Frugal gifts

[redsoxmaniac]

I hit the sales or the discount stores like Nordstum Rack, Ross, TJ Max. I have gotten some very wonderful gifts there for 60-70% off. Hard to beat.

[redsoxmaniac]

I like to make friends a birthday lunch...maybe have a few mutual friends over. I make them something they really enjoy. It is simple...not that expensive and for most of my women friends they love that someone else cooks for them. I usually give them the recipe and a bottle of whatever wine it is that I've served them that day and if it is in season... or flowers from my garden...otherwise I usually buy some local dried lavender from a nearby farm and put it in a simple mason jar. It seems that it is genuinely appreciated.

Another thing I have done is similar. Make lunch at my house and then off to a matinee movie together. I don't know about you but the time I get to spend with my friends one on one is too rare. This is always a happy time.

[giftstud]

Try folding the stars, get a lot of color paper and cut to a lot of strips, guess you can make a lot of stars. Else you can make greeting cards using computer and write everything good to all your friends.

[click4credit]

most frugal gift I have given - one whole day spent at home with my partner

[Mary Webber]

I love to give garden thngs for Christmas, especially if winter has alrteady arrived. Mini-tools if someone does indoor plants, little pots of herbs for a sunny window and the wonderful scent, seeds for those things that need to be started in January or February such as lisianthus.

Bulbs for spring planting are good as are bulbs such as narcissus, crocuses and hyacinths that can be forced for indoor bloom when the sight and scent of spring seems so far away. You can also allow these to die back, re-chill them for dormancy and then plant outside in the spring, or even keep refrigerated until fall planting.

[arkadofbabylon.org]

I'm in full-on preparing for the holidays mode, so I'm loving everyone's frugal gift suggestions.

The links to great sites with creative ideas and reading what others have done is so helpful and has given me fabulous ideas for special and thoughtful gifts! Keep the ideas coming everyone!

[Ms. Ferret]

I'm experimenting with custom-made items for Christmas, since it seems that small-run (1 or 2 piece) printing jobs are no longer prohibitively expensive. Two of my friends (my roommate and ex-roommate) are getting:

• A button-style purse mirror featuring a picture of our two ferrets -- I had these made at myfavoritemirror.com, but I'm sure there are other small online businesses that do similar things. Cost: about $8/mirror shipped.
• A custom sticker-book from moo.com -- 90 little square stickers per book, featuring 45 different pictures from one of my flickr sets. Kind of like making a scrapbook, but much sillier. Cost: about $12/book shipped.

The spending may average out to only $10/item, but my roommates are getting fun, happy little things that 1) I know they'll enjoy, and 2) they won't be able to find anywhere else, so I don't think they'll bitch too much.

[barbc]

I knit scarves with pretty yarns purchased at the dollar store. I pick novelty yarns and attempt to either get something in natural fibers, or funky styling. Two skeins will make a scarf. I use big needles and think of the knitting as therapy.

I am also going to make jewelry for friends.



Barb C

[FrugalNYC]

People will definitely get more creative when faced with restraints. I tend to do some good amount of thinking while doing dishes too. I do them by hand so it does give me a couple minutes to think