Christmas Gifts For Family On A Budget, Christmas can be an expensive time so if you’re sticking to a budget what type of gifts could you make for the whole family? with different ages and family members there is such a variety of gifts, but keeping those costs low can be crucial.
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Christmas Gifts For Family On A Budget
Stocking stuffer
A holiday season gift or a stocking stuffer makes a nice gift to make and give to family members or your neighbours. You can make these inexpensive Christmas gifts by using a large sock, laying it on a large piece of paper, and then drawing around it.
Use this as a pattern to make your sock out of felt, old jeans (the legs), or material. Make it as small or big as you want, and decorate it with anything you have on hand. You can make designs of poinsettias, snowflakes, or Christmas ornaments out of felt; or use paint, embroidery thread, or cloth appliques.
If you are not good at freehand then use a coloring book with Christmas season scenes. Cut out the pictures and use them for a pattern. If you cannot sew, there is fabric glue you can use to fuse the pieces together. Just make sure you follow the directions and let it dry properly before putting anything into the stocking.
Ah, that time of year again. Time to get down to business and start making our Christmas lists, and our Christmas budgets for a little bit of Christmas shopping. For some, this is an even harder task, as extra money is tighter for some than others. A lot of people suggest buying all year long, but even this is hard for some. But, there are very easy and very affordable ways to purchase for everyone on your Christmas lists even on a tight budget.
Pictures Are Great Cheap Christmas Gifts
This time of year, many stores have great deals on family photos and picture packages. Get all the young children together, or even if you don’t have kids, get your picture taken, in a Christmas scene, and send them to immediate family members. You can purchase inexpensive frames at any dollar or craft store, and you can even decorate them if you like to make it a more meaningful gift. For as low as $10, you can get 25 pictures and it is a thoughtful gift, especially for those you haven’t seen in a while.
Home Made Preserves – The Perfect Way To Show Appreciation
If you like to make preserves, jams, pickles and the such, this is another great idea. You can make a batch and give these as last-minute Christmas gifts. Another thoughtful inexpensive gift, and you can put them in baskets, or just tie ribbons around the bottles.
Scrapbooks Are Great Christmas Gifts
For parents and grandparents, this is another very cheap, and easy ideal gift. You probably have hundreds of pictures laying around, and scrapbooks don’t cost as much as they used to. They can be found at Walmart for as little as $5. It may take some time, but if you start early, you can have it done in time for Christmas morning.
Cookbooks Make A Great Stocking Stuffer
Same basic idea as the scrapbook, but you don’t use your pictures. You can use each page to write your favorite recipes, and you can then decorate the pages, using pictures from books and magazines, even stickers from craft stores. These are great to give your close friends.
Coupon Books Are The Best Gifts
These are great for the husband and wife, or sister or brother, even the older kids. You can make them to contain things like One free one hour back rub, or for their favorite meal.
A mug with a box of coffee or tea- for the coffee or tea drinker it’s a perfect gift, and very thoughtful, as it says “you know what I like”.
Christmas Ornaments Are Great Family Gift Ideas
You can purchase ornaments rather affordably, and you can even add a personal touch, by writing the recipient’s name with a silver or gold pen.
A Fruit Basket With Natural Ingredients
If you have someone on your list that is hard to buy for and they have a family, a fruit basket is a great idea, as there is enough for everyone, and it is big and thoughtful.
Christmas Gift For The Elderly
It seems as one gets older, anything that is given is appreciated and make unique gifts. These will make nice stocking stuffers for the homebound, those who spend their time in a nursing home, or older family members.
Always tuck a little card inside letting them know how much they are appreciated, the brighter the better. Then you can tuck a bag of soft homemade candy inside, preferably mini bites. A handmade handkerchief for her, a nice big red one for him, crocheted or knitted foot warmers, or a homemade body warmer that can be used to ease arthritis pain ( two pieces of cloth sewn together and filled with rice or flax seed and lavender).
Add instructions: Place in microwave for 1 minute on each side, let cool a few seconds, take out and place where the pain is. Make sure they are not too hot. You may have to adjust the time according to individual microwaves.
Christmas Gift For Children
Children like to see what is in the bag. An apple, orange, and some homemade Christmas candy in a plastic bag could be a starter. A jump rope, can make these by going to the lumberyard and purchasing a large-size rope, about two yards, depending on the height of the child. Cut two four-inch pieces of PVC pipe for the handles, thread rope through the PVC pipe, and tie a knot in the end so the rope will not slip out. You can paint the PVC pipe a bright color. This can be made for a boy or girl.
If your child is having trouble with school studies, get out your wallet and splurge on a couple of months of private tutoring. Yes, I know, you may get some frowns on this initially, but in the end, if they start bringing home A’s and B’s instead of C’s and D’s, do you think they’ll be happier and grateful for this perfect gift?
Families are often too strapped to take big vacations. That certainly doesn’t mean the whole family won’t enjoy a night at the local hotel. Make sure they have a working, heated pool and Jacuzzi, and splurge on some late-night pizza and the pay-per-view movie. What kid won’t love that family present? The best part is also the bonus of spending time together.
One of the best things you can do for your child is to get a pet. I know there are some who can’t stand the idea of pet hair and of course you’ll end up feeding it, but studies have shown the beneficial effects pets have on kids are for real. It’s Christmas, after all, so make your kids happy, and healthier, and at the same time, you could rescue some poor fellow from the pound. Talk about spreading love and joy!
Finally, don’t forget to let kids help around the holidays. Trimming the tree, cooking that big dinner, wrapping presents for relatives, and whatever else needs to be done. When it has to do with the holidays, you’ll be surprised at how much they are willing to help.
Christmas Gift For Teens – A Great Gift Idea
In many families, eating out is not something done often. If you save money by peeling potatoes, then loosen up. Try giving your teen a nice dinner out. The whole family would enjoy this thoughtful gift. This doesn’t mean McDonald’s gift cards either. Get a nice card from the store and write in it that you’ll personally take your child out to dinner. Maybe they get to pick, or maybe you specify. Either way, you get some quality time together, and long after they fly the coup, your gift of sharing time will be remembered.
Further their goals by getting gifts related to their interests. If they’re playing basketball, good shoes or a new ball will go a long way toward helping them reach their dreams. Maybe they play guitar, and a box of 10 packs of new strings will make them think of you every time they break another one. If it’s a dance she loves, a DVD teaching dance moves, instead of the latest dance movie, will help her get her groove on.
The point is really that it’s not the latest hot toy that’ll count the most, but that you took the time to notice what they’re doing and got them something appropriate for that.
Christmas Gift For Mom
Little certificates from family members with a service they would do for her. Give a unique piece of handmade Jewelry, a sleeping mask that you can make out of soft material and elastic. Use a pair of large sunglasses for a pattern. Lay the sunglasses on a piece of paper and draw around them use this for a pattern. You can hand sew, machine sew, or use fabric glue.
Christmas Gift For Dad
Give homemade gift certificates of something you will do or help him with, or say you will cook him a special dinner or make his favorite cookies, always say when you will do it. Make him a canvas tool apron with pockets. Make him some nice handkerchiefs with his initials on them.
The joy of adding some small treasure to a stocking of someone special at Christmas time brings up memories of childhood.
If only every day of the year could be like Christmas, how wonderful it would be. When the spirit of Christmas, which is love, radiates from the hearts of people, it seems to unite everyone with a unity of reaching out to those around them. We can never be too kind, compassionate, or caring to those all around us.
Parents often take on much of these tasks themselves, knowing it can be a bit frustrating in the kitchen, or wrapping those gifts, with inexperienced hands. This is the icing on the cake for children though, and taking the time to show them and let them help is just another way of giving.
There are other inexpensive Christmas gift ideas you may come up with yourself, so don’t think they are not good enough even if it’s a small gift. If you can fit it in your Christmas budget, and if you can see enjoying receiving the handmade gifts yourself, then go for it. Christmas is a great way to spend some quality time with your entire family and best friends and isn’t about the gifts anyways, so keep that in mind.
