You CAN stay home! Part 4-Homemade Gifts

I want to spend the last part of our series on saving money talking about ways to save during the holidays, and ways to earn extra income.

With the holidays quickly approaching, there are so many ways to save if you just prepare a little ahead. Most people find themselves scrounging (or charging) because of the extra expenses during the holidays. We have been forced, by necessity, in the past years, to get really creative during the Christmas season, and now finding ways to save money is just as much a fun habit as a need.

Making homemade Christmas gifts are one of the best, and most meaningful things we’ve done. And before you pass it off thinking that you are not creative enough, bear with me; most of the crafts/gifts we’ve found to make are easy, and can be made by anyone. And better than saving money, most people far prefer a thoughtful, homemade gift to one they may not even need or use.

I would encourage you to begin now by browsing the Internet, magazines, and books for ideas and inspiration. I’m going to provide a list of ideas to get you thinking, and then, stay tuned for a (dirt-cheap) e-book I’m working on that will have detailed instructions and pictures of seven of our favorite homemade gifts.

Also, I encourage you to visit the blog and website of my very talented friend, Kathy…she has some really great gift ideas to share throughout her sites!

Her blog is: http://highergroundtoday.blogspot.com/
And her website is: http://teachinggoodthings.com/

Here is a list of ideas to help you get started thinking about making your own gifts for Christmas:

• Wrapping paper: one year, we were so “needy”, that I was determined not to buy any wrapping paper. So, I began requesting paper bags at the grocery story. I wrapped all of our gifts with the bags, and then decorated them with raffia, dried leaves, stamps, and scraps of fabric cut into shapes. I got more compliments that year on the packaging–people love homemade stuff! (Of course now so many people give gifts in gift bags, that most people have hundreds of these from last year–that’s OK too, just not as original!

• Gifts in a jar: There are hundreds of these recipes available…layer the ingredients to cookies, soup, drinks, etc., in a quart-sized mason jar, and decorate the top with raffia, fabric, ribbon and homemade tags. One year I did a “gifts-in-a-jar assortment basket”, placing three of four different jars in a basket; add tea towels, wooden spoons, crackers, or other complimentary accessories.

• Gift Baskets: There are all sorts of creative ways to create a gift basket gift. Choose a theme, and go with it. One year, I made a set of homemade, personalized note cards, using dried ferns and flowers out of our yard. I tied ribbon around the set, and then added a sheet of mailing labels with the recipent’s name and address, a small set of stamps, a pen, address book, etc. (Another trick: Buy a set of 40 note cards/envelopes, and then divide them into 4 sets of 10.)

*Create a gift basket around a baking theme…homemade brownie mix, pancake mix, etc. Include the recipe on a cute card, stick some wooden spoons, measuring cups, etc.–Presentation is key with gift baskets!

*What about a chocolate-lover’s basket? (This would be a dream gift for me!)

*Of course, as with anything else homemade, be careful not to end up spending more than you normally would…look for sales throughout the year on things that would work. The more items you can find packaged together to split up for several baskets, the better you will come out. And of course, watch for really cheap, but new-looking baskets at yard sales and thrift stores!

• Homemade jams and butters…these work well in baskets too, and if you are blessed to have a blueberry or strawberry farm near you, and you can freeze them in the summer, these make excellent gifts. (Or you can always just buy frozen ones at the grocery store.) Find a simple recipes and fill 1/2 pint jars with the homemade jam, decorating with tags, ribbon and fabric.

*(To make fruit butter, simply mash the berries of your choice, and combine half berries, half softened butter together. Add a little confectioner’s sugar if desired. You can also make honey butter this way. Equal parts honey, butter and sugar.) Refrigerate.

*These jams and butters make great gifts with a loaf of homemade bread.

• Blue jean purses. If you have teens on your Christmas list, these gifts are cute. Save up your children’s old blue jeans; cut them off straight across, just below the pockets, at the top of the legs. Turn inside out, and sew across the bottom. Turn right side out, and attach a ribbon for the strap. You can add appliques, ribbon, buttons, etc. for decoration. Really cheap–really easy–really cute!

• Dried/pressed Flowers. There are lots of cute things to be done with dried flowers. As I mentioned earlier, you can use pressed flowers for note card sets. (We make most all of the cards we send using pressed flowers. We collect flowers/ferns/leaves during the year, stick them between paper towels in a heavy book, and, voila!)

*I’ve also printed off a family’s last name on decorative paper, and then arranged each member’s name around that, with birthdates, and a bible verse somewhere. Then decorate with dried leaves, etc., and frame.

*When someone gives you a bouquet of flowers, right before they start to die, remove them from water, tie a ribbon around them, and hang them upside down in a dry, cool place. They make lovely decorations, and you can wrap a linen cloth around them, and tie with a ribbon for a gift. Miniature carnations and statice are great flowers for drying.

• Candles. We have made lots of homemade candles using only materials we had on hand. It takes a little trial and error, but its worth it. Use cardboard cartons such as the square orange juice cartons or small oatmeal containers for the molds. Pour melted wax from old, burned-down candles into these, and wrap the end of a wick (I use old ones from tapers, etc.) around a pencil, center it over the candle and rest the pencil on the container until hardened. A well will form in the middle as the wax dries, so you will need to save a little wax to pour back in the well.

*One year we made the square-orange juice container candles, and after peeling off the cardboard, “painted” a dried, fall-colored leaf on each side using wax (with a regular, small paint brush). Then tied raffia around the top. They were BEAUTIFUL! We’ve also made some coffee bean candles, but these are a bit more tricky!

So get those creative juices flowing and challenge yourself to see how many homemade gifts you can make this year (especially using things you already have around the house!)

PLEASE comment with your favorite homemade gift idea!

Related posts:

1. You CAN stay home! Part 3–GREAT WEB DEALS!
2. But I Can’t Afford to Stay Home–YES YOU CAN!
3. Stay-at Home Mom: Let’s Preserve Her Honor
4. Suggestions for Earning/Saving Money from Home
5. It’s Time for Truth…Leaving Home Should not be an Option!