Credit Crunch Ideas

[MrsS01]

Anyone got cheap but good Xmas present ideas?

I get given lots of free fruit and veg from my nan's allotment through the summer, and have a pear tree in my garden so I always make jams or chutneys for people. I save jars through the year so it's very cheap to do.

I also plan to go blackberry and sloe picking this year and am going to have a go at making some booze!

For the kids, Poundland is really good for art and craft bits, and for big pots of sweets.

I am also going to make play dough for DS's stocking.

And this is kind of cheating but last year I bought a bag of balloons and filled the living room floor with them so when DS came down on christmas morning, the room just looked more.

MrsS01,
Are you artistic at all? How good are you on a PC?

As the kids are at home we have started to make a few presents for the extended family - in particular, we got a lot done yesterday as it bucketed down!

We are making two separate things -

One is a calendar, for which we are using photoshop to edit pictures and then putting them into a file to send to a friendly printer. There will be a different picture for each month, each carrying a witty(ish) caption.

The other presents are hand-painted shopping bags. I bought a set of bags, paints etc. a few months ago, because I thought they looked like fun for one of the kid's birthday parties. Of course, when the birthdays came round, they wanted to go bowling instead! So, yesterday we started to decorate them and they will become Christmas presents.

The plain cotton bags were 70p each (I bought 15)(thecleverbaggers.co.uk/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=73&idproduct=879)

I got the paints from the same place for just over £11 (5 pots)

Total cost for 15 presents: £21.50 (£1.45 each) ;-)

I hope this helps and good luck!

Can you bake? I'm going to be making these this year...

pinterest.com/pin/47485158/

Littlepurple My friends mum gives me a massive jar of chutney every year and it it usually my favourite present! I make sure I return the jar to her in Oct/Nov so she can refil it and send it back.

Whoops sorry - here's that link again -
pinterest.com/pin/47485158/

chirpchirp I love getting chutney too! One of my fave gifts last year was a jar of mango chutney from my SIL.

I give a jar to everyone. Some love it. Some look at me a bit like this so that's why I'm doing the booze this year. I think alcohol is much more my dad's thing.

I LOVE those biscuits btw!

Totally! Also going to try these to -

pinterest.com/pin/20951104/

Man I love Christmas. ha ha

Those are very cute, and look so easy to make.

I am so excited about christmas! Every year I vow to be organised and joke that I'll start in august but fail miserably. Well this year I'm going to do it. Won't be making the biscuits quite yet though, unless anyone fancies soggy, mouldy biscuits for christmas........

Lovely biccies! :) what do you package yours in? Haven't doingthe right solution yet...

So far my credit crunch idea is blackberry jam from the ones ds keeps foraging for when we go to the park! :)

On a more practical note I've started a savings account for £10 a week just for Christmas. Hopefully it'll help take the edge off.
Also we're planning on getting fed by mil so not feeding everyone cuts a bit of the cost. Sounds a bit cheeky but it's our turn to go there as hosted my family last year. ;)

I've started a savings account for xmas too and praying I won't cave and take the money out for something else before then.

In the part I have made biscuits dipped in chocolate, truffles, candles and bath bombs, all went down very well but DH said he would rather buy cheaper presents and not lose his time with me in the run up to xmas.

Last year I painted a canvas for my dad but ended up not giving it to him til February and I had to pop out a couple of days before xmas to get him something instead oops!

ooohh edible glitter makes the biscuits look more festive too btw x If you drizzle the chocolate on its a bit cheaper too.

I made snowman soup and pots of gold last year for fiddly inlaws who we never usually see but we had a family do to go to just before xmas. They went down so well I ended up giving out loads

Snowman soup is basically a cone of hot choc inside a cone of mini marshmallows tied up with a cute little lable and ribbons. Stuck a 3d sticker on the front (pack from poundland) and voila.

Pots of gold are small glasses filled with gold coins/werthrs/toffees (basically anything gold wrapped) with a lottery ticket on top. Printed off a little poem to wish them luck and wrapped in cling film.

Glasses were cheapy tumblers from Tesco and cones from ebay. Total cost per pot of gold less than £2. Snowman soup less than £1.

Jiminy - love the pot of gold idea - I may do that for a few friends this year :)

Thanks for the tip daniellefulltimemum I have just ordered some bags and paint. I plan on doing hand prints on the bags, should be messy and fun