trade out brownies and cookies so that you can hand out a variety of sweets as gifts.
* In line with the cookie theme, if you have a favorite, tried and true cookie or brownie recipe, you can give that as a gift as well. Get a nice glass jar with a lid and layer your dried ingredients in the jar. For example, the bottom layer could be flour, the next layer could be brown sugar and the top layer could be chocolate chips. Make sure to include the right amount of ingredients to make one batch. Tie a bow of raffia around the lid and include a recipe for the cookies (or brownies) and list any wet ingredients that may need to be added.
