Recession x-mas gift ideas
 

HI Everybody, since we're now in a recession a few ideas for x-mas on a budget will be posted here. any ideas welcome.... ;o)

stocking fillers
 

well, here we go...
a cute idea for stocking fillers.

you'll need:
a pack or two raisins or peanuts ( i use the chocolate covered ones for a better effect) Lidl and aldi sells packs for +- €1
a small bag
some ribbon
a piece of card if you're handwritting the verse
or a printer if you're going to print the verse:

Here's the verse:
'Heard you were a little naughty
so here's the scoop,
You're gettin a bit of snowman/reindeer poop!

Place raisins / peanuts in bag, tie on the ribbon. Punch hole in card with verse and attach to bag. BRILLIANT!!

snowman soup
 

here another:

same as above. instead of the raisins / peanuts, fill bag with hot chocolate powder. Add a few marsmallows. Print or write the instructions for the hot chocolate on card with heading "SNOWMAN SOUP" and attach. You can also place the ingredients in a cup and add a candycane or even in a tub. Yummy!!

Dig out some old photos and stick them in a new album (2euro shop). It won't cost much but will mean a lot to the reciever, especially if you decorate it or write little quotes in it

beautiful candle gift
 

i used to sell these at cratf fairs and they are always best seller!
We all have a few candles lying around the house. I use to go to to carboot sales and pick up cheap cups and saucers (usually those english rose imitations) . If you're gonna chop a candle with a burned wick, make sure you cut the black wick off and remove any dust / black bits on the candle. Now break candle into little pieces. Tie the wick onto a chopstick or pencil and rest on the cup with the rest of the wick hanging down in the cup. Melt candle in a small old pot ( low temperature so the wax dont burn). Fill cup with wax. If the porcelain you're using is very thin, you might want to leave a teapoon sitting in the cup while you pour wax into it, just remove straight after. When set, cut wick to desired length. You can buy cheap candles from the pound shop. You can add a few drops of essential oil just before you pour wax into cup. If you want to color the wax, you can melt a small wax-crayon with the candle. PLEASE be careful as hot wax will give a nasty burn if spilled.

bubble bath
 

have a few wine bottles spare? maybe a beer or cider bottle with metal cap? Well, why not rinse and fill with bubble bath? If you can remove the label, you can cut a strip of handmade paper, feather the edges and wrap around the bottle. Handwrite "Bath bubbly / Bath brew / Bath wine".
If anybody wants instructions on how to feather the edge on handmade paper, let me know and i'll post instructions...

BRILLIANT krismcd03! I have mum in laws present now sorted!! ;o)

tubs and such
 

heres another idea i posted on another thread:
if you can pull the labels off tubs, you can make your own little gift tub. Fill with bath goodies etc. It will make a lovely gift. Or maybe if you have friend who can take a joke, you can use the vanish tubs (i dont know if you can remove the label, its printed onto the plastic isn't it?) with some household cleaning goodies, maybe a pair of gloves, a dishcloth, a little scrubbing brush, a little sample bottle of handlotion.... a gift voucher for grocery shop such as dunnes or tesco? Large glass jars can work too. Cut a circle of fabric or nice wrapping paper and place over lid. Tie with ribbon or elastic band

buy a basket and fill it with cans of stuff... or fruits,olives,they all can be bought cheap, and a bottle of wine in the middle.wrap a nice bow on handle and voila! the husband/mom/dads present sorted! :)

theres also the option of a breakfast basket... of course with brekkie items.. :)early in the morning to surprise someone

Cd
 

another cheapie idea is you make a video, get a santa hat, and say what u love about your husband/boyfriend, what you think about him, all the love dovey stuff... burn on a CD... now you can get a picture of you two and print circle CD shape and glue it on yours.
Get any old cd box, remove all the papers and covers and print a colage of you 2 pictures thru the years....

its a nice romantic way of saying that you love that person....

Ps, i did it before, made my man cry! :) it works

Lovely Ideas
 

I love these ideas...I am going to try some of them out over the weekend. Thanks! :-)

These ideas are brill!!

Keep em coming!

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.

Well said Happyhunter....you hit the nail on the head!

Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend.

- Theophrastus (372 BC - 287 BC), from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers

re: Happyhunter - this is one of my most fav. quotes