Crafting Cheap Unique Gifts for Christmas

My immediate family (my husband, baby-in-the-belly, and I) don't exchange Christmas gifts yet. We've decided to wait until our family has grown a bit - and our pocketbook has caught up. But it's hard - to near impossible - to expect our extended family and friends to go along with that without feeling neglected. Thankfully, we aren't quite so bad off as to give them no choice, but we will certainly have to be careful about the amount we spend on gifts this Christmas.

Creativity gives our family a huge advantage when it comes to cheap gift-giving. We are able to make gifts for a fraction of the cost it would take to buy them. However, every crafter knows that if given the opportunity we are able to spend just as much on fancy supplies as fancy ready-made gifts. There may be something there to "it's the thought that counts" since handmade gifts are so personal, but when you're budgeting, you're budgeting.

Here are some tips on how to save money this season as you plan through the perfect homemade Christmas:

Give lots of people the same thing - this will allow you to buy supplies in bulk, and will hopefully save you lots of time as you'll get the knack of what you are doing and whiz through it the second and subsequent times. Of course, I wouldn't suggest matching tea-cozies for all 6 of your aunts unless they are into matching - or not speaking to each other. :) Personalized ornaments that are made with the same pattern might be a better idea, or a one-page hand-decorated calendar for the next year with their birthdays circled.

Stock up for next year - Day after Thanksgiving and Day after Christmas sales are the perfect time to plan what you'll be making next year and purchase what supplies you can.

Work with what you have - This might be a better time to work through your stash than to buy all new crafting supplies. If you don't know where to start, pull out all of your yarn, fabric, paper, wood, or paints and think through all of their possibilities. THEN match those future projects to a person you know, instead of thinking up a project for every person and making your supplied match up.

Consider giving food instead - A lot of crafters also enjoy cooking and baking. If you are one of them, it might save you money to combine your skills. A beautiful pie, a dozen decorated cookies, or candies could please many people on your list who don't have need (or room) for more non-consumables. And if cooking doesn't satiate your craft crafting, put extra energy into wrapping the food or decorating the gift card.

If you aren't crafty, but wish you were, "assembling" gifts might be more your thing. Read my article on Home Assembled Gifts for ideas.