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...of Creative Low-Cost Gift Giving
Talk It Out:
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"How about a coupon booklet: coupons for 1hour of
uninterrupted talk time (where your teen can say whatever is on
his/her mind and you won't judge or get angry); for family night with
popcorn and a movie of his/her choice (within reason); for a mall trip
and one item of his/her choice (within reason, of course)...just stuff
like that that you know they would like. You could also put ‘praise’
coupons in there like ‘What a great *fill in the blank* you are,’
or ‘I'm so glad to have you for my son/daughter,’ or stuff like
that. It may be one of the best gifts they ever get." ~ AKoldan
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| "This isn't a homemade gift but it is one that my 19-year-old asked for. She is away at college and said if any of the relatives ask for gift ideas for her to tell them she’d like gift certificates from food places. She suggested McDonald's, Taco Bell, Hardee's, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, etc. Often they are short on money but like to eat out. We often did this when the children were younger but hadn't thought of it lately." ~ Kathy |
| "The fleece fabric that's popular for all kinds of clothing easily makes into mufflers and throws for snuggling in chilly temperatures. I recently made a care package for my daughter and her roommates anticipating final exams at the University of Minnesota. I bought 1 1/4 yards of various print designs in fleece fabric and quickly turned them into comfy small (60x44) blankets using rotary cutter, mat, and ruler from my quilting supplies. After making the long sides even (trimming from selvage to selvage), I cut off the selvage edges and then cut 1/2" wide fringe 5" into each end. To make the muffler, I used the same techniques on a 10" wide piece. For a holiday fair, I added calico appliques to mufflers with fusible webbing and handstitching around the design. These fleece fabrics have recently been on sale for $4.99/yd so the total cost of the gifts was quite small. The girls' box arrived after the first big snow storm in MN, and they are all enjoying wrapping up (to study?) in their new throws." ~ Barb in CT |
| "A neighbor passed this idea along to me today from a friend of hers. Every Christmas she makes Christmas pillowcases for her children. She buys a Christmas print, sews a deep hem and then finishes it off by sewing up the two sides. You can use a store bought pillowcase for a pattern. She also suggested wrapping another gift in it by placing it inside the pillowcase, folding the excess, and adding a ribbon. It may not be your main gift, but it's a special (and inexpensive) little 'something' for a teen." ~ Anne |
| "For many years from teen to current adult, my mother who is on a limited budget has made cookies to give to my nephew. He has a favorite kind and has come to expect that this is his yearly special gift! She decorates an ice-cream pail and fills it with the cookies. The container is sometimes returned for the next year’s use." ~ Jean |
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"Three or four years ago I made all my family bird seed warmers
and they are still raving about them. I am not much of a seamstress but
it was pretty simple and inexpensive. It is a rectangular shaped sack of
bird seed with an outer flannel covering and a rope to tie closed and
hang on a door knob. You heat it in the microwave for 3- 5 minutes and
wha-la: a warmer for sore muscles that lasts a long time.
You need: Basically it's made like a pillow but stuffed with birdseed and the pillow case is flannel with a rope for hanging it on the door." ~ Juli |
| "I am the single mom of a 17-year-old girl...She was brought up knowing that things were tight. Consequently, she is very aware of the value of a dollar. Her idea of a great gift was when I gave her a twenty-dollar bill and took her to the Salvation Army Thrift Store in a nearby town. You wouldn't believe how many items of clothing she walked out with! We spent an enjoyable two hours exploring as she tried on clothes and posed in front of the mirror. It was a wonderful time together." |
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"I would like to respond to the homemade gifts for teens. My niece
is 14 and this year she is receiving from me two homemade gifts.
The first is a framed poster (pre-Mattel) of her favorite American Girl doll. She has several in her collection and I found this poster about a year ago at to small book store that was closing. Since this is one of the original poster it should add to the value of her overall collection. Also this is the year that she has started high school and she has been "borrowing" her mom's expensive scented lotions to wear to school. Her mom has taken to hiding it. What I did was to go to the outlet mall near Pittsburgh and buy the same scented lotion in sample bottles. The store had the samples for $3 each or 5 for $10. I then went to the craft store and bought an unfinished wooden box with a place in the front for a picture. I used spray paint I had from "Big Lots" and painted it a shade of pink. I then added a picture from one of my favorite calendars for the front. I used felt from the craft store to line the box after the paint had dried and put the samples of the lotion in there. In all both gifts cost less than $20. I hope that this gives you some ideas." ~ Phyllis |
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Editor's Note: Thanks to everyone who took time to respond. |