The Top 10 Budget Christmas Gifts Under $10

This Christmas will be a difficult one financially for most people. But that does not have to mean lack of Christmas cheer, or even lack of presents. With a little bit of creativity, it is easy to find gifts under $10 for all the important people in your life. I have included my top ten ideas to get you started.

The chocolate lover: Buy a little sampler of some gourmet chocolate. If you go to a Lindt store, they have some great individual truffles you can buy. Newtree.com has a little sampler of 9 pieces for $6.99.

The teenage boy: An assortment of funky pens makes a great gift for teenage boys. They are both fun and useful, since he probably loses his pens at school all the time. Urban Outfitters has some funky sets.

The busy parent: Make a homemade customized mix and package it in a jar with a ribbon and cooking instructions. Some fun ideas are soup mixes, hot cocoa mixes and cookie mixes. All you need to do is find your favorite recipe and include all the dry ingredients mixed together. Write down the recipe on a little card and tie with a decorative ribbon around the jar. They are sure to appreciate both the practicality and the thoughtfulness.

The teenage girl: Some cute jewelry from Claire's will likely be appreciated. They have a number of earrings that look expensive but are well under $10.

The tween: The Twilight series is all the rage with the tween set these days. If you know a tween who has seen the movie and fallen in love, get her the first book in the series. It is available on Amazon.com for $6.04.

Grandma: Give her a picture of the grandkids with a customized picture frame. Pick up a cheap picture frame at the dollar store and have the kids decorate it with paint or shells and ribbons. Then find the best family photo from the past year and frame it for her, so she can admire her grandkids all year long.

The college student: Put together a college survival kit. Include a package of Easy Mac and a package of Ramen noodles. Add a couple of travel-sized hygiene products and wrap it up with a nice note.

The movie buff: Buy a $10 gift card to the local movie theater. With the failing economy, they are not likely to treat themselves to a night at the movies. A gift card will give them a guilt-free opportunity to indulge.

The workaholic: Give your workaholic friend or family member a mug from the dollar store stuffed with a bag of coffee beans or tea bags. Tie it up with a festive ribbon and include a note reminding them to take a moment for themselves now and then.

Just remember- ceativity and thoughtfulness means a lot more than expensive gifts.