Budget Gift challenge contest

[ncbyrne]

Our extended family has a Christmas party every year, sans gifts. However, this year the ladies are having a gift contest. The challenge is to bring a nice, useable gift (no pet rocks) and spend as LITTLE as possible with a maximum of $5, and that has to include the wrapping. We have to bring receipts as proof. The items can be purchased or handmade, but every component of the gift must be given a $ value. The men and children are the judges and they will decide what was the nicest gift and the biggest bargain! Winner takes all! Oh my, what a challenge! I'm thinking I could use brown grocery bags for the main wrapping and decorate with tracings, pine cones etc. BUT...I can't think of ideas for the actual gift! Any ideas and suggestions from my fellow Budget Board DISers will be greatly appreciated!

 

[Aliceacc]

How about a lottery ticket?

 

[Cindy B]

Go to the store five below.

Everything and I mean everything is $5 or under in this store.

You can get everything from toys, nail polish, hat and scarf set, mittens, even a small snowboard.

If not, Ulta (the beauty store) had a great 5 for $5 sale last week. (It may have just been Black Friday, YMMV)

You could get things normally priced at $5 each for only $1. I got so much stuff and it looks like I spent a million bucks.

Christmast Tree Shop.. another fab store. For under $5 you can get a amaryllis plant complete with a glass vase and stones. The receiver gets it and watches it grow (I think it was $3.99) There are a ton of things for less than $5 at CTS.

MY dollar store is really nice too, so you could get a lot of non junky things there as well.


I personally hate lottery tickets--so I wouldn't do that.

 

[WDWHo]

Something homemade might be your best bet. How about cookies?

Or you can buy some fleece fabric and make a scarf with fringe?

 

[kaytieeldr]

I have a book of "jarred", do-it-yourself gifts. You layer the ingredients (you'd have to do some math for stuff where you don't use the whole container) and attach the recipe/rest of the instructions - which you can do by hand. You don't need it today, do you? There are a couple that don't even involve cooking. I'll be back (to this thread) later.

 

[powellrj]

do you travel? What about a gift basket of hotel freebies in a nice basket. You could fill a basket with little soaps, shampoos and lotions.

What about a cookbook, buy a little dollar store cookbook and then fill it with lots of good recipes.

 

[luvtogo12]

Is that Victorias Secret offer still on? The one with the free hat, scarf and gloves set. If so and you just happen to need a sweater use the codes for the free sets. You can use the hat (free) as a basket, put in the scarf to shape the hat, add the free lip gloss (free) and gloves (free). If you really want to splurge a little, you can add a handmade ornament or something. The dollar store has the basket bags that come in a pack of 2 for one dollar.

 

[erinmomof2]

You could do a mini pedicure set. The dollar store near me has sets that come with little flip flops, the toe separaters, the thing that pushes cuticles back, nail file, nail brush... all of that is $1 total. Than you could add some nailpolish, nailpolish remover.... target has foot cream in their dollar spot. I'd like a gift like that.

Or you could get a cheap coffee mug and buy some of the dollar bags of coffee (Target has some Jack Daniels coffee in their dollar spot) or hot chocolate. You could include one of those chocolate dipped spoons or something like that.

Like was posted earlier, I would definately check the dollar store. The one near me can have some decent stuff.

Also, last time I was on Avon's website I found a bunch of stuff for 69 cents. I think I ordered 6 things for a total of $4.34. They had free shipping, I'm not sure if they still do though.

Hope that helps

 

[sbakersub]

Since it's "for the ladies" : Bath and Body Works has a little snowman container with vanilla bean soap for only $5 (reg. $10) -- do your best grocery bag wrapping and call it done!!! Super cute, nice AND usable. They also had other stocking stuffer kind of things under $5 -- bubble bath ornaments were 2 for $5 earlier this week, they have the little lotion bottles, etc. I hadn't done much shopping there before but this year I'm finding all kinds of great stocking stuffers there

 

[Mic]

The Dollar Tree sells the cheapest gift wrapping supplies, without a doubt. If you wanted to find 4 nice things there, and put it in a bag(50 cents will buy a small one, $1 a larger one), you could do that. $1 gift ideas: a scrub-brush, a box of steel wool pads, a bottle of dishwashing liquid, and dishtowel/rag(name anything more usable!) Better yet, put these items in a $1 dishpan! Other themes: laundry(Dollar tree sells laundry items like detergent and starch for $1), bathroom(candle, soap, loofa,etc.), movie night(popcorn, large candybar, etc.) Personally, I am always in need of birthday wrapping/bags/cards for my kids' friends. I would love to have a shoe-box-type container with a few of these items in there(2 cards are $1, add a pack of wrapping paper, a bag, and some tissue paper for $1 each).

For daycare children I have put together a baking kit with all the dry ingredients for cookies and added a spoon(less than $1 at Walmart) and a cookie cutter($1 at Walmart), along with a large index card with instructions. It was so cute! This year, I will likely put the dry ingredients to make apple crisp in a holiday jar or baggie, and add a spoon, 4-6 apples, and an index card with recipe.

You could always make something: food, craft, centerpiece. I made a Mickey-shaped wreath a few years ago for less than $5. I took one larger wreath from the Dollar Tree, and connected two smaller ones to it using floral wire to make the Mickey-head shape. Then I puchased a set of colored indoor/outdoor lights at walmart for @$1 to cover the wreath, and added a few small ornaments. It still hangs on my front door every year to embarrass my children! My sister once made a Christmas centerpiece using a jar, potpouri, and some Christmas lights. It was beautiful! Also, I am a true SCRAPbooker...I can use anything to make a scrapbook! The Dollar Tree sells scrapbooks of all sizes, but I can not vouch for the quality as I have never purchased them. If you pre-made the pages to create a theme(winter, vacation, spring, etc.), it would look way more expensive than it is. But, it would involve a lot of time, and I'm not sure how you would "price" that!

I hope this inspires a few thoughts...it just reminds me how far behind I am on my homemade items!
Who thought of this contest? I think that would solve my problem with "what to get the sisters?" every year!

 

[JandJ]

Do you have a Ross? I was in there yesterday looking for something else but found a great gift for the BBQ fans in our lives - Jack Daniels or Southern Comfort BBQ sauce, rub, and a brush for $3.49 each. DH doesn't like to spend more than $5 on people other than me, his parents, and our nieces and nephews, so this was a great find! They also had chocolates and other specialty food gifts for around $3. Good luck!

 

[Hidden_Mickey]

Totally hit the dollar spot at Target! I got a pumice stone/scrubber there yesterday for a dollar. You could add something small from Bath & Body Works to it.

 

[ncbyrne]

Thanks for all the store shopping suggestions. (Never heard of Ross). This is quite a contest, but I'm determined to win this thing - not for the "stuff" but just to show I'm up to the challenge!

 

[Handbag Lady]

Go to your local favorite charity. Walk dogs, clean cages, make blankets for sick children, volunteer to hand out hot chocolate at the local shelter. Clean out your linen closet and donate the used blankets to a vet hospital or animal hospital. Whatever floats your boat.

Print up a card on your computer that explains what you did and that you did it in honor of this contest. Wrap the card in a fancy box. Bring your receipt in for the fancy box.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Oh, I like that, Handbag Lady! In fact, I have a very 'fancy' wine gift box - red velvet with green trim and sequins - that I will be happy to DONATE to the original poster if she'll trust me with her address.

 

[Mom-to-2-Princesses]

I think it has to be something that has your time put into it. If you know how to sew, maybe a wall quilt? Christmas fabric is on sale.

Or if you like to do work on your computer - scan in family pictures and make a calendar. Or older pictures and do a recipe book.

If you scrapbook - you could also do a cool calendar. Or make a group of cards.

Make a wreath! Most dollar stores have great stuff to hot glue on and the wreath form could be bought or made from a hanger. Or if you made it from natural materials you could just pick them from the back yard ($0) (or a park!) Or a centerpiece - (my girlfriend sent me a $30 arrangement from LL Bean that I know I could make for under $5 - it was pine branches stuck in flower foam with some pretty accents, again think Dollar Tree!)

Have fun and good luck!

 

[flying_babyb]

How about taking a empty starbucks bottle (ask a freind so its free) and filling it with some nice smellig body wash ($1 dollar tree) and a pretty ribbon. You would still have $4

 

[timzagain]

First things first, some suggestions for wrapping:-

1. Wrap in comic strips or better yet, pages from a glossy Christmas catalog or magazine
2. You can "make" curling ribbon - use strips of leftover gift wrap or mag photos as mentioned above and curl with a scissors just like store bought curling ribbon
3. Wrap in Christmas fabric remnants (assuming you sew)
4. A coffee creamer container can be turned into a snowman; will post link to instructions if I ever remember where I saw them

Now for gift ideas I've tried:-

1. A mini pedicure basket - items found at dollar store, in a basket I bought at a garage sale

2. Oven mitts and apron - inexpensive fabric and batting from another project

3. A candle gift basket - dollar store candles, and a candle extinguisher. To make the candles look a little more upscale I got a sheet of discontinued letterhead from my then employer and stamped a design using a leaf and gold acrylic paint. I then wrapped a piece of the decorated paper around the candles and tied with wire-edge ribbon, hot-glued on some pine cones etc. The basket I used was another recycled one (I collect cheap/ free baskets whenever I can find them!)

4. For a tea lover - a funky, inexpensive teapot (and assorted samples of herbal teas (from my pantry). I made up little envelopes for each flavour (copy paper and decorative scissors). This could be wrapped in an inexpensive tea towel. Instead of a teapot, a pretty inexpensive mug could be used

5. Take inexpensive glass ball ornaments and embellish with seeds, ribbon, beads from broken necklaces, silk flowers & leaves etc. Can be personalized with a permanent marker, gold paint pen or glitter if you have them.

 

[timzagain]

Victoria's secret is now offering free slippers with the purchase of pajamas.

Here's the link:-
http://www2.victoriassecret.com/collection/?cgname=OSSALPAGZZZ&cgnbr=OSSALPAGZZZ&rfnbr=3909

Good luck with the challenge! Please let us know the outcome!

 

[ncbyrne]

[*]A coffee creamer container can be turned into a snowman; will post link to instructions if I ever remember where I saw them
[/LIST]

Oh, I would love to use this idea!