Decorate Your Gifts to Make Them Distinctive

To dress up your holiday gifts on the cheap, add evergreens or edible tags made of iced gingerbread, Good Housekeeping says. Make gifts into the likeness of a cartoon animal or attach cut-out paper snowflakes. Use a tulle pouf instead of a bow, or weave ribbon on top of gifts instead of tying it. Wrap gifts in reused paper from maps, newspaper or sheet music. Make beaded gift toppers or attach sparkly monograms. Or top your gifts with mini ornaments or candy canes — your creativity is the only limit when it comes to decorating your packages to make them stand out under the tree.

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.

Craft Your Own Holiday Cards and Save

The Organizing Blog always advises using creativity to save money on things you ordinarily might buy. This year, try making your own holiday cards! Not only will you save money, you’ll create distinctive-looking greetings the recipients will love. Use felt, glitter, string and construction paper to craft your own cards. HGTV has 14 do-it-yourself ideas that will wow your friends and family, including a whimsical Santa-with-cotton-ball-beard idea that will help get the kids involved in making one-of-a-kind cards for everyone on your mailing list.

A Valentine’s Menu That Only Tastes Like a Million Bucks

With Valentine’s Day arriving midweek this year, you might have a special dinner date set for Friday or Saturday night — and if you’re on a budget, you may be doing the cooking yourself! The ol’ surf-and-turf is a favorite romantic repast, but your options are limited only by your time and creativity. The Kitchn suggests sumptuous starters such as lobster bisque and deviled eggs, main dishes such as grilled branzino and parmesan risotto with shrimp, and decadent “sweets for the sweet” such as panna cotta and dark chocolate brownies, plus adult beverages that are sure to make the mood buoyant.