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As promised, I’m going to start posting Christmas ideas. Frugal Christmas ideas. But fun and different and special ideas–that is the secret to being frugal. Cheap, but special! (Don’t laugh! That’s me. Cheap, but special!) And a little unexpected, yet just right. And you will have to think of the people in your life you would like to give something to and sort amongst the ideas to see what might work for you and the people on your list this Christmas, because everyone is unique, but I have learned well the true significance of a well-considered gift. The thought really does count.
Most of what I’m going to talk about are food gifts because, well, I love food, but 52, the gift-giving king among gift-givers, often gives me things that cost next to nothing, as surprises, and yet they are so perfect that I am all jumping up and down and he’s all saying, “Calm down.” Like the 2009 Old Farmer’s Almanac. Or a box of wildflower seeds. Recently, my sheep farmin’ friend Kathy gifted me with an entire stack of pie plates she got at thrift sales–for me to turn around and use to make pies and give as gifts, the gift including the pie plate AND a pie. (Now there’s a gift that keeps on giving!) If you know someone who loves old cookbooks, go to an antique or thrift store and find one then wrap it in a vintage dish towel. Or find them some vintage dishes or cake stands or pie plates or anything! A lover of all things kitchen will adore an unusual find at a yard sale or thrift store or antique mall. Gifts don’t have to be new. (Home-canned goods, especially jams, make great gifts, too!)
If you know an avid baker, give them Homemade Vanilla Extract. Or Homemade Dough Enhancer.
Give a loaf of fresh-baked Raisin Bread, or a Homemade Dump Cake Gift Basket. (By the way, if you are so inclined, give a 2009 Chickens in the Road Calendar.)
And if you have a bird-lover on your list, they’ll love homemade suet. The average, ordinary bird lover has never thought of making their own suet and doesn’t know how and would be amazed, awed, and bedazzled that you did–not to mention excited! And it costs next to nothing.
Homemade suet is made from lard, peanut butter, leftover bread (any kind), flour, cornmeal, sugar, and fruit. See my full homemade suet instructions by clicking here. To give suet as a gift, take a prepared loaf, slice it, lay it between pieces of waxed paper, stack inside a large storage baggie, and freeze it. This is a great make-ahead gift because you can just pull it out when it’s gift-giving time and stick a bow on it or slide it into a gift bag. And it costs next to nothing. Did I mention that part? Yet, the bird-lover on your list will love it. And think you are so freakin’ awesome.
The birds will love you, too.
I have more and new gift ideas coming, so stay tuned! We’re just getting started here!
And if you have some great frugal gift ideas, be sharing them! No holding back! Tell me your latest, greatest cheap-but-special gift ideas. I want to know.
Posted by Suzanne McMinn | Permalink
