[aclee]

Originally Posted by melissa_bear003

a loaf of homemade bread.

Anyone have any REALLY good bread machine bread recipes? I'd like to make loaves of bread and jelly (from frozen fruit...it's still SO yummy) and maybe go to a store and grind the fresh PB and make some gifts. Maybe add some good cheese (for grilled cheese) and call it a lunch basket Or add the stuff for Spagetti and a jar of home made sauce some fresh garlic, a chunk of parmesean and call it a dinner basket...

Anyone know how well bread machine bread freezes? Does it get crumbly?

[binkybear]

This one works great for $10 and people really like it.
Movie night at home. I get a blockbuster card for one movie rental ($5 card). Don't spend money on a basket, just arrange, stack n wrap with pretty cellophane or colored saranwrap and ribbons. Use cardboard as a base if you have to...just don't buy a basket that nobody ever uses again (lol)!

Cool thing is you can buy all different things for this one in bulk and then spread them out to the individual gifts. So keeping to the $10 is really easy! Bulk items...boxes of microwave popcorn (Redenbacher comes in clear individual packs so I know they work for this gift)....candy bars, raisinetts, goobers, twizzlers, pretty much anything you would get at the movie theater. You can even add 2 bottles of soda to the gift depending on where buy and sales. While you're buying keep to the $10 and you should have in each gift 2 sodas, a $5 card, 1- 2 candies per person and a popcorn pack ...if they're close by you can add a coupon to babysit while they have their movie night at home. I've used this one for party games, like white elephant...people LOVE this gift idea .

[jalapeno]

Another photo gift idea is to scan in old baby photos of the adults in the family and make a calendar out of those.

[lovemy2boys]

Originally Posted by adobe1234

anybody have economical gift ideas for those of us without kids? (Somehow I don't think people would appreciate it if I made a calendar or framed artwork from fingerpaintings that I created!)

You sell yourself short - I actually think people would be THRILLED with your figerpainting art!

In fact, I think you should make fingerpaintings or handprints for each of your family members...and let us know how it goes, will ya?

[belleinblue1978]

So I always have to come up with inexpensive things to ask for from my brothers and aunt. They want ideas but don't have much.

I might be weird, but I'd prefer to have stuff that I can use, so I asked for pens and notebooks this year. I never have enough of those. I like to write on "real" paper, not just my computer.

I also like things like random skeins of yarn or balls of crochet thread that are on clearance.

I guess my point is, sometimes inexpensive, useful stuff is the stuff that I REALLY appreciate. I love not having to buy pens for a whole year because I got a bunch at Christmas.

[tanmansmom]

We are doing stepping stones for grandparents. Both sides have beautiful flower gardens, so a stepping stone with TJ's footprint is great. Michael's has them for like $12.00. Gee, I couldn't get the 18 year old to partake this year...go figure

[lovemy2boys]

For teachers gifts (and there are 5 of them so I have to be umm...frugal) I decided to make note cards with the kids. Some are plain notecards, some say "Thank you" on the front, some are "Thinking of you"

I bought some cardstock (a pack cost $2.00 on sale) and cut them to notecard size...I have tons of stamps from my scrapbook supplies, and tons of embellishments as well.

The kids are helping me stamp flowers, animals, etc. on papers that we are attaching to the front...they actually look beautiful! Not even like they were made by little boys...

Each teacher will get a set of 10.

I wish I could say the idea was my own, but when I chaired the scrapbook party for the kids school, some of the ladies were doing the very thing...

(By the way, Belle, I am picking up my very first crochet needle and yarn this weekend...I'm going to try my hand at scarfmaking!!)

[munketoes]

I have bought pot holders and coffee mugs from the dollar store. In the pot holders I plan to put in the dry ingredients for cookies with the recipe included. I also plan to attach a cookie cutter and make it into a name tag. Going to cost about 3.50 a piece. The coffee cups will have a ziploc bag with homemade hot chocolate mix inside with a few marshmellows on top. That will cost about 2.50 per mug.

[mumofone]

A lady on another forum I frequent did these up last year for gifts.

RAINBOW POPCORN

5 min 15 min prep
10 cups popped popcorn (2 bags of microwave popcorn is about 10 cups - I use the light butter kind)
1 cup margarine
3/4 cup sugar
1 (3 ounce) package flavored gelatin powder, your choice
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup


Remove all unpopped kernels from popped corn. Place popcorn in a disposable greased 17x12x2-inch pan. Keep popcorn warm in 300 oven while making syrup mixture. Butter bottom and sides of heavy 2-qt. saucepan. In the pan combine margarine, sugar, gelatin, water, and corn syrup. Cook mixture over medium heat till boiling, stirring constantly. Clip a candy thermometer to side of pan. Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly, till the thermometer registers 255 (hard-ball stage). Pour syrup mixture evenly over popcorn and shake gently to coat. Bake at 300 for 5 minutes. Shake once more and bake for 5 more minutes. Turn popcorn mixture onto large piece of foil. Cool. Store in airtight container in cool, dry place.

[sparkle1908]

You all have really great ideas...now I feel "lazy" for going to BBW and VS to get the under $10 gifts for my sisters and SILs...