I’m in two minds about gift wrap. On one hand, the anticipation that builds as you unwrap a gift is an important part of gift giving. It’s the surprise when you tear away the paper that’s part of the fun.

On the other hand, Christmas wrap can put an unnecessary strain on the budget and is certainly a strain on the environment. It’s hard to find stats, but the UK alone uses around 8,000 tonnes of the stuff each year – that’s around 50,000 trees. Even if we recycle the paper (which is a good thing) that doesn’t bring back those trees. And it takes a long time to grow replacement trees just for five seconds paper-tearing delight.

This isn’t a new concern of mine. One year, when I was about fifteen, I gave my family gifts wrapped in recycled newspaper. It didn’t go down well. It was a little bit messy too. So I admit, I have a few rolls of Christmas gift wrap in the cupboard. To peer pressure (or in this case, family pressure), I succumbed.

Below are a few ideas on how to save on Christmas gift wrapping, including how to save on the traditional wrap, if that’s your thing.

1. Buy after Christmas

So, you were super organised 11 months ago and purchased discounted gift wrap in the January sales, right? No, neither did I.

If you did, Christmas wrapping will be a breeze this year. No shopping for stationery. Inexpensive wrap. Otherwise, possibly something to keep in mind for next year / week.

2. Buy in bulk from a discount store

You could buy expensive gift wrap or the cheap, thin stuff from the discount store. I opt for the cheap, thin stuff. It does the job for a fraction of the cost.

3. Make your own gift wrap

Save money and make gift wrap that little bit special by making your own. You could use butchers paper or brown paper, but this will be super cheap and environmentally friendly if you use recycled paper. Brown paper bags (the ones that you get shopping at certain stores) are a good option, just cut them open and decorate. This can be a great activity for children in the lead up to Christmas.

4. Recycle last year’s gift wrap

Recycled gift wrap works best if the gift you’re giving is smaller than the original gift you received. Unwrap gifts carefully and take a little time after Christmas to cut off sticky tape, flatten paper and fold neatly for next year’s gift wrapping.

5. Recycle different papers and containers

Comic book pages, newspaper, magazines, old maps, old CAD plans, old paper bags… the limit is what you have on hand and your imagination. It takes a little bit of creativity to make recycled papers look special, but it can be done (see below for ideas).

When wrapping funny shaped gifts, giving homemade food gifts or making up hampers, have a look at recycled containers you have around the house. Clean recycled jars can be a nice way to present food gifts (particularly the coffee jars with the push on lid), as well as fancy packaging that you have received as a gift (Ferrero Rocher chocolate boxes and the plastic fancy Lindt chocolate boxes come to mind here). Or take a recycled box like a shoe box or a chocolate box and wrap (and glue) paper to both the box and lid separately, turning a recycled box into a fancy gift box.

6. Theme your wrap

Plain brown paper doesn’t have to be boring or look cheap. Dress it up with some ribbon (that can be reused next year) or other decorations and theme your gift wrap to make it look special. For instance, you could have ‘white Christmas’ themed wrap with white paper, white ribbon and some collected holly or gum nuts for decoration.

Here are some great and frugal ways to dress up your Christmas wrapping:

Newspaper bow @ The Wind and the Sail	Recycled packaging wrap @ Lovely Indeed	Recycled gift wrap @ Crafted Love
Magazine wrap @ Abmatic/k	Comic page wrap @ Crafting a Green World	Magazine gift bow @ How About Orange
Bay leaf ribbon @ Daisyley	Pine cone ornament @ Elisa Mclaughlin Designs	Coffee filter as wrapping @ A Subtle Revelry

7. Wrap in fabric

I have to be honest and say I don’t think this is a very frugal option unless you use thrifted fabric or reuse the fabric year after year. Fabric wrapped presents can be expensive if you’re buying fabric every year.

I have seen pics around the web of gifts wrapped in recycled woollen jumpers or red and white shirts gingham shirts and they look pretty good – it’s about thinking outside the box.

8. Wrap the present in the present

A novel idea is to make the wrap part of the present. For instance, give gifts in calico shopping totes or make your own bags. Wrap gifts in tea towels, hankies, sarongs or clothing. Put a wine bottle in a pair of new socks.

9. A clever way of building the excitement on large gifts

Rather than wrapping large gifts, give the recipient a card with clues on how to find the gift. A gift hunt adds to the fun without the need to go through reams of paper.

10. Buy after Christmas

So you don’t have reams of Christmas wrap from this year’s January sales? Then you can stock up next week in the post Christmas sales…for next Christmas.

I admit, the idea of tackling January sales crowds for cheap Christmas wrap is my idea of hell on earth, but if you’re in the shops, you may as well grab a few roles. And if you wait a few weeks, you may even find rolls that are even further reduced (without the need to tackle the crowds).

What are your frugal tips for Christmas gift wrap?

Have you read these articles?:

1. tip tuesday–family gift wrap
2. choosing (or making) the perfect gift
3. planning a christmas budget

When I was growing up, much of our Christmas traditions involved food. In fact, Christmas day was a big gastronomic event the likes of which we never saw for the rest of the year.

When it comes to the pleasures of the table, the day stands out in our family calendar.

It started early in the morning with ham, poached eggs and a smear of Australian mustard on toast for breakfast. At least one year, dad had a butcher friend brine a ham and then dad baked it in a scone dough case. It was the most succulent and tasty ham ever. There is no comparing real ham on the bone to the watery stuff you buy at the deli. The ham lived in a pillow case in the fridge and when it was all gone, mum would freeze the bone until winter and make pea and ham soup. Nothing wasted. The eggs we ate were fresh from a friend’s yard and the bread was (in later years) handmade.

Later in the morning we would have morning tea of fruit mince pies, nibbles and choc-coated almonds. When we were older, when Santa had become a story and dad had retired from work, we would open our presents during morning tea time. When we were younger, dad worked shift work so Santa stocking presents were opened first thing in the morning, but ‘under the tree gifts’ waited until dad returned around 2pm. I guess that’s a good lesson in deferred gratification, but it also spread the excitement of the day further and gave us time to play with and get to know the Santa presents.

Late in the afternoon came lunch/dinner. We always had a full roast. There is nothing in the world like mum’s roast. Every year, despite the heat, mum served up roast pork and crackling, roast potato and pumpkin, beans, homemade gravy, homemade stuffing, apple and cranberry sauce. The whole shebang. Each year she worried that the pork was a bit dry or the potatoes didn’t crisp up enough, but to us, it was the perfect meal every time.

Last year I had a go at cooking Christmas lunch (that’s a stretch of the truth, really. Mum did most of the cooking in my kitchen and I helped. A little.) It was hot as hell. There’s a lot of love that goes into those Christmas dinners each year.

After lunch was always summer fruit to cleanse: cherries, rockmelon, nectarines. Then we lay around full, sitting on the front porch watching the galahs in the big gum tree and playing i-spy while the sun set, or arguing politics when we were much older.

Much later in the evening, much much later, we would finish the day off with traditional Christmas pudding complete with custard, cream and a twenty cent piece hidden in it.

Nowadays, we celebrate Christmas more often than not with DH’s family, which means the more Australian fare of prawns, cold meat, salads and pavlova. While that’s nice too, it doesn’t carry the same nostalgia as childhood traditions, and I think what made our childhood Christmas dinner so special was that it’s something we didn’t eat at any other time of the year. Turkey and plum pudding, for instance, are a one day a year taste sensation (apart from leftovers, of course). Cold meat and salads were what we ate on Boxing Day. And the day after. And the day after that.

It’s got me thinking about the types of traditions that we will create as a new family that our children will grow up with. Do we want to continue the tradition of making the Christmas feast something special and memorable? Something different to what we can cook up every other day of the year? Do I want to spend half the day in the kitchen? Our traditions are important, but they are also what we make them. There is no perfect. They are something we build, little by little each year. Starting next year .

What will you be feasting on this Christmas?

Have you read these articles?:

1. start a christmas fund and take the sting out of christmas cheer
2. Avoiding The Christmas Shopping Hangover
3. planning a christmas budget

This is a guest post by Justin Toladro from Life Insurance Finder.

Political satirist Stephen Colbert recently said on his show in regards to the holiday season:

We are once again spending money we don’t have on things we don’t need to give to people we don’t like.

While there was undoubtedly a level of sarcasm in his rhetoric, in some ways, Mr. Colbert is right: as a consumerist society, we are so overwhelmed with the mad dash to buy as many things for as many people as we possibly can this season. The shopping fervour only increases with each passing Christmas season, and with Australia’s consumer debt crisis at record highs, perhaps spending more money isn’t what we need right now.

With this in mind, there are several things you can take into consideration while planning your Christmas budget. Depending on what your holiday festivities entail, this may be as simple as pumping up your food budget, or something more drastic, such as gifts for all members of the family, new decorations, bakery and meal money, and more. If not kept in check, Christmas spending can get way out of hand; as such, creating a tight budget with enough room to handle expenses that may unexpectedly arise is an absolute must.

If your income is lighter than average this year, then make adjustments accordingly. For gift exchanges with friends or family, perhaps suggest that each person chooses just one other person to give and receive gifts. This way, everyone gets something but nobody has to buy something for everyone. Better yet, you may want to consider a moratorium on gift-giving and replace it with handwritten cards for each individual or just something as simple as a family dinner together. Gift-giving frenzies were inspired by stores looking to boost their sales during the wintry season; don’t fall into the trap of thinking it’s a mandatory event and burning through your available cash with this mindset.

When it comes to decorations, consider buying things used or pooling old decorations with friends and swapping them out. This way, your decorating scheme gets a revitalised look without any added costs. Setting a strict spending limit on decorations—if you so choose to go out and buy more—should be implemented before you spend a single dollar. If you want them to last longer than one holiday season, then perhaps setting a higher limit in order to buy higher quality embellishments can be taken into consideration. Cheap lights and décor items break easily and most likely won’t last, so even if it means spending a little more than you initially had hoped to, going for quality over monetary affordability can be quite beneficial.

Then there is the matter of food. Home-cooked meals and cookies are not only fresher but also more affordable than store brand foods. Potlucks are great for this time of year, allowing each individual to make their specialty dishes and contribute to a fantastic meal for all. Don’t forget to account for holiday sweets in your budget!

So, with Christmas almost upon us and carols in the air, taking the time to steady your financial situation and plan out a specific budget well in advance can keep you from overdoing it on the wallet-crunching this holiday season. Christmas was never supposed to be about spending more and more; it’s about family, friends, peace, and goodwill. Keep this in mind while creating your Christmas time budget.

This article was written by Justin Toladro from Life Insurance Finder, visit our site to compare life insurance policies that best suit you and your family.

Have you read these articles?:

1. start a christmas fund and take the sting out of christmas cheer
2. it’s a wrap–christmas gift wrap on a budget
3. Avoiding The Christmas Shopping Hangover

This tip comes from Julie in the US. Thanks Julie, for sending in your great frugal tips.

Cruising a thrift shop, I picked up 2 nice dinner plates (each different).  One of the ideas I just came up with I want to share because it is FRUGAL AND THRIFY TOO!

I am buying a somewhat large scented candle to place in the centre of the plate, and surrounding it with homemade cookies (biscuits?) to bring as a hostess gift to a party, and the other to have around to use in the same way for a BIRTHDAY gift.

Picking up plates and/or bowls is super at thrift store/jumble sales.  How often do you have to retrieve a plate or bowl after bringing over food to an occasion! Now you can just tell the hostess or group of keep the plate and pass it on to the next person, when they need a plate for goodies.  WIN-WIN!

Another thrifty idea is a tea towel as the wrapping over cookies or breads instead of the regular cling wrap – a nice little hostess goodie for her to keep. I do this when I cover stiff cardboard with aluminium foil, then ‘gift wrap’ that with the tea towel.

This is a great tip. Having the plate to pass on at the next get-together is a great idea. You can also collect mis-matched plates as serving plates. What I really love about the way the Japanese set their table is that no plate matches! They select crockery for its individual beauty and the table is an eclectic array of crockery.

“Wabi Sabi is a theory of Japanese aesthetics in which imperfection and transience are considered the touchstone of beauty…it embodies the spirit of perfectly imperfect” [source]

Have you read these articles?:

1. tip tuesday–family gift wrap
2. tip tuesday – free ribbons
3. tip tuesday–clean your drains chemical free

I received this comment the other day and I thought that rather than let it get lost in archives, I would share it here today and ask you if you have any advice or help to give. The comment was:

“My boyfriend and I are pretty much on the same page as far as our thoughts regarding finances go. We are planning on getting married next year, but as it’s his second marriage and he has two children living at home, and we’re both paying mortgages he is REALLY happy to scrimp and save on EVERY aspect of it, whereas I have never been married before so I feel there are some areas I would like to splurge a bit – like my ring, dress, reception and photographer… We’ve discussed areas we could save, does anyone have any tips?”

Firstly, I think it’s awesome you’re both on the same page when it comes to finances. Money can be a major point of contention in a relationship, so if you’re both like-minded when it comes to spending money, that will be a boon in the future.

It’s not unreasonable at all that you want to have a nice wedding. Like you said, this is a new experience for you, you want it to be special and you should remind your partner that.

My advice is to first sit down and discuss and agree upon a set budget. How much are you both willing to spend in total on your wedding? Weddings can be expensive (the average cost of a wedding in Australia is around $30,000), but they don’t have to be.

Once you’ve worked out a budget, you can then start planning what you can afford to splurge on and what you need to scrimp on. Are you comfortable hand making invitations, for instance?

The most important thing is to remember that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to have a wonderful day.

For example, when it came to our wedding, I bought my wedding dress for $130 on eBay. It’s a gorgeous dress and I loved it. We hired a photographer who was just breaking into the wedding photography business, and as he was building his portfolio, he was priced at a much lower rate than more established photographers.

I could have sworn that I wrote an article on saving money on a wedding, but I can’t find it, so I must have just dreamed that I wrote it, something I will have to write about in the future.

If you can help with tips or advice, it would be wonderful if you left a comment below.

Have you read these articles?:

1. Love and Money
2. sharing financial responsibility in marriage
3. reader survey: eating well on a budget

It was DH’s birthday the other day. My intention was to make some personalised gift wrap with the little fella’s doodles or hand prints or something like that, but time slipped away and other jobs took priority.

So instead, I wrapped the gift in a spare fat quarter of fabric and tied it up with a bit of ribbon lying around.

The great thing about this?

No waste. No sticky-tape.

You still get all the pleasure of presenting an attractively wrapped present, and the surprise that comes with opening it, but then the ribbon and fabric go back in the wardrobe for other uses.

Have you read these articles?:

1. it’s a wrap–christmas gift wrap on a budget
2. making personalised gift hampers for all occasions
3. tip tuesday – free ribbons

It’s Mother’s Day on Sunday. Just sayin’ (ahem, dear). This is my second Mother’s Day. Last year I got a clothes airer. Terribly un-fun, but I actually asked for a clothes airer (and it’s had a lot of use over the last twelve months), so it’s all good.

What’s your idea of the perfect Mother’s Day gift? I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say this, maybe it’s not something mothers are supposed to admit out loud, but I’m going to confess it: as a mother of a young toddler, the best gift I could get for Mother’s Day this year is time alone.

Time to drink a whole cup of tea. Time to sit in the sun and read a whole chapter or do some sewing without having to tend to the demands of toddler, husband, or cat (who decides it’s dinner time as soon as I sit down). Time to daydream without thinking I should be working.

I think one of life’s most delicious luxuries is quiet solitude. You don’t appreciate it until you don’t have much of it.

On the other hand, if your children are older and you don’t see much of them, or you work or you’re not an alone time person, you might be wanting the exact opposite for Mother’s Day: time with you kids. Or maybe you’re a kid yourself (adult or otherwise) or a dad looking for some ideas. Below are a few frugal Mother’s Day gift ideas.

1. Time. As I mentioned before, give mum time to do her favourite things: crafting, a long soak in the tub, listening to her favourite CD, reading, coffee out or whatever mum enjoys doing. Or if you don’t see mum much, give her the gift of your time.

2. Good behaviour. Nothing says ‘I love you, mum’ more than a day without sibling bickering, mischief or big messes for mum to clean up.

3. Breakfast, lunch or dinner. Give mum a break from the cooking and by doing the cooking for her. The most important thing (besides a tasty meal) is cleaning up afterwards. It’s not much fun for mum having to clean up a big mess.

4. A letter. On real paper. In your handwriting. A handwritten letter is a dying art but something so special. Who doesn’t love getting a letter in the post? This is especially good for mum’s who live far away.

5. A list of reasons why mum is great. I’ve read of other mum’s who have received this gift. It can be quite funny if you have young kids, the reason’s why they think you’re great.

6. A collection of the kid’s art works. You could put it in a folder or bind it. A good gift for nanna as well.

7. Another gift for nanna is a brag book of photos of the grandkids.

8. A story written especially for mum.

9. Pot plants, plants or seeds instead of flowers.

10. Special time with your mum. If you don’t get to see your mother much alone, it’s usually with your kids, or your partner, one on one time with your mum to catch up would make a special gift.

11. A picnic in the park.

12. Time with mum where mum chooses the activities. Sick of watching Shrek? On Mother’s Day it’s your turn to choose the movie or other family activity.

13. A mix tape. Or more likely, an iPod playlist of mum’s favourite music. An oldie, but always a good gift.

14. A home video. You could compile video you already have or make new videos telling mum why she’s so great. A good gift for nanna too.

15. A scrapbook. Collect photos, kids art, special mementos, writing, and make your own scrapbook for mum or nanna.

16. Gift cards. Create your own gift cards with things like quiet time, vacuuming, washing and other services mum can ‘cash in’. Check out the tutorial on making your own personalised gift cards in Word, cut them out and snazzy them up with some scrapbook paper, glitter, stickers or whatever takes your fancy.

17. Gift hamper. Gift hampers are a great gift idea if they are personalised. Get together some of mum’s favourite things or some pampering products and maybe include some of the ideas above like a mix tape to make up a personalised hamper.

18. For more ideas check out last year’s Mother’s Day post: Kid’s craft ideas and the year before: Mum on Mother’s Day.

Have you read these articles?:

1. A few kids craft ideas for mothers day
2. frugal valentine gift ideas
3. Mum on Mother’s Day

It surprised me that there are a LOT of Easter craft tutorials on the web. Here is a small selection of ideas that would make nice gifts (and one or two quirky ideas that just appealed to me). The focus on gift ideas means that I haven’t included Easter garlands, wreaths, bunnies, chickens, eggs and other house decorations for the holiday. Do you decorate your home for Easter? Or is decorating for holidays an American thing? Just curious.

My favourite are the surprise eggs by Not Martha (they are gorgeous) but they would take a whole lot of time and patience to make. I also love the idea of having an Easter tradition with the children of growing grass in egg shells (from Rosy Posy). What a great idea! And you’re never going to believe how Sew Tara made her cake / treat stand.

I am one of the few people who love that they have hot cross buns in the store straight after Christmas, I love them so much (too much). I also love Cadbury Creme eggs and it’s a shame they only sell them for a couple of months in the year. Now I can make my own buns and creme eggs anytime!

Marshmallow bunnies @ Cute for Kids	Silk dyed eggs @ Magic Onions	Creme filled eggs @ I really like food
Door hanger treat pouch @ Sunny Stampin	Egg grass @ Rosy Posy	‘Cadbury’ creme eggs @ From Glitter to Gumdrops
Edible Easter flowers @ The Happy Creator	Easter treat stand @ Sew Tara	Surprise eggs @ Sun Scholars
Surprise Eggs @ Not Martha	Hot cross buns @ Gourmet Traveller	Edible easter basket @ Wants and Wishes
Hot cross bun truffles @ Inspired by chocolate	Creme filled egg @ Very Vegan Holiday	Peanut butter Easter eggs @ Sugar Teachers
No mould bunny suckers @ From an Igloo	Easter basket @ Moda Bake Shop	Bunny basket @ Disdressed

Have you read these articles?:

1. happy easter 2011
2. easter basket inspiration
3. happy Easter

It’s that season again. Time to run round frantically trying to find something, anything to give to that special someone.

There’s nothing worse than opening a gift and realising it is one of those last minute, un-thought-out ‘what the hell am I going to do with this? / I’m allergic to nuts’ type gifts, especially if it is from someone close who should know you better.

On the other hand, a well thought out, much appreciated gift means that how much (or how little) you spent is irrelevant. The thought put into a gift is as important or even more so than the the gift itself.

So to avoid the last minute gift and to save some money, now is the time to plan your Christmas gift giving. And the best way to finding the perfect gift? Match the gift to the recipient, rather than the recipient to the gift. Here are a few tips on choosing (or making) the perfect gift.

1. Write out a list of recipients.

2. Brainstorm each person’s likes, interests and hobbies. How do they like to spend their time? What kind of personality do they have? What things are they interested in trying but haven’t tried yet? Write down a few words that describe the person and their interests.

3. Brainstorm gift ideas that match the person’s interests. Way back in January I read a great gift finding idea on The Simple Dollar website and filed it away until now. Trent’s method for generating gift ideas is to write down 10 words that describe the recipient (as above), paste these words into Google and browse the top pages for gift ideas. If you don’t come up with any ideas, then narrow the search by changing the keywords or narrowing them down to five or so. I tried this method and I came up with quite a few gift ideas, but you have to be open minded about the possibilities. Who knew you could come up with a gift idea off someone’s internet dating profile!

Other ways to generate ideas without aimlessly wandering around shops is to browse catalogues, look through Etsy for handmade ideas, check out gift idea websites or browse online stores. This process is best started early. For the super organised (I swear I’ll get organised next year), start a gift ideas list at the beginning of the year so you can keep an eye out for ideas during the year.

For inexpensive but personal gifts, you could add to or accessorise what the recipient already has. For example, a handmade iPod cover for their iPod or a handmade jewellery box for their jewellery.

6. What about for the hard-to-buy for person / person who has everything / office colleague / school teacher etc? I’ve fallen in love with the idea of hampers. Hampers are a great way to bring together a few inexpensive items into an impressive present. Again the key is to tailor the hamper to the recipient’s interests. If the gift is for someone you have to buy for but you really don’t know, there is the old food hamper mainstay. However, an inexpensive food hamper of homemade goodies beats a cheap ready made one from the shops. And the recipient will appreciate the effort. For hamper ideas, I’ve written previously about making personalised hampers making your own gift boxes and hamper and wrapping ideas.

What tips do you have for choosing the perfect gift?

Have you read these articles?:

1. making personalised gift hampers for all occasions
2. 18 frugal mother’s day gift ideas
3. Handmade Gifts Part 5 – Hampers and Gift Wrapping

Traditionally, Valentine’s Day is all about handmade cards and love notes (with flowers and chocolate for good measure). In recent times, Valentine’s Day has gotten pretty commercialised, and hand made notes of love have given way to mass produced greeting cards.

Despite the commercialism, I feel like we don’t celebrate enough special moments. I used the think that gestures of love shouldn’t be restricted to just one day a year, but then I thought about just how often we actually stop and make those gestures throughout the year (not often enough). Valentine’s Day is a good reminder to stop and think about that significant other in your life (or to approach someone you want to be your significant other).

A handmade card or gift, a lovingly prepared meal, chocolates (I’ll take chocolates any day) or a warm sentiment thoughtfully expressed are just a few ideas to make Valentine’s Day (or any other day) special.

1. Write a love note / poem / letter / song

This is the traditional Valentine. A handwritten, personal letter is something that will always be treasured. Alternatively, you could leave love notes in your Valentine’s lunch box, write a poem or your own song to serenade your Valentine with.

2. Make a Valentine’s Card

A handmade card, as opposed to the commercial variety, shows that you’ve put some thought and care into it. The last card I made was from scraps around the house. Save junk mail that comes on pretty coloured paper – once it’s stuck down you can’t see the writing – also keep envelopes that others have sent cards in as hey too can be cut up. With some old lace from the sewing basket and a few scraps of pretty paper, you can make quite a nice card without spending anything while still maintaining the sentiment.

3. Buy the rose bush rather than just the rose

Flowers are a traditional Valentine’s gift, but for a gift that keeps on giving a rose bush (or other flowering plant) is a good (and cheaper) alternative. You can get miniature potted roses that make a nice gift.

4. Cook a special candlelight meal

A meal that involves table linen and candles is in our house a long way from the usual gobble-in-front-of-the-TV affair. A touch of atmosphere adds a touch of romance to even the most ordinary moments.

Photo source

5. Give a bunch of handmade origami flowers

When I was in college, I made a bouquet of origami flowers that sat in an old wine bottle on my desk. Long after real flowers are dead and gone, these flowers keep brightening up a room and serve as a reminder. Browse through Google Images for design inspiration – there are some absolutely stunning displays of origami flowers as wedding decorations.

6. Send an SMS or email

A cheeky SMS at work can make someone’s day. Personally, an email isn’t as “special” as a handwritten note, but again, it’s about what you write, not how you send it.

Photo source

7. Do some special baking

Red velvet cake makes great Valentines baking because of it’s bright red colour contrasted with the white cream cheese icing. For the recipe check out the Joy of Baking or for an alternative recipe that substitutes the buttermilk and vinegar with sour cream see the Art of Desert.

Any kind of baking is always well accepted though, and using heart shaped tins or cookie cutters makes it that little bit special. Don’t splurge though on special tins that will sit in the cupboard for the rest of the year. If you’re wanting to make heart shaped cup cakes, roll up a small amount of foil into a ball and drop in down between the patty case and the tin to give your cake a heart shape. For a heart shaped cutter, cut the bottom off a clean tuna tin and using pliers, bend it into a heart shape.

Other ideas: my friend cut heart shapes out of toast and spread them with strawberry jam for a special breakfast for her husband. You could also make some chocolates and wrap them with paper that has handwritten special messages on it. 

8. Give the gift of you

I’m not necessarily talking about wrapping yourself up in a big bow (although I’m sure that won’t go unappreciated) but personalised gift certificates for things like massages and romantic dinners can make a thoughtful gift without costing a lot of money. And at the end of the day that’s what we want from our Valentine, quality time together.

9. Create a personalised gift basket

My DH gave me a gift basket when we were first dating, he made up a box (painted it and everything) and filled it with little goodies like bath soaps and other smelly stuff. It was obvious that he had gone to a fair bit of effort and it was well received. A personalised gift basket for Valentines day could include things to use together on the day like a bottle of wine or a personal CD compilation of favourite romantic songs.

10. Scrapbook

A scrapbook of special moments, memories, sentiments and keepsakes will have sentimental value for the rest of your life. If scrapbooking isn’t your thing, a simple photo in a photo frame is also a well received gift. 

Tomorrow, I’ll share some handmade Valentine’s ideas from around the web.

Do you give Valentine’s gifts? What is the best ever Valentine’s gift you’ve ever received?

Have you read these articles?:

1. handmade valentine gift ideas
2. 18 frugal mother’s day gift ideas
3. Handmade Gift Ideas Part 1 – Bath And Body