Festive and Frugal Gift Ideas

Here’s a gift giving guide with unusual gifts that you won’t find in any ads, and these gifts are sure to please!

The Budget Diet girl’s gift guide includes: annual gifts, collections, semi-homemade gifts and fun things to do! Of course, all items are budget friendly!

Annual Gifts – gifts you can give year after year! Once you discover the perfect annual gift, gift giving is easy!

• Bed and Breakfast Gift Certificate – Our parents are in the downsizing stage of life, and they have made it clear that they don’t need any more stuff! Our answer has been to give them a mini-vacation at a Bed and Breakfast Inn. They know to expect the Bed and Breakfast gift certificate, but they are surprised each year by the destination. I call this an annual gift, and it’s one less gift idea we have to come up with each year! Good news, get a FREE $50 B&B Gift Card! with the purchase of a $250 gift certificate from BedandBreakfast.com – how’s that for stretching the gift giving dollar? Even better, have all your siblings split the cost! If your parents aren’t the bed and breakfast type, check out the Groupon Getaways on the right side of this page for some amazing travel deals!

Collections – start a collection for someone, and each year add to it! After the first year, it’s a no-brainer!

• Charm Bracelet – Start a charm bracelet for a pre-teen, and you’ll know exactly what to give her for years to come! Sterling silver charms can be purchased for as little as $5 from CharmFactory.com.
• Junior League Cookbooks – Ideal for a newlywed that enjoys cooking! Start her collection of Junior League cookbooks, and you can add to it each Christmas!
• Christmas Ornaments – Who doesn’t love a beautiful ornament? Start a collection of ornaments for a loved one, and add to it each Christmas. My sister-in-law started my daughter on the Reed & Barton crosses the year she was born! She now has 12 beautiful ornaments, and our tree will miss those ornaments when she is grown! Of course, the Budget Diet girl doesn’t recommend starting an expensive Reed & Barton collection, but how about a beautiful Waterford Heirloom ornament for less than $10 at Homegoods, T.J. Maxx or Marshalls or starting a collection of Angel ornaments? Christmas Ornaments are great for young girls and even better for newlyweds!

Semi-Homemade Gifts – it’s more than just the thought! These gifts will provide memories for years to come!

• Create A Cookbook – It’s an ambitious project, but once you’ve typed all the recipes in your computer…you’ll be able to print a copy for any occasion! You might start this project in the New Year, and you’ll be ready for bridal showers, graduations and next Christmas! Learn how to write your own cookbook for as little as $5!
• Photo Book – Did you have a big family reunion this summer or did you go on a family vacation with the whole gang? Put together a photo book, it’s a gift that will be treasured for years to come! Photo Books can be made for less than $10! Try Snapfish for photobooks.

 
Fun Things to Do – think outside the gift box! Some of my favorite gifts over the years have been gift certificates for fun things to do like a pedicure or a day at the zoo!

• Family Gift – Think about giving a family gift instead of individual gifts…who wouldn’t love a family trip to the zoo? To save on this gift, make sure to check Groupon since they specialize in discounts on fun things to do! I’ve seen golf outings, tickets to sporting events, day spa gift certificates and more on Groupon.
• Gifts with Activity – How about a children’s cookbook with a note for them to choose a recipe and come over to make it? Children’s cookbooks are available at Half Price Books for as little as $4! Do you enjoy scrapbooking or knitting? I’m sure there’s a little girl in your life that would love for you to take the time to teach them how to scrapbook or knit!

I hope this gift guide has helped you check some folks off your list!

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Image courtesy of: Master isolated images / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It’s day 9 of The Budget Diet’s Festive and Frugal Christmas Ideas, and today’s gift ideas are perfect for hostess gifts, teacher gifts or neighbor gifts.

Don’t get me wrong, a bottle of wine is a great hostess gift, but sometimes we want to give something more unique. The Budget Diet girl has come up with some unique and budget friendly hostess gifts for every type of party. Why don’t you give one a try this holiday season!

Hostess Gifts – Think breakfast!

The party was wonderful, your hosts had a blast, but a late night of cleaning made the morning come way too fast! Wouldn’t it be nice to leave them a breakfast hostess gift!

Muffins or Homemade Pumpkin Bread

try my recipe for Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Filling

Fresh Bagels and Gourmet Coffee

French Bread with Homemade Strawberry Jam

Homemade Granola

• Ingredients
• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup nuts – suggestions:  chopped pecans or walnuts or sliced almonds.
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
• 1/2 cup dried fruit – craisins and golden raisins are yummy!
• 1/2 cup coconut (optional)

• Homemade Granola Directions:
• Preheat oven to 325.
• Mix together all ingredients except coconut.
• Spread on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
• Bake 20 minutes, stirring once.
• Add dried fruit and coconut, bake 5 more minutes.
• Remove from oven and cool completely.
• Give in an airtight container.

Hostess Gifts – No Cooking Required!

Look no further than your local T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, Ross or Homegoods for inexpensive hostess gift ideas! The rosemary plant will have to be purchased from a garden center.

Rosemary Plant

smell great, looks great & it’s useful!

Cocktail Napkins

seasonal or silly!

Candles

Christmas Ornament

Gourmet Foods

Pasta with sauce or soup mixes will make dinner the next day nice and easy!

Hostess Gifts Ideal for a Family Party

Peppermint Hot Chocolate Mix

• Peppermint Hot Chocolate Mix Recipe:
• Ingredients:
• 1 cup non-fat powdered milk
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candies or candy canes
• 1/2 cup miniature marshmallows

• Peppermint Hot Chocolate Mix Directions:
• Mix together all ingredients, put in a cellophane bag or glass jar and tie with a festive ribbon.
• Add a gift tag that says: To make 1 cup of peppermint hot chocolate – add 1 cup boiling water to 1/3 cup of peppermint hot chocolate mix.

Orange Spice Tea Mix

• Orange Spice Tea Mix Recipe:
• Ingredients:
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened instant iced tea powder
• 2 cups Tang
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

• Orange Spice Tea Mix Directions:
• Mix together all ingredients, put in a cellophane bag or glass jar and tie with a festive ribbon.
• Add a gift tag that says: To make 1 cup of orange spice tea – add 1 cup of boiling water to 2 teaspoons of orange spice tea mix.

Make a CD of your favorite Christmas music!

Hostess Gifts for an Girly Gathering

Your homemade hostess gift will help your girlfriend relax after the party!

Homemade Sugar Scrub

At a fraction of the cost! Did you know that sugar scrubs at Target are $10 – $15?

• Homemade Sugar Scrub recipe:
• Equal parts sugar and oil (olive oil, almond oil or coconut oil)
• Optional: Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil (like lavender) for fragrance. Essential oils are available at most natural food stores.
• Mix together and put in a glass jar. Use a ribbon to attach a Homemade Lavender Sugar Scrub tag with instructions.
• Instructions: rub on in the tub or shower to moisturize, exfoliate and smooth your skin! Your feet will love it!

This holiday season, think outside the wine bottle! Please leave a comment to share your favorite festive and frugal hostess gifts!

Remember…

Be festive, be frugal!

As a newlywed on a budget, I’m pinching pennies this Christmas. I’d love to buy my loved ones the very best, but we’re just getting started as a married couple and thrifty spending is definitely a priority.

This year, I’m relying heavily on DIY gifts — namely DIY scarves! Now, I’m no seamstress, so sewing isn’t really an option. Luckily, there are several DIY scarves that require no sewing! I’m going to share a few of my favorites:

1. This first DIY is featured on Savvy Scarves and comes from PS – I made this. It’s seriously the easiest scarf DIY out there — and any fashionable gal on your list would love to receive this DIY circle scarf. For this one, all you need is scissors and a t-shirt.

2. Ponchos are a big fashion trend this winter, and it’s so easy to make your own! Affordable Scarves made a DIY poncho, inspired by A Reason to be Fabulous. A large square scarf and some scissors are all you need for this project. Ponchos look great belted around the waist, so you could throw a belt into the gift for a very wearable and thoughtful surprise!

3. I seriously can’t believe this next one is a no-sew scarf. All you need is an XL t-shirt, a paper plate, and scissors — the result is a chic ruffled scarf. You can add a cute brooch to the gift so the lucky recipient can style it like Tidy Mom.

4. Even the guy on your list will appreciate a manly no sew fleece scarf. Choose fabric that shows off his favorite sports team, his favorite color, or even a print like camo.This idea comes from Crafts for All Seasons.

5. Affordable Scarves also crated a DIY Scarf Headband that would make a perfect stocking stuffer. A basic headband, a scarf, scissors, and a glue gun are all the supplies needed for this sweet DIY.

Do you ever give DIY gifts as Christmas presents?

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written by: Sarah Heckle

Author bio: Sarah Heckle is a writer from Indianapolis. She loves crafting, hanging out with her husband, playing with her kittens, and blogging at Tulle and Trinkets.

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Need more festive and frugal Christmas ideas?

Free Printables

Affordable Homemade Gift Baskets

Gift Wrap a Pillow

Decoupage Ornaments

How to Make a Vinyl Record Bowl

How to Make Sequin Hair Accessories

Hello Budget Diet readers! This is Elisha from My Black Tongue. I am a teacher, a crafter and a self taught cook. I have an Etsy shop called Three Ponds Vintage & Design and in my spare time I am an independent consultant for Tastefully Simple! I am so happy to be a guest author here on Budget Diet. I am always looking for tips and tricks to stay on budget! To go along with the holiday spirit I have a tutorial on how to make inexpensive sequin hair clips that would be a perfect handmade gift this holiday season!

Supplies Needed:
- Sequin Appliques
- Alligator Clips
- Felt
- Hot Glue Gun & Sticks
- Scissors

Purchase or gather supplies needed for this project.

I found these sequin appliques at Michael’s for $4 each. I really like sequin accessories to at a bit of sparkle to my outfits for the holidays.

Since the bow has a band around the middle and an open space between the band and the front bow pieces, I simply slipped the clip through and secured it with a dot of hot glue. Let cool.

The back of the leaf applique is flat. Draw out a line of hot glue along the center of the leaf and press the top of the alligator clip into the glue. Cut a small square of felt and glue it to the underside of the clip to secure the felt, clip and applique together. Let cool.

The completed piece.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and are now inspired to create your own sequin hair accessories! I would love to see photos of your pieces if you make some. Visit my blog to read more about my DIY projects, movie reviews, step-by-step recipes, and more! Thank you, Budget Diet, so much for having me!

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Be festive and be frugal with all these great Christmas ideas!

Free Printables

Affordable Homemade Gift Baskets

Gift Wrap a Pillow

Decoupage Ornaments

How to Make a Vinyl Record Bowl

Need a little inspiration for gifts this Holiday Season? Homemade Gift Baskets are a wonderfully personal way to give a gift from the heart. You can put together a basket at any price point. From as little as five dollars to as much as your heart desires. Check out some of my gift basket ideas and tweak them to your liking.

Money Saving Tip: First, if you are a couponista, be sure to “shop” your stockpile for many of the supplies you will need to put together these baskets. Second, check out the Dollar Store for supplies including cellophane wrap, ribbons, baskets and containers. Lastly, check out your local thrift or second hand shops.

Italian Basket
Box of dry pasta (put into a glass jar and wrap with ribbon for a prettier affect)
Jar of pasta sauce
Container of Parmesan cheese
A couple of cloth napkins (find at a discount store or dollar store)
A couple pasta bowls or dishes (pick up from a thrift shop or dollar store)
An inexpensive bottle of wine (if it is in your budget)

Housewarming Basket (great for young couples)
Small Laundry Basket (dollar store usually has these)
Small bottle of laundry detergent / fabric softner
Other cleaning supplies, including dishwashing liquid or dishwasher detergent
Kitchen towel and wash cloth
Pot holders
Kitchen utensils, such as spatulas, can openers, etc

Spa Basket (for men or women)
Body wash (check your stockpile for all of these items)
Soaps
Loofah or scrubby
Shampoo/Conditioner
Razors
Lotions
Candles/Votives

Movie Night Basket
A few boxes of Movie Theater Candy (Walmart or Dollar Store)
Popcorn (microwave, raw popping corn, or pre-popped corn)
Popcorn seasonings
A couple of DVD’s – consider a theme like sports movies (found on sale at places like Walmart, Target, etc)
If you are feeling generous, a Subscription to Netflix ( from 1 month to a year)
Gift Card for local pizza joint

Family Game Night Basket
A couple of family friendly board games, like monopoly, connect four, scrabble, clue ( this goes without saying, buy them on sale!)
Deck of cards or card games such as Uno or Swap
Video Games for whatever game system the family has: Wii, Xbox, PlayStation, DS, etc.

Coffee Lover’s Basket (tea or hot cocoa lovers, too)
A couple of mugs
Variety of different coffees, (teas or hot cocoa)
Variety of flavored creamers
Homemade or store bought scones, biscotti, tea cookies
Mints or hard candies
Lightweight fleece throw

Bread Gift Basket
A variety of homemade breads (banana, apple, zucchini, braided bread)
A variety of jellies or jams
Jar of honey

Inspirational Gift Basket
A religious/inspirational book that the recipient would appreciate
An uplifting CD
A mug and flavored coffee or tea
A piece of jewelry with a cross or other appropriate religious symbol

The following ideas are pretty self explanatory:

Fruit Gift Basket
Buy a variety of fruits such as apples, oranges, pears, grapes and more

Candy Lover’s Basket
Buy a variety of candies or chocolates

What other gift basket ideas do you have to share?

Want more? Check out Regifting: Is it Tacky or Smart

If you missed yesterday’s Festive and Frugal gift idea, click here to learn how to make a great almost FREE gift in a matter of minutes!

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Written by: Amy Fields, ManyMoneySaversBlog.com

Amy is a full-time work-outside-the-home wife and mother of two, who loves to find great deals and share them with anyone who will listen. She is also the author and publisher of Many Money Savers Blog. A place to find freebies, specials and deals as well as great money saving & money making tips.

A friend of mine just asked me for ideas to celebrate her 15th wedding anniversary, and I started thinking…it’s a numbers game!

Be creative, be original and be memorable – give a gift that matches the birthday or anniversary number!

Let’s use a 40th anniversary or 40th birthday as an example.

40 Lottery Tickets for 40 lucky years!

40 Hershey Kisses for 40 years of love!

40 Beers for 40 years (I gave this to my husband on his 40th birthday, and I think it was his favorite all time gift! Don’t worry, the guy at the local liquor store helped me select the assortment!)

40 Memories – write down 40 great memories as an anniversary gift for your spouse. Package these in an empty heart shaped candy box, filling up each little compartment with a note & a Hershey kiss.

40 Golf Balls

40 Chocolate Bars (a chocolate lovers dream!)

40 Cigars

How do you come up with just the right gift? Think of the recipients passions, and think of your budget! 40 Hershey Kisses are a lot cheaper than 40 chocolate bars!

This gift idea seems to come in handy for men because they are always harder to shop for than women! I don’t know too many men that don’t like beer, golf or cigars!

If you’re hosting a birthday party, why don’t you ask each guest to gift wrap the item that you’re trying to collect instead of the birthday gal or guy ending up with a bunch of “over the hill” theme gifts. As the gifts are opened, the recipient will quickly get the theme, and they’ll enjoy the gift so much more than an over the hill baseball cap that they’ll never wear!

What could you surprise someone with on their big day?

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Image courtesy of: Master isolated images / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Father’s Day, gifts for men…always a challenge!

Got gifts?

Need ideas?

Read on!

In my opinion, men are the most difficult to shop for, so I’ve come up with a solution that’s perfect for Father’s Day, Dad’s birthday or any special day for the man in your life! It’s called…A Day For Dad!
 
A Day For Dad

• Plan a day that revolves around all dad’s favorites…favorite foods, favorite activities, favorite movie & more!
• When dad opens his homemade Father’s Day card (in the morning) have a note with a clue about his first activity! Once he figures it out…let the fun begin!
• After he finishes his first activity, present him with clue #2!
• The day will continue with clues & fun!
• If your children are old enough, let them each plan an activity or cook one of the meals.
• Younger children will love making homemade Father’s Day gifts to give!

Take a look at some of our most memorable “Days For Dad”…yes, they all revolve around his favorite things!

• Camping!
  My husband loves to camp, so we surprised him with a family campout, and a few small camping items for his gifts!
• Golf
  We surprised him with a round of golf at one of his favorite area courses, & we’ve established it as an annual tradition! It’s called “The Bucket Tournament”, and the winner gets to fill the bucket with his favorite snacks!
• Beer
  For his 40th birthday, we gave him 40 beers, for 40 years! With the help of the local liquor store, I selected 40 different beers along with a book called “The Beer Lovers Guide”.
• Favorite Food
  My husband loves a good hamburger, so when we first moved to Houston I found the restaurant that was supposed to have the best burgers in town. This was our dinner stop after the round of golf!
• Tools
  My husband is not a handyman, but one year he wanted a drill (I still don’t think he’s used it!). Instead of traditional gift wrap, we had him follow a “string trail” throughout the house until he arrived at his toolbox which we had cleaned out, organized & put the new drill in!
• Homemade Father’s Day Gifts
  Over the years, a few of our favorite homemade Father’s Day gifts have been: homemade picture frame for my husband to take to his office, a hand-painted #1 dad t-shirt, a shoe box decorated to be a “catch all” in his closet and a painted rock paperweight!

 
So, think outside of the traditional “gift box” and certainly think beyond the necktie!

Go make a list of dad’s favorites, and soon you’ll have a plan for Father’s Day!

If you have a favorite Father’s Day gift…do tell! Simply click the title of this post, and a comment box will appear!

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Image courtesy of: nuttakit / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

With Father’s Day being right around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about how you’re going to treat your Dad on Father’s Day. If money is tight but you’re still hoping to add a more personal touch to your Father’s Day gift, you could always make your Dad a homemade gift or research some fun activities you could do with your Dad on his special day.

Here are a few ideas on how you can make Father’s Day extra special this year:

DIY Gifts

• Picture Collages
  Instead of having all of your childhood pictures sitting in an album and collecting dust in the back of your closet, why not use them to make a small (or big!) photo collage for your Dad? (If you’re worried about ruining your childhood pictures you could always scan them onto your computer).
• Desk Organizers
  If you have some extra tins lying around the house, you can always transform them into crafty little desk organizers for your Dad to put his pens and pencils in. Either paint the outside of the tin with his favorite color, or glue and/or tape paper on the outside of the tin and then decorate it with stickers.
• Vinyl Record Bowl
  If you’re feeling exceptionally brave and creative, and if your Dad has some old vinyls lying around the house, then you could try to melt the vinyl in the oven so it forms into the shape of a bowl. Because vinyl records are made out of PVC material, it will actually melt when placed in the oven, however, it may be harmful for your health so before you try it make sure you leave a window open or have a fan blowing in the kitchen.
  1. First, heat the oven to 200 degrees
  2. Put a bowl face down on a cookie sheet
  3. Then put the vinyl on top of the bowl so it will help it form a bowl shape when it melts
  4. Place the cookie tray, bowl and vinyl onto the middle rack of the oven
  5. Depending on the thickness of the bowl, wait approximately 8 to 10 minutes before removing the cookie sheet from the oven
  6. Put some oven mitts on and then slowly push the vinyl into the shape of the bowl (be very careful as you could permanently damage your oven mitts or even burn yourself if you’re not careful)
  7. If you are having problems with the shape of your vinyl bowl, then simply place it back in the oven and reheat it for about a minute and then try reshaping it again.
  8. The vinyl bowl should not be used for food…just let dad use it for mail or a catch-all!

Activities
Sometimes the best gifts don’t come in the form of material objects, but as fun activities so you and your Dad can spend some quality time together on Father’s Day.
Depending on your age and what your Dad’s passions are, here are three of the many activities that your Dad is bound to enjoy on Father’s Day:

• A Game of Catch
  If you have some old baseball mitts lying around the house, then why not play a game of catch with your Dad? It makes way for good conversation, plus it’s a great way to spend some time in the sun now that the summer season is officially here.
• Update Your Dad’s Music Collection
  If your Dad has an iPhone or an iPod, or even if he relies on a CD player, you could always download all of your Dad’s favourite albums and tracks (if he doesn’t have them already) or introduce your Dad into some of your own favorite bands.
• Go Watch a Sports Game
  Whether your Dad likes hockey, baseball, football or basketball, try researching into some local sports teams and see if they are going to be playing a game in your city or town on Father’s Day.

 
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Written by: Maria Rainier
Bio: Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at First in Education where she’s written on human services programs along with architect jobs. In her spare time, she enjoys yoga, playing piano, and hanging with her Dad.

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Image courtesy of: arztsamui / FreeDigitalPhotos.net