Gift Ideas for Baby Showers & Weddings

Check out the registries for the weddings and see what you can get in your price range. Don't feel bad about how much you spend - they registered for a reason, and often the inexpensive things are the most useful (cookie sheets, etc). For the shower, kids books can be inexpensive, and are always useful.

Also, as far as etiquette goes, you don't need to send a gift if you don't go, especially to the shower. Traditionally people do send a gift even if they can't attend the wedding, but you make whatever choice you need to. Have fun at all your parties!

A.,

I am going to a few myself and just looked this up on google!

What's Your Best Low-Cost Wedding Gift Idea?
6 tips from fellow budget-conscious readers.

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It's that time of year. People are tying the knot, and you're poring over registry lists trying to find a lovely gift that won't break the bank. So what's a budget-conscious gal to do? Borrow one of these ideas from savvy TCW readers just like you!

BREAKFAST FOR TWO

One of the more unique wedding gifts my husband and I received was a box filled with pancake mix, a jar of honey, flavored jams, hot cocoa packets, and a bottle of sparkling grape juice. It was everything we needed for our first breakfast together at home!

—Michelle Connell, Illinois
VIVA THE VASE

The wedding gift I still consistently use after 20 years of marriage is a lovely etched-glass vase. It's perfect for when my husband or a friend gives me flowers, or if I buy some for myself. You typically can purchase these vases for $10 to $20 at stores such as T.J. Maxx or Tuesday Morning.

—Claire Totten, Florida
NOW YOU'RE COOKIN'

This idea was a hit during last year's wedding season: I gathered together an inexpensive cookie sheet, a mixing bowl, a spatula, a timer, a couple cookie cutters, a potholder, and a cookie recipe in an inexpensive basket. You can buy a lot of these items on the cheap if you shop at discount stores. And you can get clever with the wrapping, too.

—Karen Dill, Oklahoma
THE FIRST NOEL

Post-Christmas sales offer a great opportunity to pick up holiday items at really low prices. Why not create a "First Christmas Together" box for the newlyweds? Fill an inexpensive plastic tub (with a lid for easy storage) with a variety of tree ornaments, strings of lights, personalized stockings, holiday books, and other decorative items.

—Jill Lippiatt, Pennsylvania
A TISKET, A TASKET

The best low-cost gift my husband and I received was a picnic basket packed with plastic plates, paper cups, a cheap tablecloth, and some chocolates. It proved to be a handy gift because for the first few weeks after we were married, as we moved into our new home, we couldn't get to any of our dishes or flatware. We ate every meal off those plates for weeks!

—Anna Aquino, Florida
IN STITCHES

I like to cross-stitch a reproduction of the wedding invitation, the bride and groom's names and wedding date, or a pillow with the last-name initial of the happy couple. I put the needlework in inexpensive frames I purchase at local discount stores, or buy a simple form and stuffing for the pillow at my local fabric store. There's just something special about receiving a handmade gift.

—Sharon McKay, Canada

You can check out my website. www.DulcebyCathy.com I make custom made diaper cakes...who can't use diapers? lol... Let me know if your interested. We deliver for free within a 10 mile radius of Chelsea, MA.

Have a DULCE day!

What a great question! I think giving of your time is often more memorable to the person receiving the gift. Perhaps for the baby shower you could give a gift certificate for 2 movie tickets and then tell them that you are their babysitter whenever they choose to use them.

For the wedding gifts, do you have any special skills that you could share? If you are a gardener, you could offer to get their flowerbeds in shape this summer. If you like to cook, taking them meals in the days before the wedding or after the honeymoon would be very helpful I'm sure.

Good luck!