Gift Baskets with items you get for free with coupons
- You can make up some fantastic gift baskets with
the great coupons and sales that are going on. (Watch your sales and you can
get most of the items for free or for very little!)
These are just a few ideas.Gift giving can be so much fun!
Some examples of baskets:
1. Movie nights : gift cert for movie
rentals, then throw in popcorn, snacks, candy and sodas that you got free
with coupons.
2. Beverage lovers : coffee, teas,
hot chocolates and extra goodies make a wonderful basket. I also make my own
hot chocolate and cappochino mix. If you want to be really fancy, then make
some chocolate dipped stirring spoons to include in your basket. (Most of
the beverages or ingredients (Nesquik, coffee creamer, etc.) for beverages
can be free with coupons!)
3. Ethnic baskets : Fill a pasta bowl
with pasta, sauce, bread, etc. I have also included a raviola maker and
dough roller if the person is into making their own pasta.
4. Use some of the baking items that
you have gotten free at the store to make up 'mixes' for breads, cookies,
etc.
5. Breakfast basket : I did this for
our pastor appreciation day one year. Each basket included hot chocolate,
coffee, syrup, chocolate dipped stirring spoons, muffin mix, and pancake
mix.
I filled baskets for a friends wedding
shower prizes . This went over so well. Here are some ideas...
BBQ basket- Ketchup, mustard, mayo,
BBQ sauce, boxed pasta salads, (dollar store)hambuger flippe, pickels,relish,
etc.
Bath basket - (which I put in a
dollar store trash can) shampoo,soap,conditioner,toothpasteand brush, toilet
paper, tampons. liners, lotion, candles, etc.
Kitchen basket - dish soap, brillo
pads, dishwasher soap, lotion, etc.
Spaghetti Basket - Sauce, pasta,
(dollar store strainer and utensils) etc.
Laundry basket - Soap, bleach, spray
& wash, (dollar store fabric sheets).
I did about 3 of each baskets with lots more stuff. I did start this very
early. MOST of the stuff was free or Very cheap.
Baking basket - cake mix, frosting
(dollar store wooden spoons),
We did a bunch of these. a few of each baskets. I
only bought what was ON SALE and I HAD COUPONS for. This made MOST of the
items FREE. every one loved opening their prizes!!!!! Don't forget
one of each thing for your bride. Great way to start stocking her cupboards.
I check the flyers for FREE AFTER REBATE http://www.pinchingyourpennies.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=7809617
I get candles, and tools etc.
Office Max free after rebate, but you need to tear off the UPC, last year I
got several 50 packs of recordable CD's and CD jewel cases for free. My
family laughs but it is what they want.
I gave a computer game last year that had the UPC taken off and I had told
my friend and she did the same thing. When her son opened it he told her she
was spending to much time with me.
Went to Goodwill and they had socks with the rubber bottoms so you don't
slip, new still in the boxes for .25 a piece.
I had gotten 4 coupons each for free Country Bobs and liquid smoke, I added
a bbq brush for .50 and had 4 gifts.
Yestereday I received my Spiderman Lunch Box and watch for 1.98 and 2 UPC's
from Kraft slices and a crt. This will make a nice little gift. And thats
the great thing about kids they don't care how much it costs and if it gets
lost or broken it isn't a big deal. (The forms were gone at the store so I
called Kraft and they sent me one. )
I also really love that basket idea, I'll start some of those now..
We did something similar four years ago with stuff from Menards, they had
Plastic tool boxes free after rebate 2 per person. So mom and I went out and
each got 2, then everything that was free after rebate we put in the tool
boxes, usually limit of 2. So we spent all summer and fall filling up the
tool boxes only to find we had to much stuff, so we went to the dollar store
and bought Christmas bags for the rest. Now we do this every year and the
guys always open the bags from Mom first. The funny thing is one of the
freebies where these safty glasses with lights on the sides (small batterys
on the arms of the glasses), we girls all laughed when we compared notes all
our guys were walking around the house in the dark with these glasses on.
Any way this is mom and my thing every week when some other store has
something free after rebate we go after it and mom has nice gifts to give.
She will have one corner of her bedroom filled with sacks. She is living on
SS so this is a big help to her, we girls say our husbands always make out
better then we do. LOL
shavers, body wash,etc. for pennies +
used them for gift baskets.
If you buy used baskets at garage sales they can be washed in warm water and
dried outside or in the airing cupboard, then filled with items especially
chosen for the person you're giving to.
For example, for a friend who loves sewing ,
make up a patchwork basket, containing a template for the shapes, ready cut
squares or hexagons of fabric, threads, needles, pincushion or scissors.
Breakfast basket - two mugs, special
tea bags, mini pots of honey and marmalade
Goodnight basket. - mugs, sachets of
hot chocolate, and a lavender sachet to aid peaceful sleep.
Crumple tissue paper into the basket first, then arrange the items prettily
before covering with cellophane and tying with crinkly ribbon and gift bows.
A variation on this theme is a gardener's flower pot. Half fill a flowerpot
with crumpled paper or straw. Arrange packets of seeds, inexpensive hand
trowel/fork, plant labels/ties, notebook, green string and budget gardening
book or magazine.
Haunt the cut price shops for presents that may just need some creative
pairing with another inexpensive item to make a lovely gift.
Consider pairing:
A scented candle and bubble bath
Recipe book and mixing bowl or cookery utensils
Joke book and whoopee cushion
Video, cola and popcorn
Pack of cards and six pack of lager/beer
Paperback book and box of chocolates
Houseplant and plant care guide
Calendar and diary
Hair scrunchies and hairbrush or shampoo
Once you start thinking along these lines you'll probably come up with lots
more ideas of your own.
If you can arrange flowers fix a piece of florist's foam to a piece of bark
or charity shop shallow bowl and make a Christmas arrangement with berries,
cones and foliage that you can pick up for free.