Great Gifts on a Small Budget

​It's that time of year again, secret Santa's, family name draws, co workers, friends and lots of other people that you need to buy gifts for. It gets expensive and can be a little daunting especially if you are on a tight budget or limited budget. But people you can get A LOT for under $30, $20, even $10, you just need to be creative and have fun with it.

I have mentioned the Dollarama a few times but it's because that place is a gold mine for things like that, where you have a limited budget but want to be creative and fun with it. Also Wal-Mart or Superstore have really good $5 movie bins, so bam a movie and popcorn, right there is a fun gift and a night in. ​​

In our family we collect bottles through out the year and then cash them in and split the money between all the families (which is 4 ways) and then draw a name and that's who we buy the gift for. We use the money from the bottles and it is usually $25-$30, but believe me you can do a lot with that. It takes pressure off of tight budgets and it allows for creativity or you can just buy a game or a movie and be done with it. 

One thing I also do with friends is I give away baking, I make usually 6-7 different treats and I package them up in a tin or basket and give them away. It is not hard on the wallet and who doesn't love getting all those goodies! Also I am really into bread making lately and there is something so pretty about a beautifully crusted artisan bread. If you stick that alone with some nice cheeses and maybe hot pepper jelly or a jam then it makes for a simple yet fancy looking gift. 

I like to get creative and look on Pinterest for fun little gift baskets or other ways of wrapping up the gifts. One I have done a few times for Matt is I made a "Broquet" or a man basket, you just buy them their favorite treats, tools, gadgets and you do it up like a bouquet.

A good strategy for saving money and not going over budget for gifts is to have a plan or a theme for them, like "a night in at the movies" "Breakfast in bed" "a night on us", or in the way of putting together a salad ie: salad bowl, tongs, fancy dressing and oils/vinagers, recipes, and various toppings. It just makes for a fun gift that is practical yet still nice! 

​So don't panic, you've got this, now go have fun!
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