First and foremost, establish a budget that you can live with after the holidays when the bills come due. Do this by taking a sheet of paper and dividing it lengthwise into three columns. Head each column as follows:
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In the family column, list the names of your spouse, girlfriend, boyfriend, or significant other, children, and parents, leaving enough space under each name to go back and write in a dollar amount.
Under friends, list any relatives who are not as close as those in the first column and everyone who is actually your friend.
The third column, "ACQUAINTANCES," is for everyone else: coworkers, bosses, classmates, the barber, the UPS guy, the nail technician, your child's teacher, etc. But be careful—this list tends to grow quite quickly, and you may find that you know more people than you can afford to give gifts to this year.
Next, go back and pencil in a dollar figure under each name. Add up your projected expenditures, increase the total amount by 10%, and write the final total on the back of the sheet of paper. Ask yourself if you can realistically afford what you just wrote down. If not, turn the sheet over and eliminate some people, starting with your acquaintances. Re-total and repeat until your budget reaches a manageable amount. It's trite but true; you don't have to spend a lot of money to give just the right gifts to just the right people. Here are 50 suggestions for inexpensive, (almost) homemade gifts.
1. Gourmet coffees with a personal coffee cup
2. Pound of pistachios
3. Child's artwork, framed
4. Journal with special inscription inside
5. Teacup with box of herbal tea
6. Deck of cards and book of card game rules
8. Collage of special photos
9. Gel pens and pretty stationery
10. Home-baked bread (include recipe)
11. Disposable camera or rolls of film
12. Pretty basket filled with special jams or mustards
13. Decorative napkins and napkin rings
14. Fancy chocolate bars tied with a ribbon
15. Gardening gloves with a plant or flower seeds
16. Photo album (hand-decorated is even better)
17. Pretty box for keepsakes
18. Holiday decorations
19. Puzzles
20. Blank video or cassette tapes
21. Sewing supplies
22. Prepaid photo-developing envelopes
23. Homemade cookie mix with instructions for baking
25. Special coffee cup filled with candy
26. Fancy magazines tied together with a pretty ribbon
27. Gourmet popcorn and flavored oil
28. Locally made barbecue or steak sauce with basting brush
29. Pancake or waffle mix and a bottle of real maple syrup
30. Movie theater gift certificates
31. Board games
32. Jar of sourwood or pure honey with biscuit mix
33. Notecards and book of stamps
34. Nice socks still under $10
35. Specialty cookbook
36. Pretty glass jar filled with candy
37. Collectible sports cards
38. Muffin mixes with muffin pan
39. Books (a few cost less than $10)
40. Set of dish towels and dish cloths
41. Nail polish kit
42. Pretty nightshirt
43. Special soaps and bath puff
44. Video rental gift certificates
45. Pepper mill and fresh peppercorns
46. Handwritten copies of your favorite recipes
47. For pets, gourmet dog biscuits or cat treats
48. Baking pans and supplies
49. Prepaid long-distance phone cards
50. Small clock or radio
And here's a special bonus:
51. Home-baked cookies!
The people who love you and know your circumstances—remember, column two should list actual friends, not "I wish they weres"—will appreciate your time and thoughtfulness more than the price tags on the boxes.
