#HowTo – Tight On $$? How To Make Your Own Holiday Gifts

The Holidays can be a crazy time. No matter the celebrations you take part in, most center around the idea of being around family & friends, enjoying delicious food/drinks, laughing & reminiscing about the ‘good ole days’ as well as the acknowledgment of love through giving gifts.

All of that is wonderful! However, aside from the few extra lbs you might put on from one too many venti white chocolate peppermint mocha’s from Starbucks with a side of 1-5 slices of Grandma’s apple pie a la mode… You also risk burning holes through your wallet with all of the expenses the Holiday’s tend to hold.

As Linus van Pelt from Charlie Brown would say, “Fear Not!”. I’m here to help you out by putting together some ways to save a few bucks and make your own meaningful Holiday Gifts for anyone!

When I think of the Holidays, one of the things that always comes to mind is CHOCOLATE FUDGE! Who doesn’t love chocolate?? (If you said “I don’t”, you can also take part in this gift with other flavors like caramel, assorted fruits, butterscotch, peanut butter, coconut etc)

Homemade fudge is a simple gift to make that can be made for larger groups or several individuals due to the fact that a little does go a long way as it is very rich. It can also be frozen and saved! It’s easy to make, has only a handful of ingredients and can be easily gifted in a colorful holiday tin or saran wrap with a ribbon or bow.

No one should need a special occasion or excuse for any spa treatments. You also shouldn’t have to pay $100+ for a day at the spa or $50+ on over priced spa essentials from your local beauty retailer. Believe it or not, it’s very simple to create your own Body Scrubs for yourself or to give as great gifts!

The essential ingredients include:

• Salt or Sugar
• Oils (olive, coconut, almond, vegetable, baby etc)
• Optional: Essential Oils (Examples Here)
• Optional: Floral
• Optional: Herbs

Most of these can be easily mixed in a jar and decorated with a colorful bow. There are hundreds of ‘Do It Yourself’ (DIY) Body Scrub recipes online, all you need to do is search! Give your friends or family the gift as good as a day at the spa (that they can use more than once!)

After your long bath, what a better way to stay all warm & snuggly than in homemade fleece blanket! Another easy to make and inexpensive gift that can be personalized in any way you’d like. I personally received a Chicago Bears themed homemade fleece blanket from a very good friend of mine and use it all the time. May be one of the best gifts I ever received that keeps on giving. All you need are 2 large pieces of fleece fabric, a ruler, scissors and the ability to tie a knot!

My best friend, Courtney, introduced me to Mason Jar Treats! Basically, you measure out all of the dry ingredients in a recipe and layer them in a jar. Then you can attach a colorful fabric or bow with a gift tag that explains what it is and how to make! For example, you may create a Dark Chocolate Brownie Jar that states on the tag “Just Add x amount oil and 2 eggs”. It’s simple, thoughtful and delicious! You can find unlimited amounts of recipes by just Google-ing “Mason Jar Recipes” or “Mason Jar Cookies”.

One of my ultimate favorites is Hot Chocolate & Baileys! Include in the jar the hot chocolate mix with some marshmallows and tie a 50 ml (1.7 oz) “mini” bottle of Baileys Irish Cream to it. Delicious!

I wanted to end on something I’ve done my whole life for family and friends… create an assortment of Photo Memories.

Putting together a collage, photo books, multiple frames filled with memories or a scrap book is one of the best gifts you can give, in my opinion. A cell phone, tablet, flash drive or a computer is not where photos should live. They should be able to be displayed to cherish forever! Memories are meant to be cherished, and this is the simplest way you can bring those memories back to life for someone.

These are just a few ideas of the many Do It Yourself (DIY) gifts that you can do on a low budget that are meaningful and put together with love. The holidays shouldn’t be about feeling broke or stressed so hopefully some of these might help put your mind at ease. For more ideas, I recommend Pinterest! Wishing you all a beautiful Holiday Season.