Valentine’s Day calls for a special celebration of relationships, but it needn’t cost a lot of money to show you care. You can use your creativity to craft a special gift. Good Housekeeping suggests an array of options including fresh-baked bread, hand-stitched sachets and a jar filled with a year’s worth of date-night ideas. Make a flower vase out of a disused Mason jar and make a heart-shaped bath bomb to pamper that special someone. Look for supplies at local craft stores and at thrifs supplied by generous donations to ClothingDonations.org.
Tag: gifts on a budget
Don’t Overspend on Valentine’s Day
The temptation to overspend is substantial on Valentine’s Day — and the nation’s jewelers and chocolatiers encourage it. But you don’t have to spend a lot to make your partner feel special, PopSugar says. Instead of stretching your credit to buy more or more extravagant stuff, try a gag gift exchange or watch a romantic movie. Make handmade vouchers for chores and other favors, or revisit the memories that make your relationship special over a home-cooked meal. If you really need something as a couple, agree on a gift you’ll enjoy together and make a day out of buying it.
Use Kraft Paper as a Canvas for Gift Wrapping
Kraft paper is an inexpensive canvas to use when wrapping holiday gifts, Loves the Find says. Simply wrap up your gifts in the plain brown paper, then use your creativity to make it distinctive. Tie them with ribbon, fabric trims or twine and add tree trimmings or pine cones — or go more exotic with feathers, chalkboard paint and glitter. To create a repeating pattern, cut simple stamps out of potatoes, linoleum or a lint roller, and imprint the paper with a stamp pad or tempera paint. Kraft paper isn’t just for the holidays, either — you can use it at any time of year gifts are given.
Use ‘Santa Sacks’ to Wrap Sustainably
If you have a lot of gifts to give to one or more young children, go a step beyond the stocking with a sustainable Santa Sack, Holidappy suggests. Personalize a cloth laundry bag with a tag or embroidery, and have the child put the empty sack under the tree on Christmas Eve. Then fill each sack with unwrapped gifts; in the morning, the kids can open their sacks and discover what Santa brought overnight — and you’ll save money on gift wrap and ribbon while saving time on cleanup. And if you have large or oddly shaped gifts to give, hide them and leave clues around the house for the recipients to find.
Wrap Your Christmas Gifts in Creativity
Do-it-yourselfers know that it doesn’t take a lot of money to gussy up a gift if you think outside the box, the Creative Live blog says. Try alternatives to store-bought wraps such as colorful fabric, butcher paper or paper towel rolls. Or to showcase the ubiquitous-but-boring-to-look-at gift cards, build snowglobe holders. Wrap bottles of wine in the sleeves of thrift-store sweaters. Put your gifts inside unused paint cans or tuck them into folding Chinese takeout containers. The “big reveal” of any gift is always more exciting if you can amp up the anticipation by having a little fun with the packaging.