I know I just published a post on gifts you can feel good about, but can I be totally honest? Sometimes the holidays can be extremely stressful. And I don’t mean because of all the parties and celebrations. The holidays can be stressful because of MONEY. I know it can feel awkward to talk about finances, but you know what else is awkward? Not having any money left at the end of the year to buy gifts for the people you love.
As a single-income family who has taken on two major remodels over the last decade, we are all too familiar with this phenomenon. It can be so discouraging and stressful to not be able to give freely to friends and loved ones, especially if you LOVE gift giving (like me!). So I wanted to share a few of the creative ways I have made it work over the years, and hopefully give you a few ideas for making the holidays special, regardless of your budget.
Handmade gifts
I used to hear the phrase “handmade gifts,” and picture popsicle stick snowflakes and stick figure crayon drawings in a cheap frame. While those may have a certain charm for a child’s mother or grandparent, that’s not the kind of thing I want to gift my loved ones. The truth is, there are a lot of really beautiful handmade gifts out there that you can make inexpensively, and still feel proud to give. Here’s a few of my favorites.
Foraged wreath.
Foraging simply means going out and finding items in nature. I’ve done this every year on our property. My favorite thing to make with foraged branches and boughs is holiday wreaths, and this year, thanks to this video, I’m planning to make them for friends as gifts. All I need to buy for this project are some grapevine wreaths and floral wire.
Sourdough bowl covers.
This project was new to me this year and I put it together for the Holidays on the Homestead guide I was a part of, but I enjoyed it so much, I’ll definitely be giving some of these bowl covers as gifts. Perfect for the sourdough lovers in your life, I use bowl covers while my dough rises and proofs, and while I store the loaves in the fridge overnight before baking. They’re not only handy, but super cute. All you need is some thread and fun fabric! You could probably even use quilting fat quarters for smaller bowls, which are always inexpensive at the craft store. Here’s a link to my tutorial.
Holiday cloth napkins.
I know not everybody uses cloth napkins, but lots of people do at the holidays! Especially if someone happens to give them a lovely, handmade set. Pick out a cute, farmhouse fabric or Christmas toile and make either an all-matching set, or a mix and match set. These are an easy project for beginner seamstresses, just a few straight seams and some simple pressing. I use this tutorial.
Table runner.
I have a Christmas table runner that I keep in my decorations box and every December, it takes up residence on our table. Easier to care for than a tablecloth, or serving as a festive accent on top of one, table runners are so versatile. And on top of that, super simple to make. One year I made my Mom matching placemats and a table runner out of a cute, vintage Dickens-style fabric, and she still uses them! This is a great tutorial.
Placemats.
Placemats are another easy sewing project that can be such a beautiful gift for friends or family. The trick with placemats is getting the right stuffing or lining, depending on how thick you want them to be. This tutorial is a great guide to the project. Just pick your own cute fabric, some matching thread, and you’ll be set!
Holiday centerpiece.
If you know a friend plans to host the holidays this year, an extra special gift can be a handmade holiday centerpiece. I shared a tutorial for a handmade centerpiece in the Winter Issue of Notebook Quarterly a few years ago, and it’s just such a good idea. Here’s another great tutorial on making a holiday centerpiece.
Edible gifts
As someone who lives in a small, cozy cottage with little extra storage, consumable gifts are ALWAYS appreciated. Being given something I/we can enjoy and I don’t have to find a home for, is a huge blessing! Here’s a few of the edible gifts I’ve given over the years.
Tin of baked goods.
This gift has always been a tradition in my family, with all sorts of goodies inside. I typically buy my tins at Target, as they have a cute and festive selection, often for $3-5. For baked goods, I usually include my Peanut Butter Fudge, Einkorn Gingerbread Men, Einkorn Sugar Cookies, Honey Taffy, Homemade Marshmallows, Maple Brittle, Honey Caramel Corn and Poppyseed Bread. You can find all my favorite recipes to give as gifts in my FREE Holiday E-Book, HOMEMADE.
Hot cocoa mix + homemade marshmallows.
Making your own hot chocolate and marshmallows is super fun. There’s something about it that just feels like a cheat code. Gifting someone you love a mason jar of homemade cocoa mix, a bottle of raw milk and a bag of homemade marshmallows, can you imagine anything better!? My marshmallow recipe is in my FREE Holiday E-Book, HOMEMADE, but my cocoa recipe is this:
- 1 cup + 2 Tbsp Cocoa Powder
- 1 3/4 cup Maple Sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp Salt
Mix together well and store in a jar. Combine a few tablespoons of the mix with a mug of warm milk (and a homemade marshmallow!) and enjoy.
Chips + dip basket: Salsa, guacamole and queso.
I’ve never actually tried this idea myself, but I kind of love it. Who doesn’t love chips and dip!? Make a nice fresh guacamole, include a jar of homemade salsa and a still-warm dish of queso? Doesn’t that sound amazing on a cold winter night!? This is my favorite guacamole recipe.
Homemade yogurt + granola.
A very simple and yet beautiful (and delicious!) gift is a batch of homemade yogurt and granola. I actually typically make this granola as a gift for Valentine’s Day for my kids’ classmates. I bag it up in little burlap bags, printed with a heart. And though they usually look at it curiously, very quickly it goes down the hatch. Packaged in some mason jars with Christmas ribbon, this would be such a lovely and practical gift. I use this granola recipe, Farmhouse on Boone’s recipe for Instapot yogurt.
Gifts of time or talents
Family photo session.
I know this one probably won’t work for everyone, but one of my favorite gifts to give is a family photo session. Not only does it provide me with a gift without an upfront cost, but it also provides me the opportunity to help loved ones capture their families. I realize not everyone has a high-quality, professional camera, but in this day and age, you don’t have to be a professional to get decent photos. And for most of us, someone volunteering to organize this kind of thing is gift enough.
Babysitting.
Giving friends or family the gift of a night out, without having to find a babysitter, is a PRICELESS gift. And one that’s easy on the pocketbook. I can’t think of anyone I know who wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to receive free babysitting as a gift.
Plan a date.
For my niece’s birthday last year, I gifted her a coffee + bookstore date. Not only did it save me upfront cost in June- when we have like 12 family birthdays- but it also provided us a few precious hours to spend together. We both love books, and our date was such a fun memory. In fact, she requested we do it every year and make it a tradition!
Help with home projects or yardwork.
In this stage of life, we have plenty of siblings (or parents!) in the midst of yard or house projects. Giving the gift of extra labor or lending our skills and experience is a great way to bless them, and at the same time, save ourselves gift money. Not to mention the inevitable laughter and memories that working together provides. Priceless!
Wrapping gifts inexpensively
There’s a reason there is a whole song about brown paper packages tied up with string. Because it’s beautiful! Long before the printed wrapping paper, people wrapped gifts simply and practically, or they came that way from the store, and I still love that look most of all.
Buy a giant roll of brown butcher paper.
Buying a giant roll of brown butcher paper will last you for years, and is roughly the price of 2-3 rolls of printed paper these days. The nice thing about butcher paper is that it’s neutral, so you can use it not only for Christmas, but birthdays, baby showers, etc. It’s all in how you accessorize it. You can also recycle brown paper grocery bags, but they are thicker and sometimes don’t work well with scotch tape. Usually I use packing tape with grocery bags.
Buy a large spool of red and white twine.
Another present wrapping item I have found indispensable is red and white baker’s twine. Nowadays it comes in many different colors, but I find the old classic red and white works for most occasions, especially Christmas.
Gather objects from nature to add for interest.
Pieces of rosemary, pine boughs, sprigs of holly or wintergreen berries, dried oranges, cinnamon sticks, you name it. There are so many beautiful natural (and inexpensive) ways to jazz up your simple wrapping job. I love a beautifully wrapped gift as much as the next person, but most it ends up in the trash anyway. Is there really a good reason to put your money into something so disposable?
Scout the thrift store for ribbon.
Over the years I have also gotten lucky finding fun ribbon at thrift stores or antique shops. Usually they come in a grab bag, with anywhere from 5-10 different spools for $1 or so. That’s a LOT cheaper than the craft store, and with so many more options! I’ve even used thrifted ribbons to decorate the Christmas tree.
The real reason for gifts
If your holidays are feeling stressful and money feels tight, just remember, you are NOT alone! It can be hard not to fall victim to all the marketing this time of year, screaming BUY THIS and GIVE THIS and it must all be PERFECT and MAGICAL! But buying things, wrapping gifts and giving presents are not at all what this season is about. We give because He gave us the ultimate gift. We give to celebrate the HOPE we have in things to come. And we give from our hearts, not to show what fantastic taste we have or how much we have in our bank account.
I hope this post is an encouragement to you friends. I’m very much still in the stage of life where our budget is tight, especially at the end of the year. So I will definitely be employing these strategies this year myself. Merry Christmas!
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Will you do me a favor and pin this image so others on a budget can find encouragement this holiday season? And leave a comment below with some of the ways you give generously without breaking the bank.
