How to Make Christmas Gifts on a Tight Budget

Baby rag dolls out of old socks. The toe is the head (use a rubber band or string to make the neck after stuffing), the heel is the bottom and you cut the cuff down the middle and sew all the way around (like an inseam) for the legs. Use the cuff off a second sock for the arms. Stuff, sew on some yarn hair, use a marker to make a face. You can make the doll diapers by cutting up a Pampers and a felt blankie. You can make the doll a bed out of a shoe box. Or a baby carrier out of a six pack.

Story board "stage". Cover an old board game with felt. Then cut shapes and characters out of felt so that you can stand up the story board and use it as a stage to tell the story. You can do simple stories like Goldilocks and the 3 bears, or the 3 little pigs, or the Dog and the Bone

Bean bag games - make bean bags with real beans and felt in different colors. Make a stand up "target" out of cardboard or wood. Or make a game mat to toss the bean bags on with different point values.

Good luck and have fun!

Get on freecycle.org in your area. This is a site where you can post for things you want and where people post things they want to get rid of. You'll have to be accepted by a moderator of the group or groups...it takes a few days. I bet there are many people in the group that have baby toys and toys for a three year old that they would be happy to give to you that are in great shape. For both the girls I bet you could gather enough things like construction paper, glue sticks, yarn, crayons, popsicle sticks, and whatnot to make them a great craft kit. Afriend of mine one year took a box and decorated it with fancy wrapping paper, sequins, etc and filled the box with dress-up clothes for play time. I bet you could find some fun stuff at the second-hand store that is really inexpensive. I make salt-dough ornaments each year too. It would take some extra time to make each one of them something special but it is very inexpensive.

I think that since your kids are 3 and 1 you can go to a dollor store and buy lots of great stuff. They won't know the difference. Then just have lots of fun playing on Christmas day!

You and your hubby go out on a date when the $$ situation is a little better - that's gifts for both of you.

Your girls are young enough that they won't notice or care how much things cost or the quanitity of their gifts. The no-sew blankets are great (I did my first one in about 4 hours from start to finish and am NOT at all crafty!) in your daughter's favourite colours or characters.

One of the BEST Christmas gifts I've EVER received was when I was about 8. My dad built some doll furniture (crib, table and chairs) and my mom sewed the bedding, table clothes, pillows. I remember how awesome it was to this day :)

If your girls have barbies or similar dolls, you could make a simple 4-room house for them. You basically take some particle board and make 4 compartments (5 if you include an 'attic), don't worry about stairs or doors. Then paint the rooms different colors, use some scrap carpet for the floors and voila! Doll house :)

Those knot tied blankets are great for anyone (the fleece ones that you just cut and knot together) and as for your girls, maybe instead of making things for them, you could go to a $ store or craft store and pick up crafts to do together. You could make paintings, or my kids love the bags of rocks from $tree, they like to glue sticks and stuff on them and make "rock bugs" and clay molds that you could paint? They would be inexpensive gifts to give, and you could have the pleasure of spending the time with your girls doing the activities. Just a thought :) Good luck!!

I have a friend that checks out 25 Christmas books from the library and wraps each one. Every night she lets one of her kids choose a book & they unwrap it & read it as a family. Maybe if you did something like that, then on Christmas morning, if they only had 2 presents (one from mom, dad, & sister, and the other from Santa) then it wouldn't be as bad since they had been "opening" presents all month! I've been meaning to do this for the past 4 years, but I haven't thought about it early enough to get 25 books.

I don't sew very good, but right after my son was born, my daughter "gave" him her frog hooded towel. I made her her very own hooded towel. I went to Wal-Mart & bought a bright pink bath towel ($4) and matching hand towel ($2). I googled instructions and voila! A darling hooded towel. I did add some giant white RicRac for some flair. Last year my daughter (then 4) wanted a piggy bank. I went to Hobby Lobby & bought 2 plain white piggy banks (with the coupons they send out). I bought 5 different colored perm. markers and decorated them myself. I'm no artist, but my kids loved them! I think at that age, your girls will LOVE just about anything that you give them.

As for your husband, I like the idea of a Gift Certificate book. Personalize it to his tastes. A GC for a "date" of getting some ice cream & watching an action movie; a GC for a back rub; a GC for having a week off of taking the garbage out (or whatever chore he hates the most); a GC for a "Guy's Night", etc. Maybe you could go to Wal-Mart or Target & buy a pair of lacy panties for cheap & wrap it up and give it to him on Christmas Eve. (I don't know of any man who wouldn't think that was a fabulous present!)

Good luck! I'm sure that you'll look back on this Christmas with fond memories!

-Shellie

OK, so you & hubby don't exchange this year and you can always hit some thrift stores for some cute (in great shape) things. Your kids are little and they won't know the difference. Have no guilt over this at all. You're doing the responsible thing by staying in budget. Even with a very little budget, your holidays will be blessed--you have kids in the house!

for our one yr old we started buying gifts in january (i reliese this won't help you now but maybe next yr) one gift a month. so now my little one is done. also he is one. little kids can tell how much you spent on them. one gift we bought him was a large plastic sand trucks (one of the kind they sell during the summer with the beach stuff. cost $5

I do not sew either, but my daughter wants to learn, and we've found a project that is both cheap and easy. If you can sew a basic stitch, you'll be able to manage this one. (And of course, in an emergency, fabric glue is our friend!) You've probably seen Ugly dolls - cute little monsters, basic, overpriced? Well, the materials to build them yourself cost about $8 for enough fabric (we're using felt - if you have an old fleece blanket or something you could cut up, you won't even need to buy fabric) and stuffing to make two of them, and the how-to is available for free online - just google "making ugly dolls" to learn how to make the patterns yourself (waaay easier than it sounds) and the sewing technique. You could probably knock $5 off your price by stuffing with things like old socks. You'd have presents for both your girls.

As for your hubby, the old saw about the way to a man's heart being through his stomach has some truth to it. Is he the kind of guy who'd appreciate a box of homemade cookies or candy? Fudge, perhaps?

Just give gifts for your kids. Tell your Husband.... you and he do not have to get presents for each other. That is what my Husband and I... have done... due to budget.

Your kids are only 3 and 1. The 1 year old will not 'know' how 'many' gifts she/he got... not at that age.

You can shop at dollar stores, or 2nd hand stores... have a budget in mind.. and only shop according to that.

Even with making your own gifts... sometimes that can cost more... than just buying it. Depending on how many supplies you need to make something.... so keep that in mind too.... Or shop on places like Craig's list etc.

Here is a how to make a tied fleece blanket

http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Make-a-Blanket

Another craft I've started doing is making hair ribbons/clips for my daughter

http://thefrugalgirls.com/2010/08/how-to-make-cute-hair-c...

http://www.theribbonretreat.com/custom/free_projects.aspx

I am not able to sew but the hair ribbons have been fun, my 3.5 year old loves them. I've made korker ribbons, clips, bows.. All it really takes is some plain clips from Sallys, ribbon (check the $1 discount bin at Michaels), and a hot glue gun. You can get fancy and add decorations as you get braver. :)

I don't know what your budget is -- but I never spend a lot on gifts. Usually I spend *maybe* $100 per child but my kids never feel the difference. With effort on your part you can really stretch your dollar. I bargain shop. TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Tuesday Morning.. Board games are cheap and great for family night, blocks and other building type toys can usually be purchased cheaply and just require imagination, craft supplies, etc. Also, I watch prices on Amazon - they fluctuate a LOT. There is a website called Camelcamelcamel.com you can track and watch items you're interested in.. you can see what the lowest prices have been.

Good luck!

Layaway! It's amazing! Your kids are still little, so you don't need to get them a ton of stuff. Kmart has some really great stuff at really great prices. Their layaway plan is really doable, even on a budget. I would just get them a few thing that you know they'll love.
You can also look on retailmenot.com for online shopping coupon codes as well as printable coupons. Amazon usually has really great prices and if you sign up for Amazon Prime Mom you get free 2 day shipping on a lot of their stuff. The membership is free for 3 months.
I would also recommend that you look into signing up for Swagbucks. It's a search engine that give you "bucks" for searching. There's no catch and it's free. Once you get so many "bucks" you can trade them in for Amazon cards. The $5.00 card is only 450 "bucks". Through searches, special offers, tasks and codes I can usually get at least 2 cards a month. It's not a ton, but it helps out. If you're interested in Swagbucks, let me know and I'll give you my referral link.
Other than that, I would keep an eye on the ads. If you know there are stores that you shop at, sign up for their loyalty cards. They'll send you emails with coupons. Also, look at sites like Mojo Savings and Freebies For Mom. They're always listing great deals.

Kmart has layaway - young kids are easy because there are so many inexpensive choices, and you could pay a little each week.
Matching family blankets is a cute idea that someone mentioned. - Then you can take it a step further - and maybe get a DVD of some sort - put it in a basket with some microwave popcorn and then schedule "Family movie night".....my daughter LOVES LOVES LOVES "Family movie night" - snuggling under blankets, turning the lights off, Disney DVD of her choice on surround sound, popcorn and staying up late! Also - I tried making gingerbread once and it was an epic fail - so here is something that I did and she loved it so much that it is an annual tradition in our house that she insists on...to the point that we've had to tell my inlaws who invited us to come and stay from 23rd - 28th - that we will see them on Christmas day - because our daughter wants to be home on Christmas Eve - and here is part of why. First - I make a special dinner each Christmas eve, I set the coffee table with a table cloth and candle, we turn the lights off except for the candle and Christmas tree, and we sit on the floor around the coffee table and eat dinner. Then ....I have already pre-made ginger bread "cottages" - that I construct from graham crackers glued together with tube icing, and allowed to set up. I bring them to the table on individual plates and I set out a variety of candies - peppermints, m&ms, gumdrops etc with tubes of icing, and we each decorate a "cottage" to leave out for Santa to admire - with the cookies we leave for him to eat. We started doing that when she was 3 and she was the one who brought it up the next year.....so now it is a set in stone tradition for our house on Christmas Eve.
Good luck! I'm sure that your kids will have a great Christmas - and at 3 & 1 it's not like they have alot of peer pressure or will be comparing with their friends - they'll love whatever you do I'm sure.

A lot of these ideas have already been suggested, but you can find patterns or instructions online to make all kinds of cute gifts for little girls including no-sew blankets (which are great for kids going off the preschool for nap time), sock monkeys, pillowcase dresses (which can be made with little sewing from used pillowcases), playdough kit (then shop the thrift store for cookies cutters, little spread knives, etc) etc.
You'd be surprised what you can find toy-wise in the thrift stores as well. Recently I picked up a practically brand new Huffy bicycle for my daughter for $10.
Also, try the $1 bins at Target. Last year I picked up reindeer/snowmen bowls, plates, and utensils for my kids. They loved them so much they wouldn't let me put them away after the holidays. Each child got their own set and it only cost me $6 for both.
And, finally, your kids are young enough they are not going to really know any different if they don't receive a lot of gifts. Now is a good time to start your own traditions with them and perhaps teach them that the holidays are are about spending time with family (not receiving gifts). Make the day special to them by having a special xmas morning breakfast, followed by the family taking a walk or playing in the snow (sledding). Good luck!

Some other ideas to add to below:

Check out goodwill or some other thrift place for things that can be turned into dress-up clothes (by the kids - no need to sew). Scarves, "fancy" shoes, anything with sequins should be a hit for the 3 year old.

You can make shaker jars by using old plastic soda bottles (or mayo jars would be even better, but who eats that much mayo?) You can fill them with all kinds of stuff - rice that you've colored with food coloring, some feathers from a craft store, some cheap rubber erasers, etc. You then just put some superglue in the cap and screw it closed - kids love to throw those around.

Wrap an "activity." Buy some cheap-o shaving cream and a disposable plastic table cloth. Cover your table with the tablecloth, spray the shaving cream and let the kids smear it everywhere. Kids LOVE that. Also, you could get some colored sugar and a box of cookie mix and make cookies together. Get a bag of balloons, blow them up and wack balloons all over the house.

Bubbles are really inexpensive and most kids love them. Also really inexpensive are crayons. My daughter at that age loved writing "letters" - you could get a box of plain envelopes as something new to color on.

I bet you could get 10 presents under the tree for each of them (well, maybe a couple to share) without spending more than $30. The good news is that they're still so young they won't have any idea that you didn't spend a lot. In fact, your 1 year old will probably be happier with the boxes.

Have a good holiday.

hi try making identical blankets for family that would be gr8 for kids
or some dress for girls

Updated

hi try making identical blankets for family that would be gr8 for kids
or some dress for girls

When I was a kid we made ornaments from flour, water, and elmer's glue and painted them. I don't have my Mom's recipe at the moment, but found some similar recipes on-line. Be sure to make a good size hole to run ribbon through before you bake 'em or you won't be able to hang 'em!

Gifts like this from little kids are treasures - I bet your husband would love ornaments made by your daughters.

And from you, you could make him a "coupon book" good for things he likes (ex: good for a day of watching football without interuptions, good for a backrub from your wife?).

The daughters are at an easy to please age. We do something chocolate in the stocking, which we eat for breakfast on Christmas morning! It's good to check your local Dollar Tree for things they might like. You can make them sock puppets and put on a show with them. You can draw a series of pictures, write some text, and use a stapler to make a book.

And if you have a friend who is good at sewing, see if you could barter to have her make something (child care for a day in exchange for little purses?)

Good luck! (sorry for typos - sooooo sleepy:)

No sew fleece blanket (pattern/color of whatever they like, princess, toy story)http://www.allkindsofbabystuff.com/no_sew_fleece_blankets...

Art supplies (I saw a 100 piece kit today for $10...pastels, crayons, paper,brushes,paint...)

Play dough (my kids LOVE playdough esp. at the ages of yours)

Library card (if you haven't already gotten them one, my dd got her's for her 4th bday)

Books, puzzles, coloring books (the local dollar store would have lots and they are only a $1)

Check craiglist or local buy/sell/trade paper for used bikes/outdoor playhouses/swings/slides (I recently saw a plastic playhouse on craiglist for $35)

Homemade coupon books (for your husband: chores or sex!, for your 3 yr old: hugs, favorite movie, trip to local park, favorite meal/snack)

When my kids are under 2 for christmas, I don't worry about what I am getting them, they get like a ball or car or doll and that is pretty much it. If you don't already you could also start a tradition or two this year about giving back and volunteering your time as a family at church, shelter, soup kitchen.

If the three year old is starting to play kitchen at all, you could make felt food. I have seen some with light stuffing and it looks fairly easy and would not require much sewing. You may be able to google and find some patterns. I have seen simple cookies, sandwiches, etc. If dress up is fun, check out any consignment or used stores for a few new dress up clothes. You can sometimes pick up great toys or books there too.

For your husband, does he have a favorite meal or dessert you could make. Or trade with a friend for a baby sitting night, so you two can have date night and then your friend can have a date night too. If you like movies, a dvd and popcorn for a night at home. A coupon book might work- back rubs, ironing, help with yard work, etc.

A lot of people already suggested going to goodwill or other thrift stores. We always got so many great toys when I was little, and my mom just revealed to me a few years ago that she bought almost all of it throughout the year at thrift stores and put it away for Christmas--I never knew the difference as a kid. Kids are happy with boxes and crayons, homemade playdough and plastic spoons and knives--put together some kits--art, sculpting. Also the dress up box is great. Some friends gave our daughters that--they bought an old hard shell suitcase and decoupaged it so it said "[the kids' names] fabulous dress up kit" My kids love it and filled it with womens' dress shirts (which are like dresses on the girls) and scarves, purses, jewelry--the girls love it much more than the disney princess dress up box set that cost way more.

See if there is a Yahoo Freecycle group in your area and join it. Not only will you get emails from members when they have things they are giving away, you can also post "Wanted" emails. Freecycle is always the first place I try to give our kid's outgrown toys and clothes. The purpose of freecycle is to keep unwanted, but otherwise usable items out of landfills and connect them with people who can use them. I hope this helps!

My husband and I stopped exchanging gifts quite a while ago for several reasons having nothing to do with $$$, but now we're so glad we did! Now that everyone is cutting-back, we are used to the "no gift" policy. Instead, we make a point of doing something together... rent a movie, share a nice bottle of wine, call in "sick" and spend the day together.

As for your children, they are very very young and won't realize that it's a "small" Christmas so don't beat yourself up over it. I would see if you could swing the "Black Friday" sale at Toys R Us (starts on Thanksgiving night at 10:00 pm). They will have LOTS of huge sales- my husband found the flyer thas was "leaked" on the internet. Get a few new things for each of them to open (mostly the 3 yr old) and focus on spending the day together. Make a special breakfast... wear your jammies all day... take a day trip on Christmas Day... do something rather than "buy something" and you'll be surprised by what your older child will remember!

Sometimes making gifts can end up costing you more. A lot of stores are bringing back layaway. You could put some toys in layaway and make payments until Christmas (interest free). Also, stores started doing black Friday deals already. I don't recommend getting cheap toys at the dollar store that are going to break within a few times of playing with them then you have to throw them away. Your girls are so young, they will be excited no matter how many gifts they get.