Budget Christmas gifts

You don’t have to spend hundreds of Rands to give your loved ones a great gift this Christmas. Here are ten gift ideas for people on a tight budget.

Mix-in-a-bottle

One of the top ‘handmade’ gifts these days is giving someone a cookie, bread or rusk mix in a jar or bottle. You can pour a packet of supermarket readymix (there’s a huge range in the baking isle of most shops) or the dry ingredients to a favourite recipe in your container of choice. Type or write out the rest of the recipe (eg. Add a can of beer or add two eggs and a cup of milk) on a card or label and tie or paste it onto the container. Decorate with ribbon, twine or stickers.

Cookies

This is a great gift if you need to give something to multiple people. Find a recipe that makes a few dozen cookies such as sugar cookies, oats cookies or shortbread. If you only want to give a small token, pick out three of four cookies, place them in the middle of cellophane or wrapping paper and tie the package with ribbon or twine. Alternatively you can buy an inexpensive bottle or pretty jar and fill it.

Spreads and pestos

This gift is perfect for people who like to go on picnics or regularly host dinners. Buy a small container or two of pesto, pair it with a French loaf or mix of crackers and present in in a small basket or on a nice chopping board.

You can also easily make your own ‘gourmet’ butter spread: Simply soften salted or unsalted butter and add the flavouring of your choice. Examples are cheese, chilli, garlic, chives, powdered biltong, basil pesto.

Put a blob of the cheese in the centre of a square of wax paper and roll it into a sausage, tying off the ends of seal it. It can be refrigerated or frozen.

Gift in a jar

Who doesn’t like getting a ‘lucky packet’? Using the same principle, fill a jar with some of the recipient’s favourite things – it can be sweets, chocolate, fridge magnets or even bath products.

Herbs and seeds

This is a hit with foodies and gardening enthusiasts. Pair a packet or two of seeds with a little trowel, pots or gardening gloves. If the recipient loves using herbs in their food, buy a rectangular planter and fill it with herb seedlings like basil, thyme, parsley, chives or lavender.

DIY bath bombs

Bath bombs are really easy to make and great gifts for mom or gran. The fizzy balls of salts and oils are a fragrant and healthy addition to any bath. This recipe from diyprojectsforteens.com caught our eye. All you need is baking soda, citric acid, Epsom salts, water, essential oil, olive oil and food colouring.

Jewellery

Too expensive, you say? You can find everything to make great-looking jewellery in local beading shops. Buy a packet or two of pretty stones, beads or charms and earring hooks to make custom-earrings. You can string together beads for a colourful necklace or string a pretty pendant onto a few lengths or ribbon for an elegant one.

Bottle of memories

Fill a jar with miniatures (tiny toys or charms) that remind you of the person you’re giving it to and then type out a little story relating to each item and paste it in a notebook or turn it into a booklet. Examples include their favourite food, a passport photo of you, a tiny plastic fruit or a mini teddybear.

Coasters

Avoid accidental coffee or water rings on the coffee table by gifting someone with personalized coasters. All you need is a sheet of cork, some modge podge, an acrylic sealer and images to paste on the cork. Take a large glass or circle cutter and cut circles out of the cork. You can also make squares or any other shapes. Print out an image on cardboard or paper and paste it onto the cork, trimming the sides to fit the shape. Paint it with modge podge and then use the sealer to make it waterproof. Wrap the coasters up with a ribbon.

Books

Most people take the opportunity to catch up on their reading during the holidays, so books make a good gift. This doesn’t just mean romance or crime novels. Buy a book of recipes for someone that loves cooking or a book with DIY projects for the home for someone who loves making things. If a reading book won’t catch the recipient’s fancy, take out a year’s subscription to their favourite magazine.