5 Quick, Cheap, and Easy Holiday Gift Ideas

Stumped for gift ideas?  Strapped for cash?  Here are 5 simple, practical, do-it-yourself gifts you can have ready in time for the holidays without breaking the bank.

1. Homemade Body Scrub.

Skip the overpriced bath and body stores and stop by your local grocer to pick up a few key ingredients.  Mix it all up in some mason jars from the thrift store, wrap it in a bow, and you’ve got a great, practical, and long lasting gift for anyone.

Here’s a sample recipe.

2.5 cups sugar in the raw

¾ cup white granulated sugar

4-5 tablespoons of vanilla, almond, OR orange extract

¼ cup almond oil

2. Ready Meals: Pasta in a Pot, Breakfast in a Basket.

It’s all about the presentation.  Grab some festive trimmings, a few basic ingredients (ex. dried pasta, jar of sauce, block of cheese), and throw in a basic kitchen tool (ex. pot, grater) and you’ve got an adorable holiday feast.

3.  Teacup Candles

Pick up an assortment of tea cups from the thrift store and melt down some old candles on your stove.  Paste a new wick to the bottom of each tea cup and fill them up with the melted wax for a pretty, unique, and practical present.   

4. Bread (or brownies or cookies) in a Bottle.

Layer the dry ingredients of your favorite baking recipe in an empty milk bottle or mason jar.  Paste on a cute label and directions for baking and you’re good to go.

5. Garden Kit.

There’s nothing like having fresh herbs for my cooking year round.  Give the gift that keeps on giving with a small planting pot, a bag of seeds, and a pair of gardening gloves. 

Happy Holidays!

SEASONAL SPENDING: The "Giving" Account

When people budget, if they budget, they generally think about their expenses on a monthly basis- rent, transportation, food, cable, insurance payments, etc.  What they often fail to do is take a step back and consider major annual events that change spending in certain months or times of year.  The best example is the winter holidays.  Sure, you can just charge all your holiday expenditures on credit, but do you really want to spend the first weeks and months of the New Year paying off a couple frantic days of shopping in December? 

What I’ve done in the past few years is set aside 5% of my paycheck in a separate account for “giving.”  That 5% applies to every paycheck I receive.  While I pull from this 5% throughout the year on birthdays, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, etc- I know that come December there needs to be enough to account for all of my holiday shopping.  Around Thanksgiving I can take stock of how much is left in my “giving” account and budget my gifts appropriately.  Some years are better than others and that’s ok.  Some times you have to opt out of a workplace “Secret Santa” to get your parents that something special for Christmas.  But if you’ve been saving all year with the big holiday in mind, you’ll know exactly where you stand come December.

As with savings accounts and retirement accounts it may be easier to set up a separate “giving” account at your bank and have that 5% automatically deducted from each paycheck and put into the account.  The less you have to deal with the money, the less likely you are to spend it prematurely.

Now if you’re truly feeling broke, feel free to adjust the percentage as needed.  Contribute 1% or 2% of each paycheck and spend the rest paying down your debt or building up that emergency fund.  No matter how dire the situation, I encourage you to put down SOMETHING, just so when the time comes, you’re not racking up more high interest debt on another credit card.  Your spending limit is strictly set by what’s in the “giving” account.

While you shouldn’t spend a penny more than what you’ve saved in the “giving” account, feel free to spend less.  Use the extra money to contribute to your 401k or make an early payment on your mortgage.  Also consider events at the start of the coming year.  If you clear out everything in December, there won’t be much to give in January.  Lastly, “giving” doesn’t only apply to your nearest and dearest.  Charitable giving and donations also come out of this account; so if you’ve had a good year, maybe share some of the excess with those in need.

Happy Giving!