We still exchange gifts with DH's family each year...individual gifts for children and "couple" gifts for adults. Usually we make something...a couple of years ago it was a gift basket of homemade food...cookies, barbeque sauce, jelly, and some store bought candies (TJ Maxx and Ross have great deals on that kind of stuff at the holidays). Still, with baskets, food, and wrapping, it cost about $30 per couple.
This year I'm dead set on under $10 a couple, but at the same time, DH got a significant raise this year, so I'm feeling pressure for our gifts to not be of the "we're broke so we made you some jam" variety (this is my issue...I know that most people would be thrilled to have some homemade jam and bread, and DH family is always really appreciative).
So today at Target I found this charging station on clearance for $7.50. It has ugly, UGLY, golf-course green felt on the two tiers of the station, which I'm sure is why it was so cheap. I bought it, and negotiated for another smaller version (two slots) that was dinged up. So I got the two big ones for $7.50 and the smaller one for $3.50. Then I went to Hobby Lobby and bought scrapbook paper (0.59 a sheet) that coordinates with each recipient's house. I already have supplies to paint the stations, then will apply the scrapbook paper and coat it with 4-6 coats of poly (again, already have it from another project) and each couple will get a charging station that coordinates with their home decor and I will have spent well under my $10 per family without giving something "homemade" (and without having to bake, which I'm just not in the mood for...yet). I intend to finish them this week and wrap them up so they are ready to go and I can be DONE with that
.
Just had to share...
This year I'm dead set on under $10 a couple, but at the same time, DH got a significant raise this year, so I'm feeling pressure for our gifts to not be of the "we're broke so we made you some jam" variety (this is my issue...I know that most people would be thrilled to have some homemade jam and bread, and DH family is always really appreciative).
So today at Target I found this charging station on clearance for $7.50. It has ugly, UGLY, golf-course green felt on the two tiers of the station, which I'm sure is why it was so cheap. I bought it, and negotiated for another smaller version (two slots) that was dinged up. So I got the two big ones for $7.50 and the smaller one for $3.50. Then I went to Hobby Lobby and bought scrapbook paper (0.59 a sheet) that coordinates with each recipient's house. I already have supplies to paint the stations, then will apply the scrapbook paper and coat it with 4-6 coats of poly (again, already have it from another project) and each couple will get a charging station that coordinates with their home decor and I will have spent well under my $10 per family without giving something "homemade" (and without having to bake, which I'm just not in the mood for...yet). I intend to finish them this week and wrap them up so they are ready to go and I can be DONE with that
.Just had to share...
