Frugal Gift Giving......You Don't Have To Break The Bank! (Part I)

One thing I've always prided myself on was the fact that I love to come up with creative gifts.  I really try hard to find unique gifts....and often times end up making the gift myself.  I love trying to find good deals!

If you think about it, you really can come up with some fun and creative gift ideas without breaking the bank!  Over the next few months, I'll be sharing some of my tips and ideas for creating and giving amazing (and FRUGAL gifts!)  Here's a few that I did for Christmas!


Christmas Cookie Basket:
I wanted to give something fun and creative to my friends.  So I came up with the idea of a cookie basket!

At Hobby Lobby I picked up the small basket and the Christmas tree spatula (on sale).  I, then, bought the cookie mix and icing at the Commissary (much cheaper than the regular grocery store!).  The cookie cutters and basket wrap were from The Dollar Tree.  I also wanted to add a little something extra, so I picked up some clear glass plates at the thrift store for .75/each and handpainted them with the words "Christmas Treats"

Total for each basket - approximate $6!

Hot Chocolate Basket
For another friend, I made a hot chocolate basket.

I picked up the basket at Michaels for 70% off.  I found the mugs and snowman jar at the thrift store.  I already had the chalk adhesive and I bought the hot chocolate and peppermint sticks at The Dollar Tree.  (You can also add mini bottles of Bailey's or Kahlua and a bag of marshmallows too!)

Total for this basket = $5


Grandparents Plate

This, by far, was my favorite Christmas gift to make this year.  We always have a hard time coming up with gifts for the grandparents.  But I came up with this idea for my MIL.

 The plate is for decorative purposes only, but if you needed to wash it, I would recommend handwashing.

I picked up the plate at the thrift store for $1.50.  (Do you see a theme here?)  I had my girls write their names on the plate with Sharpie.  I asked my BIL to have my niece and nephew write their names which he emailed me and I traced them on to the plate.  I then hand-drew the flowers and the kids in the center.  I baked the plate in the oven to set the Sharpie.  It was a HIT!


As you can see -- easy, meaningful and CHEAP!  What are some of YOUR frugal gift-giving ideas!  Please comment below!  I'm always looking for new ideas -- AND may feature your idea in my next blog post!

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Thrift Store Finds

I love our local thrift stores.  There's three within a few miles of each other and when I have the time and am by myself, I have been known to hit all three in one day.  This was true the other day when My Marine took the girls for the morning so mommy could have a little break.

And my hunting found some GREAT deals!

A set of embroidery hoops that I can use for some upcoming crafts I have in mind.  TOTAL - $1

A set of 6 coffee mugs from World Market.  I just LOVE the polka dot pattern and these are no longer available through World Market.  So fun!  TOTAL - .49/each!

I've also been wanting new dishes, but didn't want to pay full price for them.  So I was thrilled when I found this set of Crate and Barrel dishes - set of 8 dinner plates and set of 8 dessert plates.  TOTAL - $4

Two sets of Lakeshore wooden puzzles - Opposites and Big and Little.  The best thing about these was that even though they were exactly the same, the prices on them were different.  One was .99 and the other was marked $1.99.  I brought that to the cashier's attention and she gave me the lower price for the 2nd one.  Score!  TOTAL - $.99/ea.

An almost complete set of Junie B. Jones books.  There's a few titles missing, but those I can add using my credits from Paperback Swap.  (If you don't know about Paperback Swap, click on my link and check it out!  It's AWESOME!  If you choose to sign up, please feel free to use me as a referral - booklover1212) - TOTAL $2.00

And my biggest find was this magnetic board/game from HABA.  I did a little research and found that on Amazon, it's retailing new between $38/$31.  I got it for $1.99!!!  I'll be saving this and the puzzles for Nudgie for Christmas.

I also picked up 3 pairs of my favorite Old Navy jeans for $1/ea.  Didn't get photos of those.

I just LOVE thrifting!  It's like going on a treasure hunt!  So....do you thrift?  And if so, what's the best deal you've found?

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