How To Make Your Own Christmas Gift Baskets

HOW TO MAKE GREAT GIFTS FOR CHRISTMAS ON A BUDGET

Sometimes the holidays roll around and we’ve had a not-so-stellar year…and the question arises.....do we or should we go into debt to buy Christmas gifts? Better yet.....is there an alternative?

As a bargain hunter from way back and a frugal shopper for some years, I decided to go the homemade route for certain people on my gift list a few years ago and with wonderful results.

Rather than charging something on a credit card that I’m going to be sorry about later....for months to come....I figured out how to create just the right something that didn't cost me an arm and a leg and that was definitely a people-pleaser.

There are some great money-saving ways that you can give someone a great gift at Christmas and not break the bank.

Let’s look at some good money-saving ideas for homemade (or mostly) homemade Christmas gifts!

MONEY SAVING IDEAS FOR CHRISTMAS GIFTS

I don’t care who the person is, you can almost always, 100% guaranteed figure out a way to make anyone a gift basket!

• Pet lover
  
  
  • Magazine on cats or dogs or specific breed
  • Mini-calendar of their kind of pet
  • Wholesome treats
  • Toy or two
  • Petsmart gift card for $5
  • For furry pets, add a grooming brush - $1 at the Dollar Store

• Young Kids
  
  
  • Inexpensive card games
  • Board games
  • Matchbox cars
  • Dolls
  • Videos that you buy on super sale
  • Hats, gloves, mittens
  • Fruit rollups, nuts, or fresh fruit

• Older kids
  
  
  • Gift card for iTunes
  • Gift card for Starbucks
  • Paperback books or fashion magazines
  • Body or bath lotions
  • Lipsticks
    
  • Gift certificate for McDonald’s or Arby’s
  • Gift card for Taco Bell or Taco Time
  • Samples of cologne or perfumes
  • Socks, gloves, etc.
  • Jimi wallet 
  • Gum or candy bars
    

• Chef
  
  
  • Great little utensils like a tart maker
  • Gourmet blend of spices
    
  • Special beef or fish rub (make yourself and put in a pretty tin or bottle)
  • Cookbooks you’ve bought on sale, on eBay or Amazon
  • Apron
  • Cooks or other magazine
  • Bottle of wine for cooking like Marsala or cooking sherry
  • Mini-muffin pan
  • Tart pan
  • Pastry cloth
    

• Gardener
  
  
  • Trowel
  • Kneeling pad
  • Seed packets
  • Book on gardening
  • Instructional video
  • Book on garden design
  • Starter kits for seeds
  • Sun hat or visor
  • Garden gloves
  • Mulch
  • Seedling starts
    

• Emergency kit for car
  
  
  • Jumper cables
  • Ice scraper
  • Emergency light
  • Flares
  • Oil
  • First aid kit
  • Pencil and paper
  • Flashlight
  • Deck of cards
  • Lightweight blanket
  • Extra batteries for flashlight
    

• Christmas goodies - if you’re a great cook - include your recipes
  
  
  • Cookies
  • Small breads
  • Snack mixes
  • Homemade candies,
  • Mixes for cocoas
  • Rubs for meats
  • Flavored vinegars

• Christmas goodies - if you’re not a great cook
  
  
  • Teas
  • Flavored coffees
  • Candies
    
  • Chocolates
  • Cookies
  • Bakery breads
    
  • Hot cocoa mixes
  • Spice rubs for meats or chicken
  • Special vinegars

• Romance
  
  
  • Bottle of wine
  • 2 wine glasses
  • Cheeses
  • Crackers
  • Box or tin of chocolates
  • Bath oils
  • Romantic CD or movie
  • Candles

• Movie night
  
  
  • Pick up movies at Walmart, Target, Fred Meyer
  • Pick up movies at video stores
  • Packages of microwave popcorn
  • Bottles of juice
  • Bottles of pop
  • Boxed or bagged movie candy

• Game night
  
  
  • Board games
  • Card games
  • Electronic games like Catch Phrase
  • Scrabble games 
  • Add some snacks
    
  • Add some drinks

• Cuisines – pick a cuisine, any cuisine - for instance Italian
  
  
  • Bottle of Italian wine
  • Pasta noodles
  • Jar of spaghetti sauce, homemade or store-bought
  • Loaf of crusty Italian bread
  • Salad greens
  Obviously this is fresh basket so will need to be used right away, or plan ingredients accordingly

• Family basket – for a whole family
  
  
  • Frozen turkey or other meat source
  • Bag of potatoes
  • Bag of sweet potatoes
  • Box of stuffing or bread
    
  • Rolls
  • Canned or fresh vegetables
  • Cranberry sauce, etc. 
    
  You might need a laundry basket for this one.....you can purchase them for $3 at Michaels. 

• Fruit or vegetable basket
  
  
  • Select fruits in season
  • Select vegetables in season
  • Cheese
  • Crackers
  • Nuts
  • Bottle of white wine
  • Bottle of sparkling cider
    

HOLIDAY GIFTS ON A BUDGET - MAKE YOUR OWN GIFT BASKETS

In short, you can make just about any kind of gift basket there is for super cheap. 

Buy cellophane, colored or clear at Michaels and all you need is some ribbon to tie it all up after enveloping it in cellophane.

Buy baskets at the Dollar Store or anywhere you find them on sale.  Stock up during the year.

Baskets don’t have to be baskets actually!  Any container will do.

Gift baskets are unique ideas that come from the heart.  I’ve never known a person who didn’t love getting a personalized gift basket. 

It doesn’t have to be expensive to be fantastic.  Let your imagination be your guide. 

Think of the person you’re making it for, think of some items to put in your basket and then enjoy your own creativity!

I'm sure you can probably guess that these make wonderful gifts ANY time of year....not just at the holidays. 

They're also great for wedding showers and baby showers, birthday parties, over-the-hill parties and many more occasions.