Need homemade or inexpensive gift ideas: coworkers, etc.

wildflower865

For coworkers and other people.  Only some in our circle know yet, but DH will be losing his job Jan 1st.  We need to have a small Christmas, but no matter how many times I suggest changing how we do things, esp. to my team at school, they all want to do the gift exchange where we each get each other a gift.

So I was thinking I'd just give what I can and maybe make something like cookies, cookie mix, ornaments, etc.

Any good ideas?  I can make good fudge.  I saw some pinecode ornaments today and thought I could make them myself, but can't find any good enough/large enough ones at my house. I think it might be weird to buy pinecones and make ornaments but had thought it would be cool if they came from our property.  I stand apart from others in our circle for our woodsy property so it would say "from me!"

 

So can we gather some inexpensive or homemade ideas?

I'm not super crafty but willing to put in some time.

ChristyDM82

I just picked up a mold today for making chocolate covered oreos.  The mold has imprints of snowflakes and snowmen- you fill them with chocolate and place the oreo inside and let dry.  Easy and delicious!

sweetpea023

I was the queen of inexpensive but thoughtful gifts during my college penny-pinching days. Here were some of the things I did:

1) One year I bought mugs from the dollar isle at Target, got cone-shaped bags (I think they're used for icing), filled them with hot chocolate mix, marshmallows, and chocolate shavings), or a small coffee w/ a candy cane. Each gift was $2-$3. Chocolate covered coffee beans are also easy, and would also work well.

2) I also took three large marshmallows, dipped them in white chocolate bark, skewered them on a stick. Then decorated them with a little hat, to be chocolate-covered snowmen.

3)  I bought little silver bell ornaments, very cheap maybe $2 each. But I wrapped them very nicely in a box, with a specially decorated note attached to it that said, "every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings". Cheap, but thoughtful.

4)  I went and bought small crosstitch ornaments for about $2 each. It took time, but I crosstiched about 10 of them. People still tell me it is their favorite ornament on the tree because hardly anyone does these anymore.

5) I asked all of the girls in my large family to contribute their favorite recipe, then I put a book together. It was great, because everyone finally got those family recipes they always wanted.

6) I gave my parents "I will wash and wax your car" gift certificates. Free to me since I used their hose and soap.

7) I gave my co-workers $5 gift cards to starbucks with a candycane.

8) I found 5 different sized star shaped cookie cutters. I baked sugar cookies, iced them green, and skewered them with marshmallows inbetween with largest on bottom, and smallest on top. It makes a christmas tree out of cookies. Those were a hit. Very cheap.

9) Host a cookie exchange instead of white elephant.

 

 

ZestofLime

Sorry about your DH's job loss. I hope he can find something else soon.

I think the fudge sounds great. Homemade breads, like pumpkin, are always good, too. So are any type of cookies, but I love gingerbread at the holidays.

ErikandAfton

Last year my mom's employer's wife made the best cookies ever! They were Ritz crackers with peanut butter in between two crackers, then dipped in chocolate. Because they were holiday Rits they had snowflakes on them.

We make jams and jellies as gifts for our family, we even had them as our favors at our wedding. They are easy to make and not too expensive.

You could make candies and baked goods baskets for coworkers.

Dr.Loretta

Fudge sounds perfect. Go for it.

k22t

ErikandAfton:

Last year my mom's employer's wife made the best cookies ever! They were Ritz crackers with peanut butter in between two crackers, then dipped in chocolate. Because they were holiday Rits they had snowflakes on them.

We make jams and jellies as gifts for our family, we even had them as our favors at our wedding. They are easy to make and not too expensive.

You could make candies and baked goods baskets for coworkers.

my mom made these last year and they were a big hit with the family and friends.  she didn't have any left!.

op - homemade goodies is always a best bet.  i'd make the fudge and maybe some bread and/or cookies to go along with it.

MrsKa08

I'm a huge fan of homemade/inexpensive gifts! This year, I found a recipe for making pies baked in tiny glass jars (notmartha.com), so I'm going to do a few of those and put them w/either homemade cappucino mix or hot chocolate mixes. I also had planned on buying a few of those see-thru plastic paint buckets and filling them with goodies such as oreo truffles (lumps of coal), peanut butter balls dipped in white almond bark (dirty snowballs, or if dipped in chocolate, reindeer poop...) and assortments of other goodies.

Loved the PP with the decorated marshmallows! might have to do that as well!

Mrs.PinkPearls

I think someone asked this the other day Idk if it was this board. But they had a list of ideas in there siggy. It was great. I am making a baked goods basket for family and friends.

sara_c

I believe a while back someone on the what's cooking board posted a link to make cupcakes in mason jars.  Really unique, but super easy and inexpensive. 

uncannycanuck

Last year I layered white chocolate popcorn, caramel popcorn, and milk chocolate popcorn:

 

Recipes here.

See link in siggy for other ideas.

MrsC2009

Do the fudge - you can get nice bags or tins at the dollar store.  But honestly, for coworkers, I would flat out tell them you're not participating in the gift exchange this year. 

DFico21

One year for my coworkers I made my usual Christmas cookies and bought Winter coffee mugs at Walmart for about $1 each and filled each mug with 1 of every type of cookie.  They loved them and everyone wanted my recipes. 

Also, my Mom bought mini holiday ceramic love pans and baked mini banana breads in them and gave them to all my Aunts one year.  I saw those pans in Michaels last month.  

CarrieB.

last year i did oreo truffles for my coworkers. I think the recipe is from Kraft, but i got from the D&R board. This year i think i'm going to do salted carmels. Fudge sounds good too.

BobKat22

For the church ladies one year, my grandma filled wire wisks with Hershey kisses.  She attached a little piece of paper with ribbon that said "We wisk you a Merry Kissmas". I thought it was cute!

anneg

i bake cookies and give them as gifts to co-workers.  if i had to buy for everyone i'd be in the poor house, so i don't.  last year i put them in a plain white 1 lb candy boxes that i got at michael's or joann's and tied them with a holiday ribbon.  they looked really pretty and were a big hit.  i'd be thrilled to receive fudge... i think that's a great idea!

abvernon

Food is always a hit. DH and I make 4 different kinds of cookies and we give out goodie bags of the assortment. We have done this for four years now and we always receive complements.

mikashea

here are somethings I have done in the past..

I dont cook. but i love easy crafts, so last year I bought small, plain dollar journals I found in the dollar section of Michaels or AC MOORE.  They were black and white with a victorian pattern.  I glued scrapbook paper that I had written the person receiving the gifts name on.  And stuck a scrapbooking flower on the side of the name.  Then I wrote a special note on the first page in place of the traditional christmas card.  All my friends still carry them in there purse for grocery notes or whateve.

also. you could take a composition notebook. they cost like a dollar or a little over. and cover the front in pretty scrap book paper.  Use letter stickers to decorate the front with words like JOY or HOPE

 If you want to go even simpler but sweeter.  Go to ingles and get the tube of suger cookie dough that you can slice... and cut them so they will bake larger than normal.  When they have cooled off enough... take decorative icing and put their first initial on the cookie.  let it dry and wrap in cling wrap and tie a pretty ribbon and attach a little handmade tag.

 if you have adobe photoshop or another type of photo editing tool.  create your own photocards.  It is free to design and only about 19 cents to print however many you need at CVS

 

Bailey17

I think fudge sounds like a great idea!

I'm making cookies and putting them in Christmas themed Chinese take out boxes for my CW's and neighbors. I got the boxes at Michaels yesterday for $1.49 a box. I may also make a Christmas ornament to tie onto each box.

cclilac12

Fudge is goooood...

We don't usually exchange gifts with many people, but my cheapo hostess gifts for the many parties we have are:

* Pre-made cookies in a mason jar, with a note indicating that the cookies are freezable

* Chocolate bark

* Spiced nuts (we have a large cheap distributor for the nuts & chocolate nearby)

I also found that Crate & Barrel has some really inexpensive items. I picked up a $5 dip mix and a $4 ceramic dish to serve it in (for a $10 white elephant). But they also had other kitchen knick knacks -- cookie cutters, a tuscan bread mix, etc-- for under $5 if you didn't want to make anything.

karimychel

Fudge.. Yum!

I'm unemployed this year, and I'm making salt caramels and english toffee. I found small tins at the dollar bin at Target.

Maybe you could find a way to use the pinecones as the labels to your neighbors and friends.

RachieTK

I'd either do mason jar cookie mix with the recipe and a wooden spoon tied to the top with festive ribon, or I'd do homemade fudge poured into cute holiday cookie cutters, so the recipients can use them after they enjoy the fudge!

apparently

I agree, your tried & true fudge is the way to go! I think any food gift benefits from nifty packaging. I recently saw some fudge packaged in a rubber/silicone mini ice cube tray -- the presentation was super cute, and you can always find those trays for super cheap in the Michael's dollar bin.

PhDIBe

go for the fudge.  I'd love to get that!

sweetypie

ditto on the fudge you could also buy pretzels & dip them in chocolate.

SeattleMegan

Wow, these are all great ideas!  I also think the fudge is an awesome gift.  Everyone likes chocolate, right?!

daisysle

I buy cute holiday tins at the dollar store and fill them with homemade goodies.  This year I will make chocolate covered pretzel rods, cinnmon chip sugar cookies, peppermint cookies drizzled with chocolate and topped with crushed candy canes and white chocolate peppermint bark.

I am going to make jars filled with cocoa and cookie mixes for friends & family as well.