Friday 16 October 2009

Top Five home made gifts

Ok so there's a recession etc etc and we should all be out there making gifts for each other and not spending our money. I don't know about you but I am fed up of being told that if I make gifts or buy from charity shops then I can weather the recession. Normally these lines are said by people who know nothing about financial difficulties or finance in general.

On a different note though you should consider making home made gifts because they are fun, personal and useful for when your cash flow is a bit tight. This top five list only contains items that someone would genuinely enjoy receiving and that someone with basic artistic skills could make. You will have to buy some stuff to do them.


1. Sentimental photo frame.
Yes you will have to buy a photo frame but nowadays with shops like Primark and Ikea that shouldn't cost too much. You will then need to find a friend who has a printer that can print photos or pay out for the print out of a photo. On the plus side though you can spend a few happy hours searching for a particularly touching photo. This gift is guaranteed to be appreciated as it shows thought, love and will bring back happy memories. Alternatively, if you are giving this gift to a friend or sibling, perhaps you should dig out their most embarrassing photo and put it in a nice cheesy frame. Something like this would work:





2. Bead bracelet.
Buy some cheap but attractive beads or recycle some from old jewellery that you no longer wear. Buy some elasticated string (go to a craft store). Arrange the beads on the string in an attractive design. Tie a knot. Put a blob of glue or clear nail varnish on the knot to seal it. Great gift for little girls and big girls - everyone loves jewelry.

3. Fudge
Put it in a nice box with a hand made card.

4. Your time
Offer one night of free babysitting to people who have children. Offer to cook dinner on a night of your friend's choice. If you have a skill in something then offer to give a tutorial in it. It's surprising how many people don't know how to use excel or how to sew. This is a perfect gift to give if you are a student and have no money.

5. Make a hamper
Get a small cardboard box from your local supermarket. Wrap it in attractive paper. Revisit your supermarket and buy lots of things that they would like. They don't have to be expensive. For example you can get them things that only you know they like such as polos, earl grey, coconut body lotion, figs - whatever you want. Hampers are great to receive and can be a gift you enjoy for a long time. Plus hampers are usually very expensive to buy ready-made. Hampers are also a great gift for men.

So that's my top five list. I will be adding more to it soon.

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for these ideas, New World Monkey. I think they are marvellous, especially the one about giving your time and skills as a gift. I shall offer my time as an extraordinarily talent writer to all those with a story to tell! The fudge recipe looks good but I am vegan - do you have a similar recipe for vegans? Thanks for all the ideas and keep us posted when you come up with more!

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  2. I will try to post a recipe for vegan fudge as soon as I can.

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  3. Thanks, New World Monkey. I love fudge!

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