Credit Crunch Gift Ideas

[Alison]

Damn, should have registered it as mine............. all mine........................

[Birdie Wife]

What a fantastic thread! Will definitely be re-visiting this in a few months' time (Christmas is just round the corner don't you know... )

I'm thinking this year:
shortbread
tiffin
jam/jelly/marmalade/curd

and what about taking cuttings of herbs and making a mini-herb set for the kitchen window? half-a-dozen different cuttings in pots (eg rosemary-sage-mint-marjoram-thyme-basil) and a pot (could be a long windowsill planter or maybe one of those strawberry pots with all the holes in the side). Could do a different one for salads (but maybe not for Christmas).

and for the super-crafty:
Knitted scarves, crocheted-and-felted purses, hats, slippers, catnip mice...
I've had some amazing wool bargains through ebay and ravelry.com for 1000s of pattern ideas...

[BumbleB]

What about a GYO kit?
Home made pretty seed packets (download the pattern)
Fill with a selection of seeds from your tin
Include a little diary with custom added comments on what to do when.

I am sure other grapes could think of other items to include in this?

Good to see lots more versions of my suggestion of a GYO kit as pressies.

Another suggestion would be mini hampers for male or female: Prepare a wicker basket or wash bag or nice box. Start collecting mini toiletries, sachets, travel sizes etc or buy multiples to split. (so handy if you travel for hand luggage allowance)

Or check out £pound stores to make up kits of screws, tools, gadgets etc for handy person.

Or for anyone who is into crafts, sewing, cardmaking etc. Visit a market stall and collect items to make up a personal kit of their craft. Ebay sell fabric squares, card for crafts etc.

For gardeners, string, ties, plant labels, water crystals, seeds - present in a wire basket from £pound shop.

Teenage girls. Makeup items and perfume samples. Often available free from cosmetic counters and also a cheap range in £pound shop. Home made cosmetic bag.

Kiddies under 5. I have been collecting plastic animals to create a farm for a little one just2. Available in charity shops and pound stores.

Older children (boys) often love the plastic soldiers and these too are available if you scour the charity shops. Anyone really handy could put together a fort.

Older children (girls) Items for a dolls house - maybe a room setting.

Will add to if I think of any more.

[elsie-scot]

along same lines for kids or adults differnet kits - quite often have spares around house or make things to suit
baking kit - in bowl, apron, rolling pin etc
doctor kit (real or pretend) - plasters, bandages, first aid instructions
baby doll bag - small nappies, wipes, soap, rubber duck
crafty kit - paper, pens, glitter

[greengardendesign]

How about something completely free? You can give friends home-made vouchers for an hour or two of your time to do lawn cutting/ weeding / digging - whatever you can do and they might need. No cost to you and invaluable to friends with little time and no gardening skills.
Linda
Garden design Virginia Water, Wentworth, Surrey, Berkshire from Green Garden Design

[quark1]

Keep your eyes trained on the Top Tips section - there are many totally free (even no p/p!) recommends as well as 'nearly' free - which may help peeps out - buy when the offers are on and stow away for pressies (any time of year).

[sez]

Ok, massive post to come, sorry!

A few things I've done in the last couple of years:


Art and craft box - for my 3 yr old nephew - a brightly coloured toolbox from Wilkinson filled with as many cheap kids art things (finger paints, crayons, playdough, stampers, paper, etc etc) as I could cram in - plus a cheap plastic play mat. The whole lot cost me about £7-8 or less and my nephew loved carting around 'his toolbox' on Christmas day, then on Boxing day his mum was rewarded with a couple of hours of blissful quiet!

Tumbling Tomatoes Basket - for my MIL - a hanging basket (cheap one) filled with a few pots (just used unused ones from my own stash, tied with some nice ribbon), a packet of tumbling tom seeds (ebay's good for cheap branded ones), a label, and some growing instructions which I typed up myself, printed on nice paper, rolled into a scroll and tied with ribbon. You could also add a mini-bag of compost, pair of gardening gloves, trowel etc.

'Winter Warmers' - another year, for MIL and Grandmother-in-law. Baskets filled with a fleece blanket, nice mug with selection of hot chocolate sachets + marshmallows/choc drops, couple of bars of chocolate, microwaveable heated beanbag thingy, snuggly slipper socks, and a good book. I think the whole lot cost me less than £10

Retro Sweetie Box - brother. I filled a plastic storage box with compartments (the type used for storing saying sewing things or nails) with all sorts of retro sweets I remember us having as kids: blackjacks, sherbert, panda licorice bars, sugar mice, cola cubes, milkybars, caramac.... then I wrapped it up nicely in cellophane with a nice ribbon and tag. It didn't cost me a lot.. less than £5 ... and my brother really appreciated the thought that went into it - especially as normally he just gets vouchers as nobody knows what to get him! (I did tuck a gift voucher inside though - but it's a nice way of 'hiding' it so they don't know in advance).

Snowman Soup - a little 'token' gift for the workmates (no way I can afford £5-10 for 10 people!) - cellophane cones (ebay) filled with nice instant hot chocolate powder, marshmallows, (white) choc chips, and in my case some snowflake cake sprinkles bought cheaply - tie the top with a ribbon, attach a cady cane 'stirring stick', and a tag with the snowman soup poem on it. Looks really nice and festive and costs very little to do a big batch. You should be able to find the poem on google easily. I wrapped these up nicely with a bar of good quality (lindt, galaxy, green and blacks etc) chocolate - bought at Home Bargains (or poundland, B+M etc) for 59p each - so cost less than £1.50 each for a nice, posh looking little gift.



I start shopping in September, picking up bits and bobs from bargain shops (even poundland do branded stuff) , sales, 2-for-1 offers etc. ie - hanging basket was £1 from poundland. Fleece blankets £2.99 from Home Bargains. Hot chocolate sachets 6 for £1 in supermarket offer. All those little bits and bobs, bought when found cheaply rather than in a mad rush, makes a really gorgeous gift that looks really expensive when it's not! You can buy cellophane and ribbons from ebay/local florists for a really nice professional finish, too Plus, if you start early buying little bits its FAR less of a shock to the wallet! (and far less stressful - I do *no* shopping beyond fresh veg/milk etc in Christmas week)

I hope some of those are useful / give you ideas!

[SlugLobber]

So far this year, I don't think I've bought any pressies!

For my riding accident friend, I made her Elderflower Cordial.
House-warming present for another friend was a harvest basket. Turned out to be a Godsend, as her in-laws were coming to dinner and her veg box hadn't turned up! For my friend's birthday this Sunday, I gave her a jar of my Green Tomato Chutney (although she looked a bit blank, so I hope that wasn't a waste!). For a BBQ, I took a bottle of Elderflower Champagne. For another friend's birthday, earlier this year, I prepared a hyacinth basket and someone else got tomato/cucumber plants.

Am about to start on the plumb jam, for my Autumn pressie series, lol!

[maytreefrannie]

Lime Pickle: I made the recipe a couple of years ago and it has continued to reign as the best Christmas present I've ever given (Possibly all the others have just been rubbish!).
If you want to make a good batch, make it now. The flavour infuses over the months and it gets far better with age.

Pickled eggs: If you pickle them with turmeric or beetroot juice you get yellow or purple eggs respectively. They taste fantastic, but just be sure the received likes pickled eggs, a lot of people simply don't like the IDEA of them and aren't even willing to try them!

(If you want recipes for either of these, post below)

A Hamper: I got fed up with my step-mum complaining that she didn't like my Christmas/birthday presents (rude hu?) so I bought a hamper, lined it with pretty paper and filled it with cheap, but interesting food and drink for her and my Dad. Then told them that I wanted the hamper back for next year. I can fill it for next-to-nothing and this year is sure to have a variety of home-grown produce. The excitement is in finding out all the little things you've got rather than what the one big present is.

Ollie, I can't find the 'post below' your post above - I'd love to have the Lime Pickle recipe please.

Thanks.

[Scotkat]

You could knit neck warmers 15stitches and just knit to require length around necks.
Or a few spring bulbs to grow in water.

But know one needs to make gifts expensive small personal is always the best.

[jackie j]

its flowers here

make braclets like me

[maytreefrannie]

Hey Flowers, where do you get the things to make the bracelets with? I don't know how to make them, so any instructions on How-To would be appreciated.

[di]

We had a couple of days on a particularly shelly beach t'other week,which gave me inspiration for what the kiddies are going to make for their Grandparents.
We've collected hundreds of shells,I got a particularly nice pic of them in front of the sea.
Now they're going to make some photo frames with the shells & pop in their seaside pic.

With the holey ones we're going to attempt making some wind~chimes.I also collected some nice bits of drift wood which I'll use to hang them from.

[Mrs Twigg]

Hi Ollie, can you please put up the recipe for lime pickle?....it sounds lovely!

[maytreefrannie]

Hi Ollie, can you please put up the recipe for lime pickle?....it sounds lovely!

I second that! Yes please, Ollie.