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Twicehappy2x -> RE: Christmas Shopping and the Economy (11/8/2008 6:30:03 AM)
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Some Xmas suggestions for those who are feeling the pinch.
First to littlewonder, i see you live in PA. There are several good organizations who help with Christmas gifts for children. Give me a day or so, my middle daughter lives there with her husband and ums, i'll send you some links.
For the ums.
If any of you have female ums, hit your local thrift store and buy an old trunk or a set of suitcases. Then fill it up with wedding/evening gowns, scarves, high heels, items like that from the same thrift stores. Add some dollar store beads and jewelry, tadah, a gift that will keep them busy for hours.
Or pick up a good sized baby doll, buy a thrift store cradle/stroller/walker etc, plus a bunch of baby clothes from same store, another gift to keep them busy.
Pick up scraps of material, cheap thread, big needles, a plastic crochet hook, mark down/thrift store yarn, beads, fabric paint. Put it all in a thrift store basket/caddy, personalize with their name, another great gift.
Buy a cleaning caddy, add dollar store dusters, thrift store apron, spray bottle for water, cut up some rags, add a kids broom, another good one.
Pick up a basket, fancy tea cups, tea pot at your local thrift shop, add a few tea bags tied up in a scrap of pretty material and a tin of cookies, cut some napkins from scrap or buy at thrift store, instant tea party set.
For male ums, buy a cheap/thrift store tool box, fill it with dollar store/thrift shop tools, nails, wood glue etc, hit a lumber yards scrap pile pick up some wood scraps. Instant fun for them. Personalize it by putting their name on the box/contents with paint.
Buy/pick up from scrap yard a flat board, paint/draw on roads, add cheap hot wheels, personalize, ie"Big Zack's(insert your ums name here) fast track racing arena".
Pick up a kids dollar store wheel barrow, some thrift store small gardening tools, packets of seed, some pots, small bag of dirt, thrift store straw hat, another good one.
Google kids craft projects, there are tons of sites with age appropriate free craft patterns/ideas for kids.
For any of the above gifts, wrap each item individually, then put it in the chest/suitcases/tool box etc. This makes Xmas morning a lot of fun as they unwrap each piece and add to their collection of items that make up the set.
For the adults.
Hit the woods, you can make wreaths from a variety of vines just by twisting them in a circle, gather dried seed pods, cat tail heads, grass seed stems, anything that catches your eye, hot glue to wreath. If you buy these the wreath alone will run you 20-40 bucks. You can make them for the cost of the glue.
Pick up thrift store coffee/tea cups, add small packets of tea or coffee (if you search coffee/tea samples, there are lots of companies who will send you free samples, use these and save more money), make chocolate spoons by dipping plastic spoons in melted chocolate, tie to cups, instant small coffee/tea break gift. Wrap by cutting scrap fabric(thrift store Xmas table clothes cut up are great for this) tied with a contrasting strip of material.
Pick up some thrift store/dollar store jars, bottles. Fill with homemade cocoa/cookie/quick bread/muffin mix. Tie pretty fabric around lid. Print directions on a scrap of paper, tie on with ribbon.
Or, in tall bottles, buy a 1/2 gallon of vinegar, fill the bottle, add a piece of ginger, a few pieces of lemon/orange peel, flavored vinegar. Add garlic gloves and a sprig of basil, another flavor. Just search flavored vinegars and you'll find tons of cheap recipes. If you've ever priced gourmet flavored vinegars, you know how good a gift this really is.
Lots of ladies magazines and product sites have free recipes and printable tags with directions. Try Good Housekeeping, Better homes and Gardens, Womans Day, Pillsbury, Nabisco, Hershey's. They also have kids printable coloring pages and craft ideas.
Here is a link to the best free sample directory i know. Use the free samples of coffee/tea in you gift sets. Use the samples of snacks, perfume, etc to fill your stockings.
http://www.mysavings.com/free-product-samples/food-cooking/
Print coupons good for small services like baby sitting or a home cooked meal.
Honest, you can have a better Xmas with nothing sometimes than by spending a lot of money.
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