We have just a couple more weeks of shopping left to do before Christmas is here. With the holiday coming up on us so quickly, you may be scrambling to find something that is not only great for the recipient, but easy on your wallet. Here are 9 Frugal, last-minute gifts:
1. Head to the bulk section of your favorite store and buy ingredients to create spice mixes. Bulk spices are usually very low cost and you can buy bottles to put them in at thrift stores. Make seasoning mixes such as Chipolte Seasoning Mix, Herbs de Provence, or even apple pie spice mix. Just package in cute containers, tie bows on them and give them away by themselves or with some low cost cooking equipment such as potholders and a spatula.
2. Look for printables online with everything from calendars to coloring pages. There are tons of them on blogs and educational websites that are absolutely free. To make the gift even better, add some new crayons or markers if it’s for a child or a nice pen if it is for an adult.
3. Indoor plants. Do you have a plant that creates “babies” really easily? Spider plants are amazing procreaters and the babies can be easily started and planted in just about a week. Find a pretty pot at a thrift store or paint a plain pot and you have a very nice gift that will last for years and years of enjoyment.
4. Make a sugar scrub for tired and dry hands in the winter. For less than $5, you can create a nice Citrus Vanilla Scrub that just about any gardener or mom would enjoy. The ingredients are easily found in your home or at any grocery store.
5. Head to your local dollar store and put together themed baskets for around $5 each. Some themes that might be fun are “pampering” (lotions, bath salts and a nice loofah), “Movie Night” (a popcorn tub filled with candy) or “Stationary” (fill with pretty papers, a nice pen and some envelopes).
6. Make personalized mugs and hot cocoa. Just get some cheap plain white mugs from the dollar store along with sharpies. You can even have the kids create mugs for their loved ones. To make it permanent, just stick in the oven at 350 degrees F for 20-30 minutes.
7. If you have a friend or family member who loves movies, get them a couple month’s subscription to Netflix or Hulu. The subscription are under $10 a month, so this is a great way to get them access to thousands of movies or TV shows for a low cost.
8. Make a Sock Cupcake. This is a quick and easy gift perfect for giving to a friend or teacher.
9. If you have a candle lover on your list, make a Tea Cup Candle. It s a fun way to use nice looking vintage tea cups you find at a thrift store. Not only do they look neat, but you are repurposing something old into something new, what is commonly called upcycling, so this is a “green” project as well.
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