Christmas Gifts From the Heart That Don't Break the Bank

If you are like me, you always find that something happens around Christmas time to cause the cash flow to become a little on the low side. A tire on your car blows out, some unexpected bill pops in your mailbox, or your dog needs to go to the vet. You find yourself scrounging for funds to aid in your Christmas presents funding. Fear not! Here are some ideas for gift giving, without making you look cheap.

1. Gift cards. Yes, I can hear many groans, along with "How are gift cards thrifty?" Me personally, I'm using gift cards on my sister-in-law's family. She has eight; yes I said eight, kids. Needless to say, they don't frequently take them out because it is extremely expensive. My husband and I are buying them a $40 gift card to an ice cream parlor. Sure, it is only $5 per child, but who wouldn't want a trip to the ice cream store? Mom and dad get a fun outing with the kids without breaking their bank account.

2. Gift baskets. Have you been to the Dollar Store lately? My local Dollar Store has some great items. I got a couple of nice looking baskets and loaded them with miscellaneous items, such as coffee mugs (my Dollar Store has some nice ones) and scented candles, along with a small pack of coffee or cocoa and some small kitchen tools from the Dollar Store, such as ladles and spatulas. I don't know about you, but I can't have enough of those items.

3. Pictures. My mom is always fussing that she doesn't have enough pictures of us. You can always go to your local Sears/Wal-Mart/JC Penney portrait studio, get your family's picture made, and wrap it up. Grandparents especially love getting pictures. If you don't want to get professional pictures made, buy one of those collage picture frames and put some pictures of you and your family in there. What parent would say no to pictures of their children and grandchildren?

4. Arts and Crafts. Some people aren't very crafty, and some are. There are an abundance of ideas on the internet for different crafts one can do. I went to my local salvage yard and picked up some roofing slates. I washed them really good and let them dry. Then I painted them white with some acrylic paint and stenciled on some pretty decorations with a pencil (one of mine says "Welcome Friends" with a birdhouse below the words). I painted the stenciled on decorations, sprayed it with some Clearcote, put some leather straps through the pre-drilled holes, and you have a very thoughtful gift someone will appreciate. I gave one to my mother-in-law, and she absolutely loved it because of the thought put into the gift.

5. Free babysitting. OK, so I kind of tied this in with something else. My brother-in-law (what can I say, I have a big family) has a 4 month old daughter. Anyone who has kids knows how often you get to go out with your significant other. We bought the brother-in-law and his wife a gift card to the movies and stuck a pass in there for a free night of babysitting. I don't know about anyone else, but when my first born was a couple months old, I would have cried from appreciation if someone offered to watch my baby while I went to the movies with my husband. Lets face it; grandparents are really into it when the baby is first born, but as the months go by, the novelty wears off, and those who boldly proclaimed, "I'd love to babysit for you, any time!!" while you were pregnant make themselves scarce when the baby finally arrives and you go hunting for a sitter.

As they say, it's the thought that counts!