Homemaking - Frugal Living
Inexpensive Gifts from the Heart
Giving homemade gifts is an outstanding way to save money. They also show the work of your hands and should be valued far above something bought at the local variety store. A piece of yourself goes with each homemade item, and the gift will be cherished by the recipient. Even if you are not a craft person, you can make a gift that will be treasured! Here are some ideas for gifts to make.
Simple Ideas
Gifts in a Jar Using a canning jar and kitchen basics like flour and sugar, you can make a mix for muffins and other delicious goodies. Decorate the jar, add the recipe on a card, and you have a wonderful gift.
Homemade Christmas Ornaments The internet is loaded with instructions for ornaments that children can make!
Framed photography of your family is a gift valued by relatives.
Framed drawing or painting by one of the children is wonderful for grandparents.
Helping hands apron - Buy plain white aprons at Sam's Club and fabric paint. Dip each child's hands in the paint and make handprints all over the apron. After the paint is dry iron the back of the apron to help the paint adhere better. Grandmothers LOVE this gift!
Knitted or crocheted items are always appreciated. Find out the favorite color of the receiver of your gift and make an afghan, pillow, sweater, or scarf.
Hand-sewn clothing is another terrific item if you know the person's size.
Embellished t-shirts Buy a plain t-shirt in the receiver's favorite color. Sew on lace, ribbon, buttons, camouflage, and other items to make a one-of-a-kind shirt.
Pillows for the sofa. This is a very simple project suitable for beginning sewers! Purchase fabric (even remnants), sew together, and stuff.
Refurbished items Keep your eye on the thrift stores and yard sales! You might be able to find a lamp, vase, piece of furniture, or other item that will be "like new" after you give it a coat of paint or fix it up.
Food
Food is always appreciated! Put it on a festive plate, decorate with colored cellophane or some ribbon, and you have a beautiful gift!
Chocolate Cookie Bark
Posted by SoCalPam
20 creme-filled sandwich cookies (about half of an 18-ounce package)
2 2/3 cups white chocolate chips or the same amount of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla extract (for use with the dark chocolate only)
Line a 9-inch square baking pan with waxed paper. Coat the paper with non-stick spray; set it aside. Pour the cookies into a large bowl and break them into small pieces by hand or with the back of a wooden spoon (Note: I put mine in a zip-lock bag and roll them with a rolling pin). Melt the chips in a large bowl in the microwave. Remove and quickly fold the melted chocolate onto the cookie pieces. Stir around and quickly scrape into the prepared pan -- spread to about a 1/2 inch thickness. Refrigerate until solid, about an hour. Remove from pan and carefully peel off the waxed paper. Using a sharp knife, cut the bark into 12 bars for wrapping, or 24 triangles for boxing. Store in an airtight container.
Chocolate-Dipped Pretzels
Posted by Dadia
Pick out whole, unbroken pretzels. Melt chocolate chips in microwave and stir. Dip pretzels into chocolate, 'drain' and place on sheet of waxed paper. Decorate with sprinkles. Use a couple of forks for the dipping part, and try dipping half the pretzels and leaving the other half undipped. Also try white chocolate for half the pretzels.
Little Loaves
Posted by FLDonna
Make banana (or whatever) bread except use the little loaf pans. You can sometimes get five little ones out of one recipe.
Stained Glass Candy
Posted by Sunny
confectioners sugar
3-3/4 cups granulated sugar
1-1/4 cups light Karo syrup
1 cup water
food coloring
1 teaspoon oil flavoring (available at pharmacy in flavors such as cinnamon, anise, wintergreen, spearmint)
Sprinkle confectioner's sugar on two 15 x 11 inch cookie sheets. Combine sugar, Karo, and water in heavy saucepan and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Continue to cook without stirring until syrup reaches 290 degrees F. on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and add food coloring to desired intensity and the desired oil flavoring. Pour onto cookie sheets, cool and break into small pieces. Makes 2-1/4 pounds.
Hot Chocolate Mix
Posted by Sunny
8 qt powdered milk
14 oz Cremora
1 pound Nestles Quick
1/2 cup cocoa
1 box powdered sugar
dash of salt
Mix all together well in a large bowl. Use about 2 T with hot water - adjust according to how chocolaty you want it. You can use the fat free cremora but it's not as good. Put the mix in pint or quart jars and tie on a label with the instructions.
Muddy Buddies
Posted by Sunny
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup Skippy(r) peanut butter
1 package (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (1 cup)
1/4 cup margarine or butter*
9 cups Chex(r) cereal (any variety)
Measure cereal into large bowl; set aside. Microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and margarine in 1-quart microwavable bowl, uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour chocolate mixture over cereal in bowl, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into large plastic food-storage bag; add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator. 9 cups snack.
*Do not use spread or tub products.
Range Top Directions: Measure cereal into large bowl; set aside. Heat chocolate chips, peanut butter and margarine in 1-quart saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently, until melted. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Continue as directed above.
White Trash Mix
Posted by Sunny
1 cup cheerios (I usually leave out and use 2 c of chex)
1 cup rice chex (or your favorite chex)
1 12oz bag of MandM's
1 cup peanuts
1 cup pretzel sticks (can also use other small shapes)
1 Tbsp veg or peanut oil
1 12 oz bag of white chocolate chips
Mix cheerios, chex, peanuts, and pretzels. Melt choc. chips in double boiler or microwave and stir in oil for smoothness. Pour melted chips over chex mixture and stir until coated. Stir in MandM's. Spread mixture out on wax paper to cool. When coating is cool and hardened, break into pieces. Perfect blend of salty and sweet.
Pretzel Sparklers
Posted by Laurajean
8 squares (1 oz each) white baking chocolate
1 pkg (10 oz) pretzel rods
colored sprinkles (or red/green decorating sugar)
Place chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl (I use my 3 cup measuring cup - it makes it easier to dip the pretzel); heat until melted. Dip each pretzel rod about halfway into chocolate; sprinkle with sugar/colored sprinkles. Place onto wax paper to dry. Yield: about 2 dozen. You can use this recipe all year round for different occasions - just change the sprinkle colors.
Honey-Nut Topping
Posted by Roxanne
Take equal parts of whole almonds, whole pecans, and walnuts. Drizzle honey over them to coat them. Stir it all up and you're done. I put a label on the top that says "Honey-Nut Topping: Store at room temperature up to 2 weeks. Use as a topping for pound cake, ice cream, or oatmeal. Stir before serving."
Spiced Tea
Posted by Brigit W
2 26oz. Tang or orange drink mix
1 3oz. bottle Instant Unsweetened Tea
2 8 1/2 oz Red hots
1 6oz. Pkg. Lemonade
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. ground cloves
2 tsp. alspice
Mix all ingredients together well. Put in a sealed container until ready to assemble the gift. Make individual gift packets by putting a small amount into a ziplock sandwich bag. Sew some small bags from Christmas fabric and tie with a ribbon. Attach a card with the recipe: Use four teaspoons mix per cup of hot water. You can also put this in a Christmas tea cup that you can find at a thrift store.
Gift Oreos
Posted by debi
Buy Oreos - the ones with the mint filling are great for this! Melt either white chocolate or chocolate chips in a double boiler and dip the Oreos in the chocolate and place on waxed paper to harder. You can add red and green sprinkles on top of the white chocolate ones if you want more color, or you can only half-dip them since then the colored filling will show on the other half.
Chocolate Mint Bark
Posted by debi
Melt white chocolate and add finely crushed candy canes to it, pour in a thin layer onto waxed paper inside a pan and let cool. It looks great in a cellophane gift bag.
Karen's Party Mix
Posted by Karen T. (for her friend Karen)
6 c. Fritos
2 c. pretzels (the pretzel shaped kind)
10 c. Crispiz cereal
2 c. Dry roasted peanuts
1 large bag M and M's
2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. Karo syrup
2 sticks butter
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
Spray a large brown paper bag with Pam and place in it the first four ingredients. In a sauce pan, mix the brown sugar, Karo syrup, butter, and salt. Boil for 1 1/2 minutes. Add 1/2 t. baking soda and remove from heat. Pour mixture over the mix in the bag and toss. Microwave for 3 minutes. Add a large bag of MandM's and then microwave for 1 more minute. Spread the mix over wax paper and let cool.
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