Handmade Tales

We bake up bags of “Franzen Family Famous Christmas Granola.” Our work results in delicious, affordable gifts and special family time.
Debbie Franzen
Sewickly, Pennsylvania

I’ve always found that homemade gifts are more fun to give and receive. In past years, I made large batches of fudge, organic salsa, pesto from homegrown basil, and summer preserves from berries grown in our yard. I made fun labels for the jars and found cute holiday boxes on sale for the fudge. They were gifts everyone enjoyed, not only because they were tasty but also because they came from the heart (of my kitchen).
Julia Hefner
Bayfield, Colorado

I learned how to knit. Curling up on the couch to knit helps combat stress and saves cash, too. By spending a little time and as little as $20, I can knit someone I love a scarf, a hat, or mittens as a present. Saving money is important, but so are priceless gifts, like knowing my boyfriend is toasty warm in a scarf I made for him.
Lisa Nuszbaum
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

For me, baking pays for itself. It gives me time to unwind while being productive, and I can just as happily bake alone as I can with friends. And I always have treats handy for last-minute hostess gifts or guests.
Elizabeth Horan
Sacramento, California

Our extended family is rather large, so buying gifts can get pricey. For years now, I’ve been making calendars for each individual family, and they have become a huge success. All year long, we take photos that become the monthly pictures, and I write in birthdays and anniversaries. If you divvy up the cost of the supplies and printer ink, each calendar costs only $4 to $5. They have become the most anticipated presents of the season.
Adriane Ohrum
Wellsville, Pennsylvania

I make presents — homemade gifts are far more meaningful. A few years ago, I made my husband a day-by-day calendar titled “Why I Love Rod — Let Me Count the Ways.” Each page, made from a different color of scrap paper, had a new reason. Now, no matter how much you love your man, it’s not easy to come up with 365 different reasons. I had to throw in some totally random ones, like “You don’t wear scuba gear to bed.” But for the most part the pages cited heartfelt appreciations of character traits and things he has done for me and other people. My husband was very touched.
Natasha Clark
Peace River, Alberta

After canning season, I shop for Mason jars on sale to fill with white or brown sugar, which I spice up with orange zest, cinnamon, or lavender. These make for thrifty gifts when an unexpected guest stops by.
John Hewitt
Western Springs, Illinois

It's a Wrap

Instead of wrapping paper, I use the brown paper from parcels and packaging and spruce it up with decorative touches. I not only save money and recycle but also have fun doing it.
Katherine Reilly
Toronto, Ontario

I travel frequently throughout the year for my job and pick up free maps at visitor areas in each airport or hotel. I’ve found that maps are the perfect size for wrapping a variety of gifts. This cuts down on the extra cost of buying fancy paper and bows. The maps are colorful and interesting, and they store flat — no more unmanageable rolls of wrapping paper.
Jane Derenowski
Bronx, New York

Besides recycling ribbons and bows from the previous year, I save boxes, any kind of boxes, to wrap my gifts — even empty cereal, cake, pudding, cookie, and file-folder boxes. It’s become a joke at my house: “Look, you got fiber cereal for your gift” or “Hey, Mike, what did you get from Victoria’s Secret?” It makes opening presents a lot more interesting.
June Fauver
Glen Burnie, Maryland

I can’t wrap. Whenever I’ve tried, it has always been a disaster, so I used to pay to have my gifts wrapped. Now that I have children, I save money by letting the kids wrap. The gifts still come out a disaster, but now I tell people the kids did the wrapping, and they think it’s adorable!
Mary Brun
Orlando, Florida

Spirit of the Season

Rather than trying to get my mother and father this season’s hottest gadget, I adopt an angel from the Salvation Army Angel Tree for each of my parents. I spend about $75 on gifts for each angel (a local child who otherwise wouldn’t receive holiday gifts), enough to get two or three new outfits, some books, and a few toys. I take pictures of the gifts so I can give my parents mini scrapbooks of their angels’ merry Christmas. Helping a child in need costs much less than the price of an MP3 player, but the look each year on Mom and Dad’s faces makes this holiday money saver priceless.
Kathryn Hutchison
Austin, Texas

Last Christmas, instead of exchanging presents with my coworkers, we decided to spend an evening together serving dinner at our local soup kitchen. It made us realize that while we worry about shopping, many simply worry about where their next meal is coming from.
Wendi Cook
South Portland, Maine

My favorite present during the holidays costs only a few cents but requires uninterrupted effort. I send individual notes to the people who have touched my life, thanking them for their kindness, patience, support, and laughter. Writing the letters is a gift for me and for them — a reminder that the holidays were intended for blessings, not Christmas sales.
Maggie Rosenthal
Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts

I’ve learned the economy in never budgeting for “have to’s.” I no longer have to buy gifts for folks who will then just have to buy one for me, bake 13 kinds of cookies when my family really loves only three, or travel around to see each and every family member in a one-week period when there are 51 other weeks of the year. Not doing “have to’s” saves money and energy, both physical and mental.
Patricia Dombek
Westchester, Illinois

Share your tips for saving money during the holidays.