On a Budget

M.,
You received some wonderful ideas, and so I thought a little longer before responding... Personalized (an initial or something the person likes) key chains are a hit. I also really like the baked ideas and Bath and Body Works has little stocking stuffers the women will love. Remember it is the thought that counts. Merry Christmas!

I don't now if they still have them there, but when I was at "Smith's Variety" in Homewood last month, they had some really cute little cake in a pot things for less than $10.00. It is a cake mix that you mix up and cook in the little planting pot. I bought two of them to give as presents. Maybe they still have some. They have a lot of cute and different things there.

Hi, when I was working at the hospital, I just brought in some homemade food. Bread and a cake and put it in the breakroom for everyone. Cookies would be good too.

M.,
I used to work in a school and understand your predicament. One fun idea is to make a cookie, brownie, soup, etc. mix in a jar. You layer the dry ingredients in the appropriate sized jar, cover the top of the jar with some fabric and ribbon, and include directions and/or recipe tied on the ribbon. You can do a bunch at one time and be done with everyone! There are actual recipes for this in books but you can use any recipe you wish.
I've received this as a gift, and it was so nice to be able to whip up a quick batch of cookies in a pinch! Happy Holidays!
-G.

One year I made scones and put them in dollar store tins. I then gave everyone a small bag of coffee to go with their scones. It was a big hit.

I too work with doctors and nurses. I have had great luck with food items. I purchase a coffee cup, single serving package of coffee and individually wrapped biscotti. Then I make a chocolate dipping spoon. Stuff the items in the cup and wrap in cellophane and decorate with a bow/ribbon and/or ornament.

For the spoon: Melt really nice dark chocolate (Valrhona or Calabaut) in a double boiler, just until chocolate pieces become shiny. Remove top bowl from simmering water and stir until chocolate is smooth. Let cool until just about hardened. Dip a color coordinated plastic spoon in the chocolate and fill the bowl of the spoon. Place on wax paper to cool. I sometimes place small Christmas sugar candies (see the cake decorating aisle) in the chocolate as they cool. Wrap the end of the spoon in cellophane or saran wrap and finish with a bow.

The whole idea may cost you $3/mug.

If you are really crafty, consider hand painting your own ornaments. You can pick up clear or frosted glass ornament balls from the craft store (like Michael's or Hobby Lobby). You can paint the outside or if you are really creative you can paint the inside with tiny brushes. I did a tie-dyed looking Christmas tree one year and made the ornaments. I dropped a couple of drops of paint inside and swirled. Then I repeated the process with other colors. They came out really nice. They might cost you $1/ornament to do.

Good luck!!

Last year I got everyone in my office a $5 Starbucks gift card. Everyone loved them.

I would suggest making sugar cookies or pretty cut out cookies, putting them in clear bags or paper sacks from Michaels and putting tie it with christmas ribbon and a small note card attached wishing them a merry christmas. =) Everyone loves homemade goodies.

This is a present for your children from Santa Clause.
A large box full of Helium ballons.
Your local grocery store will usually be grand to give you a large box. 2 dozen helium balloons from WalMart is usually $3 - $5. Roll of wrapping paper $2.00.
That hard part is pulling it all together Christmas Eve after the children go to bed. The large box makes the pile of gifts look so impressive. You chilren will love wripping off the wrapping paper. The balloons will be played with for the few days that they last. But it's the box that they will truely enjoy. This is always a big hit with the children on so many levels I can not explain.
Good Luck and pass it on to other parents.

Hi! There are some great recipes for soups, cookies, etc. that you can make in a mason jar and decorate the top. they're too cute! You could probably find the "how to" online or just by looking at books/magazines in a bookstore (you would not have to purchase the book). Or you could take a piece of felt, cut the edges (w/pink-n-shears if you have them or just crazy cut with your regular scissors) put a little candy in and tie like a sac. If the people in our office are kid-people you could have your children make a craft for them (popscicle picture frames for the christmas tree, etc.) You could make some yummy fudge or candy and put in a decorative box ( I think you can find little cardboard ones pretty inexpensively) I know any of these types of gifts would mean alot to me and would probably all get used at my house. Good luck!

What about baking for everyone? Banana nut bread, cookies, cheese straws, etc. I'm sure that your time is limited w/ nurses and child rearing but baking is a lot less expensive than purchasing something for everyone on a unit. Hope this helps and good luck. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

How about Christmas ornaments. If you go to the craft show at Broadmoor you can get the ceramic ones for one or two dollars a piece!! Or make some really cute decorated sugar cookies and bring them for everyone to eat and enjoy.

M.,

Christmas ornaments. I have been able to find some for $1 or $2 at usually Cracker Barrel and Pier 1. I've purchased from them the past two years. And their really cute not cheap looking as if they came from the Dollar Store. And they usually run them on sale at times. You probably can find some at other store in that price range also. Try matching them to the peoples personality or what they might like. For example I seen one at Cracker Barrel that was Elvis that was like around $2. Good Luck

A few years ago, we (my mother and I) were at a loss as to how to afford gifts for the many wonderful people in our lives. We started baking for everyone, we would either do one huge plate of a variety of baked goods or we would make individual baskets. This has since evolved over the years and we now include a little trinket that we bought the year before at an after christmas sale or home-made jelly or a jar of soup or cookie mix in a mason jar with instructions to cook or bake themselves. The mixes were great fun for us because my daughter could participate in not only putting the mixes together but decorating the cards and the jars. The gifts were really appreciated because we took the time to make something rather than simply give a store-bought gift.

Little goodie bags with Christmas cookies and a Christmas ornament. Maybe you could get your 6 yr old to help you make some cute Christmas ornaments.

Homemade items like cookies in a package or box of chocolates
or anything filled with candy. Lots of easy ideas, I'm sure they will like anything. K.

In my previous work life, I went through the same thing. If you're a good do-it-yourselfer, you could try the chocolate dipped spoons for stirring coffee. Or, try pretzels & cookies dipped in chocolate & white chocolate & sprinkles with festive ribbons tied around a festive wrap. I'm not a good do-it-yourselfer, but I've always loved getting these goodies that I don't have the time, talent or patience to make during the holidays. I'd much rather get something like that than a candle or paperweight that would probably just collect dust at my house and end up in a yard sale box later on. If they're packaged/wrapped well, they could pass for gourmet gifts. Ooh la la! Better yet, try to convince people to draw names and get away with a single gift

Could you do a group gift--something for everybody? One huge tray of cookies, a nice calendar or picture for the office, or something like that?

What about cutting out little gifts from everyone to everyone? Do you really like getting all the little gifts from everybody? Do you like giving all the gifts to everybody? In other words, is it worth it? If you feel this way, chances are that others do too, but it's like "The Emporer's New Clothes"--nobody wants to be the first to speak up. Start with those you're closest to, or already have the vibe that they'd rather cut out gifts, and see what they say. You can start a tradition of non-gift-giving, or perhaps all go together and donate money to the Salvation Army or some other worthy cause. Since you're in a medical group of some sort, maybe donate to St. Jude or some other medical charity.

This may sound crazy, but try hotel gift shops, especially if you have to buy for a female. Hotel gift shops are not cheap if you buy, say, toiletries, or local-themed souvenirs, but you can get a good deal on some pretty jewelry or a scarf or even a handbag. When I worked at the Hilton Riverside I bought several pashmina-type scarves in different colors for 10 bucks apiece, and earring and necklace sets for 10 bucks, and they don't look like costume jewelry. Also, in Canal Place there is a store called Francesca's, I believe it is called, that has the same type of stuff. Or try Gordon's in Metairie.

M. ~
I saw that you are in New Orleans. There are still so many people in that area who have not recovered from the terrible hurricanes. You and your co-workers are some of the lucky ones, you are "on your feet". Why not consider making a monitary donation - whatever you can afford - in the name of your co-workers or department to a local shelter or food bank. The holidays is a time of sharing and sharing with those that do not have, is the best part of being able to share.
Happy Holidays

Do you bake? I bake cookies and make candies for several friends at work each year. I usually get tin or plastic Christmas boxes for a dollar or two at Wal-Mart and fill them with cookies, dipped pretzels and whatever else strikes me. If you have to do a lot of them and want to make them a little smaller, Target has some cute goody bags in their dollar spot. I got packages of 30 Christmas printed bags for $1. It takes several hours on a weekend, but it's not expensive and my recipients love it because they love the treats but don't like to bake.

I love to give little trinkets but I am a single mom so I don't have a big budget. A little idea I try is Avon has holiday emery boards for $.69, (this year it's a Penguin) the matching mini hand cream $.99, and the matching holiday lip balm for $.69. All of these placed in a Christmas mug (usually $.50 to $1.00) wrapped with Christmas plastic wrap and a bow is a nice inexpensive gift idea. Also an inexpensive holiday cookie jar (usually $1.00 to $2.00) and fills with homemade hot cocoa. Also the holiday mugs are good with the cocoa.

hey go to abcdistributing.com
they have tons of cute cheap things. all you have to do is give them the name of a business to send the catalog to. they also have a huge online ne. I sell avon so i use R.'s avon,inc. i previously sold items at a flea market so i used R.'s thrift-n-things. they can ship it to wherever you like as long as you sign up with a business address, which they do not verify.

Do you bake? If you are in Murfreesboro, they just opened a new Michael's store and they have little baking dishes for $1. You could make a special pound cake or something that is more specialty and wrap them up and tie a bow on them and give them as gifts. I always love stuff like that.
If not.....
They have lots of little gifts in there like pens, cards, boxes, candles, bath salts, bath gels, note cards, frames, calenders, agendas,coffee or coco mugs (some with lids on them)... etc.... lots of little stuff like that... ALL FOR $1.00. You could get some of the colored bags and put things in and it would be such a cute gift.
How about making some ornaments. Michaels has ceramic ornaments that you can paint on them, put the date and get one of the tins or boxes to put them in and us that as your gift box. There are lots of ideas. You should take a look around. I could spend hours in that store.
I hope you are in Murfreesboro or else this info is void unless there is a Michaels close to you.

I'm a divorced mom of four, I work in a law firm, and when I started I had the same problem. What I did was went to a Dollar Tree and got candle holders and coffee mugs, personalized each one with spray snow or glue glitter with names on it, also at Dollar Tree. I found some little stencils there too, each of my kids makes an ornament for the tree every year. I still do this, one of my co-workers even asked me to make champagne glasses for her wedding. So I think it went over really well. Hope this helps.

Hi M.,
I have found the following (from Dollar Tree) makes nice little gifts....
A small basket with pedicure/manicure or bubble baths
A coffe cup with a small bag of coffee and cookies or a brownie,
A coffee cup with tea and cookies

I can usually get the "stuff" and some shredded paper to place in the basket/cup and a bow for about $5 each.

These make great little gifts for coworkers or teachers.

L. G