As much as I'd like to present myself as a DIY-savvy Mom, I am not. I don't think I'm remotely close. I have no interest in making soaps or bath salts. There are far more creative Moms out there, as far as I'm concerned. When it came time for our very first Christmas needing teacher gifts, I just headed down to the basement stockpile and put a gift together.
Not to digress, but I was relatively surprised to see a few Moms simply handing the teachers cards, presumably with a gift card or cash enclosed. I asked my SIL about it, and she said that she typically gives her daughter's teachers Starbucks cards. Honestly that never occurred to me. I don't tend to give gift cards, and when I do, it's usually to men I have a hard time shopping for. It takes the fun out of giving the gift for me.
My inexpensive teacher gifts were partially purchased on December 26th of
last year. I love to shop the after Christmas sales for holiday merchandise at discounted prices, and bought some cute hand towel sets at Target at 50% off. Then, on Black Friday, I bought World Market cocoa packets at B2G1 free. I just tied them together with holiday ribbon, added a gift tag, and was done! This is the way Moms on a budget do it! It's not flashy, but it sure is useful. One of my favorite gift-giving tips is to buy holiday gifts
after the holiday, for the following year. Items like hand towels are easy to store, don't take up much space, and don't expire. Don't be afraid to purchase in advance - it's a great way to save money!
