JumbleTown Ireland - Recession x-mas gift ideas

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- - Recession x-mas gift ideas (http://www.jumbletown.ie/forums/showthread.php?t=39437)

just had another little idea
Those cheap breadmixes you get in the shop? Why not fill a large coffee jar with it , decorate lid with a bit of scrap fabric, write /print instructions on card, attach and decorate with ribbon....

handcrafted gifts

Hi everybody
check out www.alenkasprintables.com. Click on the free printables tab - some lovely ideas (teabag envelopes, candywrappers, cocoa envelopes etc.) Lovely!!

This is easy to make and always brings a smile!

Download a picture of John Wayne or any cowboy, type in the following text..."John Wayne toilet roll...It's rough...it's tough...and it wont take S**t from anyone!"
Print it out and attach to the cheapest toilet roll you can find!

My hubby loves John Wayne. I can just imaagine his face getting the toilet roll for Christmas!! Brilliant!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by HappyHunter

Here's my idea for Christmas in a recession - the best gift you can give anyone is TIME.

Gifts are a lovely way of showing love & friendship - but at some stage whatever is given or received breaks, gets worn out, is eaten, is packaged in material that needs to be got rid of or is something that just sits in a corner, unused, or in a cupboard unseen and forgotten.

Spending time with the people you would normally buy some little gift for will give them something which costs nothing but so few people can "afford" because they are always rushing around. Time is something no one can buy, time is priceless.

Weather permitting spend a day going for a walk in a park or a forest area.

Invite people to your home for an afternoon or evening.

Visit elderly family and friends, do something for them that they really need done but are unable to do it themselves.

Whatever way you decide to spend time - the memory lasts forever.

I had to comment.... to expand on this idea you can make up a little book of vouchers on your pc complete with images etc if desired. The vouchers in the above example would read something like:

This voucher entitles the bearer to drag me out for an afternoon walk in xyz area one sunny day.

or

This voucher entitles the bearer to dinner for two any Saturday evening in January at chez moi. Booking required.

You get the idea. Shopping trips... Housework for a day... Ironing etc etc

'special' vouchers for the one you love he he!

I've done those 'vouchers' a few times as gifts, they're a great laugh :)

Home made foody gifts are great. Bake nice biscuits and wrap them up really nicely.
Or make some jam or jelly and put into a nice jar (maybe someone has some on JT?), put a piece of fabric over the lid and tie with a festive ribbon. Of course goes with a handmade card!
Or if you have only a plain jar you can jazz it up with some glass paint.

Or you can knit or sew something. Once I knitted a scarf for my then boyfriend. It turned out very thick and heavy at the end (it was my first ever knitting!!), so he can wear it only when he goes to the Arctic, but he liked the idea of handmade gifts.

My mum made me once a cross stitched picture and my dad framed it. It was thye best gift I ever got from them!

You can make chutneys as well.

Flavoured olive oil in nice bottles.

You can make boardgames at home from cardboard, coloured paper, corks and bits and pieces. They make a lovely present.

You will find some very nice sounding confectionary recipes here.

http://www.greatbritishkitchen.co.uk...d=170&Itemid=2

I posted another thread under "Green Christmas Presents" - it's kinda like this thread so worth visiting before you post here to avoid duplication. It's a link to Susan Branch's website which brings you to a cookie jar covered in names of biscuits/buns/brownies etc. Just click on the name of the confection & the recipe comes up.

http://susanbranch.cmail2.com/l/568901/34te1ii/y

Recipe for a happy christmas:
Fill a house with equal parts of love, hope and peace.
Add the joy of children & the strength of older people
Season with the music of laughter and mistletoe kisses
Warm before a crackling fire and serve with tidings of comfort and joy!

(Nicked from the susan branch website!)

Quote:

Originally Posted by jumbo_ing_around

Baby sitting!!!

I WOULD ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS FOR CHRISTMAS!!!!

http://www.meska.hu/?p=search&tech=&...E1gok&lcid =0

I usually get some ideas from this site. The stuff is handmade and for sale, but most of them are simple enough to make them at home at a minimum cost.

Quote:

Originally Posted by paprika

I WOULD ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS FOR CHRISTMAS!!!!

LMAO @ paprika :P When my son and my nephew were younger, my sister and I used to trade babysitting as if it were currency... We'd often give each other 'presents' of a night off! So funny :)

Oh, it's a pity I don't have siblings and my sis-in-law is a few thousand miles far... :(

Remembering other gift: a friend of mine painted a plain wooden box and decoupaged some lovely patterns on it and purchased some loose flavoured black tea by weight (my favourite flavour: Irish Cream!!!!!!!) put it in and it was lovely. We got it actually for our wedding and after we drank the tea my husband kept his pipe tobacco in the box.