Holilday Budget: How to Make Three Gourmet Gift Baskets for Less Than Ten Dollars Each

Chocolate is big business in the world of gift giving. You can make this basket for just pennies on the dollar and the quality is excellent. The key here is to buy what you can at your dollar store and not to skimp on the quality of the chocolate.

At your dollar store or even a used store, buy three baskets. If you find them used repaint them with a wash of white craft paint and water. Use a sponge to apply the coat of paint to the basket and allow to dry completely.

You will want to choose a color scheme for all of the baskets based on what's available at the dollar store. Try to stay red and green or white and silver, etc. This will be one of the factors that make your gift baskets look wonderfully made.

While you are at the dollar store, also pick up a bag of pretzel rods, a package of tissue paper, two rolls of clear cellophane, a bag of plastic spoons, a roll of curling ribbon, a box each of hot cocoa and mocha cappuccino, a package of holiday cookies, white cookie sprinkles, a bag of small marshmallows, and three holiday mugs. While you are there, look for three small tins, either tall thin cylinder or flat rectangular in shape.

At your grocery store purchase a bag of chocolate wafers for melting. Your total bill should be no more than thirty dollars. I was able to purchase all of this for about twenty seven dollars.

Melt the wafers in the microwave according to the directions on the package. Dip just the top quarter of each pretzel rod into the melted chocolate and set on a smooth surface to dry. Sprinkle with the white cookie sprinkles for decoration before completely cooled. Do the same for the holiday cookies. Take six plastic spoons and coat them with the remaining chocolate. (Not the handles) Place three marshmallows on each chocolate spoon and allow these to cool.

Divide the chocolate coated goodies to fill three baskets. Wrap the groups of pretzel rods loosely and with the chocolate end up, with cellophane. Tie with the curling ribbon and fan remaining cellophane to make pretty. Stack the cookie portions into little 'towers' and wrap the same. Tie the cookie packages and fan the top cellophane.

You will want to wrap the spoons individually. Leaving less fanning cellophane at the chocolate end, so there are just little fans at the ties of these. Be sure to curl all of the ribbon ends.

Fill each basket with lightly crumpled tissue. You could cut the tissue into shreds for a shredded paper look too. Now place the mugs on one side of each basket. Fill with two spoons each (fanned end up). In front of these place a package each of mocha and cocoa. on the opposing side of each basket, place the tall tin with pretzel rods in each. If you did not find tall tins, just place the rods here. In the front of the mugs and pretzels, next to the cocoa packages, place the flat tin with the cookie packages in each. Just the cookies if you did not find the flat tins.

You are ready to wrap you basket at this point. Use the rest of your cellophane to wrap each basket as you did the goodies, leaving extra cellophane for fanning at the top of the baskets. Use the remaining curling ribbon on each basket. Tie with several pieces each leaving long tails for curling. Out of paper (preferably stiffer paper) cut little tags and punch a hole in each. Slide onto a strand of ribbon on each basket, and you have three gift baskets for under ten dollars each!